“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16, NIV
Dear Praying Friends,
As we enter into the season celebrating the gift of God’s Son, let’s spend some time meditating on the great love of our Father God. Our Father in heaven so loves us that He gave His most precious possession. This indescribable gift far eclipses the most generous earthly offering ever given. Higher than the heavens, the Psalmist exclaims, is God’s steadfast, never-stopping, unfailing love for us (Psalm 108:4). God’s love is immeasurably great, but it is also personal. In his gospel, John refers to himself as “the one Jesus loved.” When you pray to your Heavenly Father, do you pray from this identity? You are the one God loves!
As we meditate on the Father’s love we grow closer to His heart and begin to cry out for the broken, the hurting, and the afflicted. Consider God’s words from Deuteronomy 10:17-18: “For the Lord your God...executes justice for the fatherless and the widow.” And from Psalm 68:5: “a Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.” James tells us: “[r]eligion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…” (James 1:27)
A research team from Barna recently reported that only 3% of practicing Christians foster or adopt children. There is a desperate need for more foster care families and adoptions in central Ohio. This December, could we lock arms together to pray for this crisis and ask our good Father to move on hearts and call on families to foster and adopt? The ministry Father’s Heart Ohio has shared some powerful and encouraging testimonies with us about the tremendous blessing of fostering. Click here to read more and join in praying for foster care with a comprehensive prayer guide here.
