Looking into the eyes of over 100 orphans, ages 4-17, in three separate orphan care centers over the course of this past week was, needless to say, hard for me. I knew that my heart would break over and over for their lost mothers and fathers, and for needs the children have that may not be met. As I held precious children in my arms this week my heart was hurting, but God whispered and spoke, “I am this child’s Father. I love and protect and provide better than any earthly parent alone can do.”
That message changed my view of the lives of these “double orphans”, as the care centers called the children. These children had been left without parents, mostly due to HIV/AIDS, but God had provided guardians for them to meet their needs physically by feeding them and clothing them, and spiritually by showing them the love of the Father and teaching them about Jesus. The children also attend school and are learning English and math. These children smile, sing, and pray because they know God loves them and is for them. They have the childlike faith that God asks of us, and their needs are being met.
Pray for these children. Pray for their upbringing and for their needs. Pray that they would know the God who loves them and provides for them. And for the countless other oprhans around the world, pray that they would be cared for and loved, and to personally know the living God who values them. There is a Father for the orphans, and when they call on the name of the God of Heaven, they have a Father who hears them.
