My daughter and I are preparing for a mission trip to Africa. Most days I am excited about the trip. Some days I feel overwhelmed. And every day I feel the need to prepare for what we will walk into.
We are going to a very hopeful place; hope is even in its name: Hope for the Fatherless.
Caring for orphans has been a recurring theme in the life of our family. Each time we step into orphan care, my view of God gets a little bigger and my view of his tenderness toward the vulnerable goes deeper.
There is a truth that I’ve learned, seemingly opposites that we must hold in a careful balance.
Our world is broken and God is at work.
Our world is so very broken. No one can argue with that. Five minutes of the evening news or a couple of clicks on any screen will break the hardest heart.
Sometimes I look at the brokenness and I forget that God is at work in this world.
I look at the brokenness and feel helpless and I assume that God feels that way too. When I focus on the brokenness my view of God is too small.
Ready for a dose of reality?
God knows this world is broken, and moment by moment He is redeeming it. He is not wringing his hands in worry. He is not wondering how to work in spite of the brokenness of our world. He plans to work through the brokenness. He plans to work through the very things we try to avoid.
God is at work and He wants us to join Him.
He calls out to us, inviting us to jump in and take part of what HE is doing in and through the brokenness.
The first step is taking our focus off of the brokenness and placing it on Him. It is in saying “I know you are working. What would you like me to do?”
The second step is to dive into His Word. To see what God says about Himself and what He says about the vulnerable in our world. His heart is so tender toward them.
Orphan care is simultaneously heart-wrenching and hopeful. And we need God’s Word to give courage to our hearts and guidance along our path.
Through orphan ministry I’ve discovered that God does not always work the way I think He should. I discovered that He is bigger than I thought, and that His ways often don’t make sense, from a human perspective.
I also discovered that He relentlessly and unexpectedly weaves beauty and redemption in the darkest places, He gives hope where circumstances look hopeless, and He continually draws people to Himself.
I’ve written a seven-day devotional that helps us see the heart of God toward the helpless. It is a helpful guide for those new to orphan care.
The Hope of the Helpless is available on Amazon. (This is an Amazon affiliate link.)