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Intention

Christian families need to embrace the lonely

Scripture

“But let all the righteous be glad!

Yes, let them all rejoice in your presence

and be carried away with gladness.

Let them laugh and be radiant with joy!

Let them sing their celebration-songs

for the coming of the cloud rider whose name is Yah!

To the fatherless he is a father.

To the widow he is a champion friend.

The lonely he makes part of a family.

The prisoners he leads into prosperity until they sing for joy.

This is our Holy God in his Holy Place!

But for the rebels there is heartache and despair.” Psalm 68:3-6 TPT

Reflection

There are so many people in our society that don’t have a loving family to belong to.

They may be literally fatherless or have a father that is absent and distant. They may literally be a widow or be a single woman with children, perhaps even a single woman who has never been married.

As a single woman myself who has no children and no nephews and nieces and has spent most of my adult years away from biological family, I know the times when I have thrived the most is when I’ve been valued by and included in a loving Christian family; a family who has ‘adopted’ me as one of their own.

Yes, other single friends and church members have an important part to play, but there is nothing like sitting around a table having a home-cooked meal with kids making a mess and some good old-fashioned play.

As part of the family of God, I believe we have a responsibility to look out for these people within our church communities.

We know that the apostles took the need to look after the widows in the early church community seriously (Acts 6:1-6).

While this was related to their physical needs for provision, I believe we have thousands of modern-day ‘widows’ starving for their emotional needs to be met.

May our families embrace more than just their biological relatives and thus reflect our Father’s heart of setting the lonely in families.

Prayer

Father, we thank you that as part of your big family we have brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers, even children who are not our own. May our Christian families be strengthened to embrace the lonely and hurting and provide a loving and nurturing environment for all.

31 Days Prayer Points

1. Pray for the restoration of FAMILY, FATHERHOOD and MOTHERHOOD in our nation. Malachi 4:6
2. Pray for healing for MARRIAGES, protection for CHILDREN and restoration of the sanctity of LIFE. Isaiah 58:12
3. Pray for Revival, Renewal and Reformation for Australia, that our nation might return to God. 2 Chronicles 7:14

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