In the past couple of years, eight close friends have lost their spouse, two men and six women. These who grieve are lonely, sometimes angry, and trying to recover from shock. Even though we know “it is appointed once to die” that event is often unexpected and never welcome.
Most Christians know James 1:27, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Perhaps both actions are difficult, yet too often we leave the care of widows and orphans to community and government services, unless they are family and even then, these needy among us are often forgotten or neglected. But God cares. He even singles out these groups for special care. His admonitions to His people to do the same can be strong:
Exodus 22:22–24. “You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.”
In Bible times, widows and orphans were the neediest people because there were no agencies or special organizations to aid them. Even today, these two groups are often abused or taken advantage of. Deuteronomy 10:18 says that God “executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.” He cares for those without anyone to care for them.
The psalmists tell how God is “the helper of the fatherless” and anyone else who commits themselves to Him. He is “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows” and “settles the solitary in a home” and “leads out the prisoners to prosperity” — but only those who are not “rebellious” toward Him; they will “dwell in a parched land.” That suggests that God might use extreme hardship to turn the hearts of the rebellious towards Him.
No matter how God selects those who are in genuine need, I am to care about them and do what I can for widows and orphans. Those groups still exist and are often neglected.
The psalmist knew that should his “father and mother forsake him, the Lord will take him in” and that “the Lord watches over the sojourners and upholds the widow and the fatherless, yet He brings to ruin the way of the wicked.” He also “tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries” protecting her property that could easily be taken from her because she is defenseless.
All Scripture urges the fatherless and widows (and everyone else) to trust in God. As Hosea 14:3 says, the helpless are not saved by outside forces, their own resources, or anything they can do themselves for it is in God “the orphan finds mercy.” This is true for anyone who recognizes their need for His grace.
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. The above verse from James is easy to pass over, at least the first part, again because in my culture, those who are helpless have all sorts of financial and even social resources, yet this is still a proactive word from God. If I were a widow, a government cheque might cover expenses, but who changes the batteries in the smoke detector or carries those heavy groceries? Who rubs my back or helps with strenuous chores like washing the car or mowing the lawn? Thinking this way helps me think of those who are now alone and could be blessed by a call, or would enjoy a shopping trip, or a visitor dropping by for a cup of tea. To be like Jesus means caring for needy people like I would like to be cared for and like He cares for me. I could do much more concerning the needs of widows and orphans.
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