Help the vulnerable

Isaiah 1:17 NKJV tells us to defend the fatherless'. So, our challenge for today is to sponsor a child... Let's go! Sometimes we read challenging Bible verses like this and say: 'Hmm... this seems too big a challenge' or 'I do my bit already - this is for someone else.' But before we go back to our Saturday to-do list or our coffee break, we should know that the underlying truth to this verse definitely applies to us, whoever or wherever we are. It's about defending the vulnerable and oppressed, not just those without a physical father.

One of God's main concerns is for lifting up the down-trodden (see these verses: James 1:27, Psalm 68:5, Psalm 146:9, or Psalm 147:3). There were even laws in Leviticus about how farmers could harvest their crops... God instructed farmers to always leave some behind so poor people and immigrants could pick it up to eat (Leviticus 19:9-10).

We are God's hands and feet when we care for the vulnerable. God cares deeply about the poor, lonely and orphaned, and is keen for us to care about them too. This care could be sponsoring an orphan across the world, but it could also be praying for the organisations who look after the vulnerable or coming alongside someone we know who is 'fatherless' through death or neglect.



So what now? Is your youth group or Bible study group in a position to sponsor a child? Have a chat and a pray, and decide how you could be part of the change.





— SCRIPTURE —

'Defend the fatherless.' Isaiah 1:17 NKJV
— SOULFOOD —

Eze 14:1-16:52, Matt 16:1-12, Ps 1, Pro 14:29-32