"Father to the Fatherless"
Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. (Psalm 68:5, 6 NLT)
God is an incredible father. The depth of love & compassion that he feels for those that are hurting is immeasurable. He is the father to the fatherless & the defender of the widow. He cares for those that society rejects & casts aside. He loves those that cannot love him in return. He gives to those that do not have anything to give back to him. This is the heart of God.
This is the heart God desires to see in us as well. A people that reflect his heart for others that cannot defend or provide for themselves. The church should be at the forefront of orphan care & justice for those that can't acquire it on their own. This is God's heart & example he has set for us. How do we embody this attitude toward others?
I used to think that my worship & relationship with God was all there was to Christianity. I had the concept grasped that I was to love God with all my being, even if I didn't always carry it out. I completely left out what Jesus says is the second most important command in the law, "Love your neighbor as yourself." My faith was about me & God but not about others. I hadn't taken the hurt of others personally. I hadn't considered the physical needs of others because I was only focused on their spiritual ones. We see here in this Psalm that they are not mutually exclusive & instead compliment one another.
Most of us have a me only faith & God is calling us to love our neighbor as ourselves. To take what happens to others personally. To see to the help of others as if it were us who were fatherless or helpless. For how can we love God who we don't see while hating our brother that we do see (1 John)?
How are we doing giving ourselves to loving others as ourselves? Are we giving others the kind of love, attention, help, & amenities that we are giving ourselves? We must if we want to be like Jesus!
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