What if 2013 was the year…

What if 2013 was the year that: 

• Every waiting child in the US and Canada was adopted into a Christian family
• Every child waiting for their family through international adoption was united with their family
• Every Christian globally realized that they are called to care for the fatherless
• Every country decided that they must do something to provide permanence for their orphans
• Every country closed to international adoption opened back up
• Every family waiting got the phone call or email they have been praying for
• Every church developed a culture of adoption
• Every orphan has a chance to hear the gospel

What would you add to the list? Will you join us in praying that this would be the year that God does more than we can ask or imagine for the fatherless! 

 

 

 

Adopting Every Waiting Child in the US

Did you know that there are roughly 130,000 children that are waiting for adoption in the United States today? These children have had their parental rights terminated and living in temporary situation (either a temporary foster family or group home). Legally they are wards of the State with no parents but the government. You can adopt these children at no cost! In fact, in most States, you will receive a monthly stipend.

Every child in America (in the world) should have a permanent family. There is no excuse for this! So, what would it take to find each of these kids a family? To start off, I broke down the numbers by Southern Baptist Churches (they were the easiest to find figures for – as I have time I will add up all the other evangelical denominations – my initial count is roughly 170,213). But, just counting Southern Baptist churches the results and ratios are very powerful. There are roughly 40,000 Southern Baptist Churches in the US. If every church committed to 3 children, every child would be cared for. In 11 States all it would take is 1 church committing to 1 child. Again, that is just counting the SBC!

Will you please 1) Look at the numbers below, and 2) pray with me that God would move in an unprecendented way among His church to see that every one of these children (every number is a child!) have a permanent home. And in the case of the children represented below who are 16-17 years old and about to age out of the system, pray that they would have a family who would commit to care for them when they are left on their own in a couple months or a year.

For the full chart with all 50 States click here to download in pdf.

Thoughts on Prayer

I have been thinking about prayer lately and deeply challenged by this question: ‘If God answered your prayers how would the world be different today?’

Given the glory of God and the nature of prayer – it is humbling to think of how little I pray and how small and narrow my prayers can be.  It is much easier for me to spend more time praying for my personal needs and the needs of those closest to me than I do for those in my church, neighborhood, city, and the many urgent spiritual and physical needs of those around the world.

This is one reason I am so thankful for the group of folks that have ‘gathered’ on Wednesday’s to pray and fast for the world’s poor. This has given me some form of accountability at least once a week. I realize more and more that I need these kinds of reminders to pray “outside myself.” I need community to help me understand the varied needs around the world that I don’t see. I need my brothers and sisters to remember that I have been called to God’s mission and part of that is the privilege of prayer. Amazingly, God wants to change the world through my prayers, your prayers, our prayers!

That moves me to pray much bigger, kingdom-centered prayers. It moves me to wonder at what could be…

I don’t want to miss out on seeing revival happen in my city.
…seeing the church in my city provide for every foster child and waiting child.
…seeing God’s people adopt every adoptable orphan and sponsor every sponsorable child.
…seeing homelessness eradicated in my city and our nation.
…seeing sex trafficking ended and every modern slave freed.
…seeing the end any child’s death because of a preventable disease. A mosquito net. A vaccine. A pill.

I don’t want to miss out…because I didn’t ask God.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7

A Prayer for the Fatherless on Father’s Day

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a family.”  Psalm 68:5-6

Father,
I pray for the thousands of children here in the US who are without a father to call their own and for the millions around the world who are longing for a daddy.
I praise You that You care more about the fatherless than anyone.
You are their defender, their protector, their sustainer.
You are their Father when they have none.
I praise You that we can trust in You to work your purposes in each one of these children’s lives.
I praise You for how you are at work to provide them with earthly fathers.
That it is Your heart to place them in families.
Lord, have mercy! Don’t leave them as orphans!
Magnify yourself in pouring out your mercy in their lives here and around the world!
Stir your church to visit orphans in their affliction and make visible the glorious gospel!
Awaken the church to the need and the awesome opportunity to minister to the “least of these” and in doing so, to care for Jesus! O the thought of that is amazing. Overwhelming!
Move us, shake us, break us O Lord to have your Father’s heart this day for those who need a father.
In all this, I pray in the name of Jesus, that you would do more than I could ask or imagine for the sake of your name and the joy of the fatherless!
Amen.

Prayer for Adoption

My friend Jeremy Haskin’s 4 year old daughter prayed this prayer after their court date for their adoption from Ethiopia. It is beautiful.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for making the court date go through and making Issac and Jonah our new brothers. From the joy in your heart you said, “Yes!”  You thought in your mind, “These boys have no daddy and mommy. ” And so you gave them a daddy and mommy.  Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering them with, “Yes!

Amen