One Hour Prayer Guide for the Fatherless
Written by Joe Gerber, Loving Shepherd Ministries
1. Meditate on key Scriptures about children and the fatherless. (10 min)
Psalm 68:4-5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
Deuteronomy 10:17-19 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.
Psalm 82:3-4 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Psalm 10:14, 17-18 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
2. Pray specifically for children in your immediate sphere of influence (your children, nieces and nephews, neighborhoods kids, etc.). (5 minutes)
3. Read and consider the attached story of God’s mighty working through prayer (“The Power of Prayer”). Remember that we serve a God who does not change, and who has explicitly declared (see verses above) that He is the defender of the fatherless. He is just waiting for us to come before Him in prayer so that He might work mighty works on behalf of the fatherless. It’s His will! (15 minutes)
Now, with great confidence that God will hear and answer your prayers, please spend 3 minutes praying for each of the following:
That the Church would rediscover the Biblical mandate to care for widows, foreigners, and the fatherless – specifically to the fatherless.
That the Church would commit to fulfilling this mandate not out of guilt or rote obedience but because of the joy and abundance that comes from serving those God cares about.
Awareness among Christians about the global plight of the fatherless.
That this awareness, coupled with the joy that comes from fulfilling God’s mandates, would lead to a burning desire to take action on behalf of the fatherless.
That the cause of the fatherless would serve as a unifying rallying point for churches around the world thereby bringing about a Christ-honoring unity.
That ministries working among the fatherless would be committed to Kingdom-excellence and vision.That those ministries working with the fatherless would be prepared to handle the surge of support. For supernatural unity among ministries to the fatherless – a unity that would testify to an unbelieving world. That the Christian Alliance for Orphans would be a Christ-centered facilitator of the bullet points above. Pray specifically for the leadership of the Christian Alliance for Orphans.
Jedd Medefind, President Christian Alliance for Orphans
Maridel Sandberg, Chair Director, The MICAH Fund; Bethlehem Baptist Church
Matt Storer, Vice-Chair President, VisionTrust International
Kent Hatfield, Secretary Attorney / Partner Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC Deacon, Orphan Care Ministry, Southeast Christian Church
Scott Hasenbalg, Treasurer Executive Director, Shaohannah's Hope
Paul Pennington, Board Member Executive Director, Family Life's Hope for Orphans
Bill Blacquiere, Board Member President, Bethany Christian Services
Mike Douris, Board Member President, Orphan Outreach
Andy Lehman, Board Member Vice President, Life-song for Orphans
Brian Luwis, Board Member President & Founder, America World Adoption
Elizabeth Wiebe, Director of Outreach Christian Alliance for Orphans
