17 Things to Pray for the Fatherless
It must grieve the heart of God that the line of fatherless children world-wide is 30,000 miles long.
Truth be told, God’s heart would be broken if there was only one orphaned child in the world. So here is how we can pray for the fatherless who are already close to His heart—
1. Lonely children. Ask God to comfort, protect, and provide for children who feel forgotten.
2. At-risk homes. Ask God to supply mentors and resources for families in crisis.
3. Foster children. Ask God to comfort the hundreds of children who will enter foster care today. Every two minutes a child enters the system.
4. Aging-out youth. Ask God to protect and provide for youth in foster care, specifically young adults preparing to age out of child welfare. Ask God to provide families committed to love and welcome them.
5. Willing parents. Ask God to raise up new foster and adopting families willing to stand in the gap.
6. Respite workers. Ask God to equip and burden advocates to encourage and support families in the trenches so they are energized to love the children in their care.
7. Supportive churches. Ask God to equip and empower the Church to lead the way in orphan care.
“Caring for the fatherless is not simply a compassionate act… Caring for orphans is about obedience and expressing the heart of God.”
—Dennis Rainey
8. Sibling groups. Ask God to move in the hearts of foster/adoptive families to adopt multiples who can grow up together.
9. Waiting parents. Ask God to sustain parents who are raising funds and/or waiting for the opportunity to meet their children. Ask for encouragement
10. Legal professionals. Ask God to guide caseworkers, therapists, special advocates, attorneys, judges, and others who make life-altering decisions for children in need.
11. Wise leadership. Ask God to give church leaders the wisdom to know how and what to do for fatherless children. With many pressing burdens in the congregation, they have their hands full.
12. Cultural trends. Ask God to continue softening hearts and changing attitudes with regard to children in need. Ask Him to empower believers to remain committed whether culture shifts toward or away from accepting and supporting children in crisis.
13. Future generations. Ask God to raise up future generations whose passion and creativity can be funneled into fervor for the Gospel and taking the love of Christ to orphans around the world.
14. Hurting hearts. Pray God would provide hope and healing for deep hurts and heavy wounds.
15. Healing processes. Pray God would work mightily to restore trafficked and exploited children, as well as those who have seen and experienced horrific things.
16. Personal responsibility. Ask God to break your heart (again!) for the orphan. Ask Him to help you see what you can do to take action on behalf of the hurting.
17. Gospel opportunities. Ask God to give you opportunities to demonstrate the Gospel in tangible ways. Our efforts to love and care for orphans must ultimately be motivated by the glory of God for the sake of the Gospel. As He loved us, so we must love others.
Finally, thank Him for what He has done and will do.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
—Ephesians 3:20, 21
Become an advocate.