Joy to the World's Orphans

Moses was twelve when I met him. My son’s age. They found him finding shelter wherever he could during the night. He has no idea if any of his family members are still alive. Living in a Third World country, in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, you grow up much faster than you should.
Moses is one of thousands upon thousands of orphans living in the slum of Huruma, a small chunk of land with way too many people, and few resources. Most of the orphans became such due to the spread of HIV-AIDS. Many were born with the disease.

Of course, an orphan is a child who has lost at least one parent. Many of the women of Deborah’s House in Tijuana, Mexico, left the father of their children to save all of their lives. The kids will grow up as orphans in many respects.

What do you think God wants to communicate to the world’s orphans? Why do you think God wants to communicate with orphans?

God’s concern for the orphans of the world is well documented in the Bible. And, as the Bible says that humanity was created in the likeness of God, it should be no surprise that there existed what seems to be in inherent understanding that orphans should be cared for by any who are able.

• Job, the oldest book of the Bible (c. 1800-2000 B.C.E), gives a great example. As part of his final protest of innocence (Job 31:16), Job states that he has proven his righteousness in his helping the poor and widows – the most at-risk segment of society. Orphans no doubt were in this category.
• Fast forward several hundred years, and God declares His love for orphans in seeing to their needs (Dt. 10:18).
• Around 1000 BCE, King David, in one of his many works of poetry, says, “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows – this is God, whose dwelling is holy” (Psalm 68:5).
• A few hundred years later, the prophet Isaiah receives a message from God to pass along to the much divided Jewish people. God basically said that the worship of the people was meaningless and worthless, and that what God was looking for from them was that they would begin doing things that reflected their God-identity, part of which was defending the cause of orphans (Is. 1:17).
• About that same time, another prophet, Hosea, was calling on God’s people to stop placing their trust in the military might of their allies, and instead place their hope in God, in whom alone do the orphans find mercy (Hos. 14:3).
• Jesus, as God with skin on, was right in line with God’s history of orphan care, and even used such language in reference to those he was going to leave behind when he ascended to heaven: “I will not abandon you as orphans – I will come to you” (John 14:18).
• And, of course, Jesus’ brother stated to his audience that legitimate religion includes caring for orphans (James 1:27).

God, from the very beginning, created humanity to live well. As the author and source of life itself, God naturally would look after – and want us to look after – the most vulnerable of society.

How many orphans do you hear about in the news? How often are orphans lifted up before us? Not much. Celebrity and success is what is honored in our culture. Some theological traditions have even suggested that material wealth is an obvious sign of blessing from God, and destitution a sign of God’s condemnation. In some cultures, orphans are simply left to live on their own. One study about orphans in Russia and the Ukraine suggest that 10% of orphans commit suicide before they “age out” of their society’s programs. Sixty percent of the young women who “age out” of the system end up in human trafficking, becoming sex slaves all over the world. Seventy percent of young men who “age out” end up as hardened criminals.

The fact that God cares for orphans says something entirely beautiful about God. God is good. God cares about those the world doesn’t. There is another system of life that is worth considering, that is not based on personal gain, greed, material, power, etc.

By the way – those things you are confident that God would communicate to orphans – do you own those words for yourself? Do you know you are loved, valued, looked after, parented, sought after, and eternally provided for by God? Maybe you need to take some time and let this reality sink into your life.

Estimates range widely about how many orphans exist in the world today. The truth is that there are millions and millions and millions of kids without one or both parents. And many more kids who are at risk. The good news is that we can do something about it. We can make a difference.

We’re not going to solve the problem alone. But the help we provide can potentially last for generations to come, and an entirely new chapter for humanity can be written if we choose to help. At a minimum, I challenge every CrossWalker to give an extra $30/month over and above your regular support of the ministry here. If we all do this, we will be able to keep feeding 500+ orphans in Kenya through Furaha Community Centre, provide help and hope for the children of domestic violence in Tijuana through Deborah’s House, care for Napa’s poorest kids through Coats for Kids and our hunger ministries, and more. Just $30 a month. One less trip for burgers, fries, and cokes for a family of four. That’s exciting news to me – we can make a serious difference if we come together collectively!

But there is an additional motivation for us to give. Your life. To really, really live requires a growing relationship with God as our Center. The more intimate our relationship with God, the deeper and richer our lives become, regardless of what the world throws at us. Knowing God leads to life. So, how do we get to know God?

If you want to get to know my son, go Geocaching, play the Wii, or join his jazz band. These are things he loves to do. I want to know my son, so I do this stuff with him. Well, not so much the Wii – he kicks my butt all the time, and my fragile ego can’t handle it…

If you want to know my daughter, you will hang out with her and Chico (the family dog), go to a playground or two with her, go grab a treat somewhere, maybe go shopping or take a walk, or watch and talk about Harry Potter movies and books. I want to know my daughter, so I do these things with her.

I do stuff my wife likes to do because I want to be with her and know her more with each passing season.

People who want to know me better join me in stuff I love to do (competitive string pushing, grooming my hairpiece, etc.).

Want to know God? Do stuff you know God loves to do. Be where God loves to be. Where can you always find God? With those who are most vulnerable in our world, which certainly includes orphans.

God isn’t much into self-centeredness, greed, oppression, materialism, pride, keeping up with the Jones’, pornography, drunkenness, substance abuse, violence, etc. God may show up to rescue you from those things, but those things are about as far from where God dwells as possible. If you’re always there, don’t expect to find much of God’s presence, let alone growing closer in your relationship with God.

But if you want to know God, go where God is. Your life’s depth and meaning will significantly improve, even if it doesn’t match up with the world’s definition of success. And since you’re helping those who God is helping, the world changes, too.

The question is, do you care enough about those who nobody cares about to actually do something about it? And, do you care enough about your own life to stop throwing it away on meaningless stuff in favor of walking with God where God walks?

Think…

1. Who are the at risk kids within your sphere of influence – the kids you could actually help?
2. What keeps you from helping them in some capacity?
3. How do you think your view of people will change if you walk alongside them with support?
4. How do you think you will experience God being present there? What do you think you’ll want to look for?
5. What are you going to do to help the orphans around you?