Foster Care and Adoption: What Does the Bible Tell Us?
Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable. Speak out in order to judge with righteousness and to defend the needy and the poor. (Prov. 31:8-9)
Give justice to the lowly and the orphan; maintain the right of the poor and the destitute. (Psalm 82:3)
Father of the orphans and defender of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the lonely in their homes. (Psalm 68:5-6a)
God’s heart for the orphan, the widow, the lonely, the oppressed, the poor, and the voiceless is unmistakable. Scripture is teeming with passages that call us, as His adopted sons and daughters, to care for those who cannot care for themselves and to share the love of Christ with them.
How do we become the hands and feet of Jesus to the over 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, or the 140 million children worldwide who are classified as orphans? Children who are “stuck” in broken and dysfunctional systems that leave them hurting and hopeless? Where do we begin?
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
Let’s rejoice that God, in His grace, has already prepared the good works He has planned for us to do! We need only to step out in faithful obedience. Each one of us can minister to children who are in foster care or who are waiting to be adopted. We might not all be called to adopt, but as the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-5) we can all do something of infinite value.
How You Can Help
Let us take our first steps together toward caring for children who are in foster care and/or orphaned.
PRAY – Pray that God would stir our hearts to courageously love children in foster care or who are waiting to be adopted. Caring for vulnerable children is a part of our legacy at The Moody Church, but more importantly, it’s what God is calling us to do. Pray that He would raise up more families in our congregation who would foster or adopt children. Ask Him to show you what He would have you do to support them!
ENGAGE – We are called to be a voice for the voiceless and to give justice to the lowly, but how can we do that if we don’t know their needs or the injustices they’ve experienced? Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the issues faced by children in foster care, or who are waiting for their forever families. Learn about what life is like for foster families or families who have children who were adopted.
These excellent articles provide a Christian perspective on this important issue:
SERVE – We know that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-16), and that we have a living hope in Christ (1 Peter 1:3-5). When we root our faith and hope in Christ, the Holy Spirit can empower us to act on behalf of others. It empowers us to love others as He loves us.
Start online training with Safe Families, Bethany Christian Services, or CASA (please note that CASA is not a faith-based organization).
GIVE – Did you know that The Moody Church has an adoption fund to which you can donate? Or from which you can receive funds as an adoptive family?
- To apply for funds or receive more information, contact Bill Van Tuinene, our Hope For Kids Coordinator.
- To give to the fund, simply designate Adoption Fund on your regular giving envelope or when giving online.
