God Is the Father to the Fatherless
God has a special place in his heart for orphaned children. In fact, the Bible says he is a father to them.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. — Psalm 68:5, NIV
All people understand what a good father should be, even if their own father wasn’t ideal. God presents himself as the perfect Father — someone who loves, cherishes, protects and values his children. These Bible verses prove this to be true:
You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. — Psalm 10:17-18, NIV
The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. — Psalm 146:9, NIV
But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. — Psalm 10:14, NIV
God takes special notice of the fatherless. He doesn’t overlook their cries. Instead, he hears orphans and defends them.
God Commands Us to Defend the Orphan
In Biblical times and throughout history, government officials and ruling classes oppressed the orphaned and the poor. And unfortunately, this oppression still happens today.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to be different. We are commanded not to take advantage of the widow and the fatherless. In fact, God’s Word says we will give account for lording our power over others.
Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? — Isaiah 10:1-3, NIV
“Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.” — Exodus 22:22-23, NIV
He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. — Deuteronomy 10:18, NIV
Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless. — Proverbs 23:10, NIV
God knows these segments of society are often at risk of exploitation. His answer? Calling us to look on the heart of others instead of their circumstances, and asking us to defend the oppressed, the weak and the fatherless.
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. — Isaiah 1:17, NIV
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. — Psalm 82:3, NIV
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. — James 1:27, NIV
As Christ followers, we’re called to become more like him. This means his burden for children becomes our burden too.
God Calls Us to Act on Behalf of the Fatherless
When we have faith in Jesus, and his burden becomes our own, it should result in the desire to care for and show compassion on those in need. In fact, God’s Word says that to truly have faith, we should show it by our works or those things we do for others.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
— James 2:14-18, NIV
God’s Word also says that whatever we do for those around us, we do for Jesus. Whenever we serve the vulnerable, we’re serving him.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
— Matthew 25:40, NIV
God is faithful and promises to sustain the fatherless. But he often uses us to do just that. At Compassion, we serve orphaned children around the world through our child sponsorship program.
We partner with local churches across the globe to provide the practical care these children need, from medical care to nutritious meals. Most importantly, we introduce these little ones to the love of Jesus, changing their lives forever.
Will you follow God’s call to serve the most vulnerable? We invite you to sponsor an orphaned child through Compassion.
