“The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; You will strengthen their heart; You will incline Your earto do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.” – Psalm 10:16-18
At the beginning of this month, in prayer for this plight of the foster care system and for God to raise up foster families, I went back to this verse at the beginning of this post- praying it in faith over and over again. During this time, I started thinking about the statement “You will incline Your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed“. Why would He have to incline His ear to be able to release His justice? What does Him inclining His ear have to do with bringing justice to the fatherless?
What I have concluded to and believe is that God inclines His ear to hear the cry of His people. Bending down His ear to earth, He waits to hear the prayers of His Bride for this issues. Friends, He is moved by our voice. He responds to our voice, to our prayers. So, as He bends His ear to hear the cry and the prayers of His people concerning this plight, He responds to us by releasing His justice. What does this justice looke like?
Part of His justice for the children in our foster care system in America, even more to home, here locally, is Him raising up foster families. In many former posts I have written about the crisis of the foster care system. There are just not enough foster families here locally. It’s difficult for Social Workers/Caseworkers to place children into families even more so into safe, Christian families who carry the DNA of the Father’s heart for this plight. I’ve written about how Jesus’ provision never lacks. In Psalms 24:1 in Strong’s Literal Translation, it says “Jehovah [is] my shepherd, I do not lack…” However, there is a disconnect here. If His provision does not lack, then how is there a severe lack (shortage) of foster families in this county?
We do not have a lack of foster families. Yes, naturally, we are in crisis and there are not enough foster families. But I see beyond what is in the natural to the Spirit realm, and there are enough foster families. There are enough foster families in this county. God’s provision doesn’t lack. They just need know. They need to just hear the call. They just need to be awakened. They just need to be called out into this very purpose for such a time as this. I believe they are here, and I’m believing God to awaken them and raise them up! I believe that as I (we) cry out to Him, He will respond to us and we will see His justice in part by Him raising up foster families. More than ever I believe with faith and in such conviction that God will raise up foster families and we will end up having more than what we need. It’s in His nature, and it’s His character. He is moving. He is responding. He is stirring things up. We may not see it in the natural yet, but we will. I want to see His justice in Him raising up foster families.
Over and over again through this month specifically (and even beyond), I’m praying Psalm 10:16-18 over and over again. Not as rhetoric. But with faith and with a fresh heart each time to cry out to Jesus to raise up foster families (among other things). I would even just challenge us all to believe in faith and pray these verses throughout the month of November (and even beyond). To believe that God You incline your ear to hear the cry of your people and You will respond to us in releasing Your justice by raising up foster families!
“The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; You will strengthen their heart; You will incline Your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.” – Psalm 10:16-18
We are in crisis. We are in crisis and to many people do not know.
The reality is staggering. The statistics are heartbreaking. The stories are numerous.
There is a battle that has been waged for decades- years upon years.
…And most people are terribly unaware.
It’s time to start seeing. It’s time to start hearing.
“Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain!” (Joel 2:1)
Facts:
•Every 15 seconds, another child becomes an AIDS orphan
•Every day 5,760 more children become orphans •Every year, 2,102,400 more children become orphans (in Africa alone) •143,000,002 orphans in the world today spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster home
•Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually •Every year 14,050,000 children stil grow up as orphans and age out of the system •Every day 38,493 children age out •Every 2.2 seconds, another orphan child ages out with no family to belong to and no place to call home
•It is estimated there are between 143 million and 210 million orphans worldwide
The plight of the orphans overseas is horrendous. In place like Russia and Ukraine, many children (specifically those with disabilities) die by the time they turn 4 or 5 years old. Many children in many place such as Russia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria children are confined to cribs every day. These children receiven no love, no nurture, no stimulation. Many children resort to self-soothing behaviors such as banging their heads on their cribs, picking at their skin, rocking back and forth, and more. In an orphanage in Bulgaria, children are fed disgusting broth that has little to no nutrition or sustainability. Some children that are 12 years old just weigh 12 pounds. Their muscles have atrophed to the point that they can not extend their limbs. Children lie in their cribs covered in feces and urine. Many children rarely (if ever) get to go outside. This just scratches the surface.
The plight of children in foster care is heartbreaking. The abuse and neglect is more than what we all realize. It goes on more than we realize.
“In FFY (Federal Fiscal Year) 2010, an estimated 695,000 children
were found to be victims of maltreatment.” (Child Welfare Gateway)
In Alabama, there are over 6,000 children in foster care. In Alabama, there are about 280-300 children available for adoption. In Houston County alone, there are about 130-180 children in foster care. There are only about 25 foster families. There is a shortage of foster families in our county. They are stretched beyond measure.They are in desperation. They are begging. They have come to the Church in the past and been denied. There are not enough families who carry the DNA of this plight and the Father’s heart. There is not enough of the Church waging war and responding to the alarm. This need is urgent. We need families who will take in the abused, the neglected, the hurting, and those with some type of disability. These children need love, a safe environment, and to hear about the love of the Father. The Enemy is waging to destroy the identity of these children.
The Church must rise up and respond to the call and take on the responsibility of this crisis. It’s not the government’s job to do this. The government cannot adequately do this. It’s to big for the government. Even more, the responsibility of this lies with the Church.
“Take up the cause of the fatherless…” – Is 1:17
“External religious worship religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans…” – James 1:27
I love what Karyn Purvis said in 2009: “I was recently testifying for legislation at our capitol as an invited expert for legislation on foster and adoptive children and the woman who chairs the legislator, the senator who chairs the committee said ‘This problem is just to to big for the government’, and she said, ‘You need the Church’. And that’s my sentiment. We need the Church. This is the ministry. This is God’s heart. This is the ministry of Jesus.”
This is the Father’s heart. He is a father to the fatherless.
Every child is a dream of God’s heart.
This is our problem. This is our cause.
Jesus, awaken hearts and raise up foster families who carry the DNA of Your heart and this cause. Release Your justice by raising up foster families. Awaken Your Bride, Your army to partner with You in waging war against the Enemy. Give us eyes to see to peer into the supernatural and see the war that has been raging for ages. Restore a hundred fold to every worker at DHR everything the Enemy has stolen. Redeem what is broken. Make whats dead come to life and make all things new.