With the spotlight this month on the SGA-supported Orphans Reborn ministry, I think it would be good for a moment to consider the plight of orphan children, and how each one of us has something of the orphan inside—that is, until God steps in.
We have shared the stories of so many boys and girls from orphanages across the former Soviet Union. The vast majority come from homes where there is great dysfunction of some kind, whether it is from abuse and neglect, substance abuse by one or both parents, or sheer economic want. Some are true orphans who have lost both parents. These deeply needy children, whom we often call lonely and forgotten, feel completely adrift in the world. They do not know what future awaits them, and many sorrowfully end up in similar situations as their parents or caregivers. Crime, drugs, alcohol, and other woes destroy so many lives. We rejoice in God’s provision for the Orphans Reborn ministry because these children are hearing of Christ, and they have a bright future and hope when they pursue Him. You have been a part of all this through your prayers and support.
But what about this orphan inside of us? In God’s Word, the Apostle Paul spoke of God’s eternal love and kindness for lost sinners such as we once were. He wrote . . . In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:4-6). Before Christ, our sins had separated us from God. We were all truly adrift in the world with no hope on earth or in eternity. But God stepped in and sent His Son to pay the price for our sins through His death on the cross, burial, and resurrection. He lovingly and willingly paid on our behalf, making us part of His forever family by adoption. The Lord Jesus said . . . I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:18). So in that light, perhaps we all can identify with the orphan children to whom we are ministering. We have something in common. And we all can have the same eternal hope in God’s adoption—an adoption we can never lose!
For our Savior,
Michael Johnson
President