in God\'s Tender Care
What do Superman, Moses, Jesus, Batman and Esther have in common? They were all either orphaned or adopted! Pharaoh’s daughter adopted Moses, Joseph adopted Jesus, and Mordecai adopted Esther.
Adoption is near and dear to my heart. The blessing of adopting my kids has taught me much.
December 2010 was exciting at our house, to say the least. We had a one-month-old and a five-month-old. Needless to say, there wasn’t a lot of sleeping going on. So I would sing Christmas carols to the babies to get them to go to sleep.
As I held my child, who was adopted from a tough situation, the words of one carol brought me to tears:
“Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
close by me forever and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care
and fit us for Heaven to live with Thee there.”
I thought about my child’s story and the ways in which God had held this dear child in His tender care. I marveled at the miracle that God had done.
But then a sorrow crept into my heart. How many more children out there are in “God’s tender care?” How many children are living the life that God rescued my child from without someone there holding them in loving arms?
This sorrow has returned during the pandemic and virtual school.
Hundreds of children in bad situations live within a few miles from me – children who are in God’s care. They may live in poverty or in prosperity. They may be hungry or neglected. They may have a hard time in school or have special gifts no one notices.
Countless verses share God’s fatherly love for the vulnerable, especially children: Psalm 68:5, Deuteronomy 24:20; Jeremiah 49:11; James 1:27, Psalm 27:10, Ephesians 6:4, John 6:37, Deuteronomy 1:31.
God deeply loves the children in HIS tender care.
And God’s children are called to care for them.
“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)
You see, caring for the children in God’s care does in fact fit us for heaven.
Make these words a prayer today and remember the thousands of children who are very vulnerable right now:
“Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay
close by me forever and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care
and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.”
By LaRaine Rice
LaRaine is the wife of Jeff and mother of Christopher and Elizabeth. She also serves as the Ministry Leader for Orphan Care Alliance in the Southern Bluegrass Region. She invites you to show God’s love to vulnerable children and families.
Adoption is near and dear to my heart. The blessing of adopting my kids has taught me much.
December 2010 was exciting at our house, to say the least. We had a one-month-old and a five-month-old. Needless to say, there wasn’t a lot of sleeping going on. So I would sing Christmas carols to the babies to get them to go to sleep.
As I held my child, who was adopted from a tough situation, the words of one carol brought me to tears:
“Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
close by me forever and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care
and fit us for Heaven to live with Thee there.”
I thought about my child’s story and the ways in which God had held this dear child in His tender care. I marveled at the miracle that God had done.
But then a sorrow crept into my heart. How many more children out there are in “God’s tender care?” How many children are living the life that God rescued my child from without someone there holding them in loving arms?
This sorrow has returned during the pandemic and virtual school.
Hundreds of children in bad situations live within a few miles from me – children who are in God’s care. They may live in poverty or in prosperity. They may be hungry or neglected. They may have a hard time in school or have special gifts no one notices.
Countless verses share God’s fatherly love for the vulnerable, especially children: Psalm 68:5, Deuteronomy 24:20; Jeremiah 49:11; James 1:27, Psalm 27:10, Ephesians 6:4, John 6:37, Deuteronomy 1:31.
God deeply loves the children in HIS tender care.
And God’s children are called to care for them.
“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)
You see, caring for the children in God’s care does in fact fit us for heaven.
Make these words a prayer today and remember the thousands of children who are very vulnerable right now:
“Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay
close by me forever and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care
and fit us for heaven to live with thee there.”
By LaRaine Rice
LaRaine is the wife of Jeff and mother of Christopher and Elizabeth. She also serves as the Ministry Leader for Orphan Care Alliance in the Southern Bluegrass Region. She invites you to show God’s love to vulnerable children and families.
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