God’s promises are gold!
By Dean Collins
According to the Christian Alliance for Orphans, there are 153 million orphans in the world. The U.S. census data indicates that there are 3.2 million children in the United States who have lost one or both parents to death. And that number has grown faster since 2019.
Divorce rates have declined in recent years, yet one in two children will experience the divorce of their parents. There is some overlap in some of these statistics and what I am about to share. Consider the millions of children who are trafficked every year around the world. Now add the number of children who are emotionally orphaned because of the work demands or physical and mental health issues of their parents. None of these issues and numbers are new. Most of these issues have existed in every generation.
In the last half of John 14, there are many words of comfort and hope. The disciples heard these words first hand, but all of us are the beneficiaries of what Jesus said. Consider these powerful promises:
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
Jesus promised that God would send a helper to be with us forever. Later, Jesus said that the helper, the Holy Spirit, would be our teacher, our guide, and provide us with peace. God’s promises are gold. You can bank on them. Based on our surrender to Christ, our love for him, and our obedience to his commands, we have full access to the Holy Spirit who leads us, advocates for us, teaches us, and fills us with peace.
But let’s not forget this one promise: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” You may be in the group of people who aren’t orphans. You may not have experienced divorce or had an emotionally or physically unavailable parent. But many adults did, and many children do now.
As a child of separation and divorce, I have increasingly understood how my absent father impacted my life. Fortunately, with therapy and a lot of spiritual growth I have learned that the times when I struggled in my connection with God was because of my lack of connection with my father. God has and continues to heal that part of me. Several years ago, I realized how much I projected onto God from those experiences. Now I live fully aware that I was never an orphan. God was and is always my present and active Father. He is fully reliable, and while I wait to see him face to face, he comes to me regularly in scripture, in prayer, through Christian community, and by his Spirit.
As followers of Christ, we have an opportunity and obligation to take care of the widows and the orphans. God wants to use us to provide comfort, help, and presence in the lives of the millions who are or have been orphaned through various tragedies. As I write this, I can’t help but think of the growing number of orphans in Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, and Russia. Don’t waste a minute with any political maneuvering in your head. Regardless of our politics, we know God calls us to be his hands and feet throughout the world.
By the power of the Holy Spirit alive in us, we can bring food, shelter, hope, and presence to millions of orphans all over the world. We can also share the good news of a God who sent his only son to die for the sins of the world. We can share that to follow Christ means that we will live in the love of a Father who will never abandon or leave anyone. As the hands and feet of Jesus, we can make that a reality for those who have been left to raise themselves. What might happen in our cities, our country, and our world if the body of Christ determined to not only believe the promises of God but also to show our love for Christ by living out the promises of God for the least of these?
Father, thank you for your promise to never abandon us or leave us as orphans. We love you, and as your disciples we will turn to your commandments and love those around us in word and in deed. Forgive us when we have hoarded your love and your resources. Use us now as your hands and feet. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
John 14:15-31 ESV
Photo by Miriam G on Unsplash
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