Praying for the orphans of the world
Recently, my daughter asked me to contribute to a fund in her kindergarten class to help Haitian orphans. I was glad to give. This awakened my prayers for the orphans in Haiti and for children all over the world who are yearning for a better life. These children do need our prayers. And not just for protection from natural disasters, such as earthquake or famine, but also from abusive and neglectful situations of all kinds.
The Bible turns our prayers to the inspiring story of how a baby was saved during a time of mass genocide. The Egyptian nation felt threatened by the growing Israelite population, and Pharaoh ordered the death of all male babies (see Exodus, Chapters 1-2).
In the midst of this mayhem, an extremely brave mother hid her baby boy for three months. When this was no longer possible, she put him in a basket she had made and placed him as safely as she could in the tall grass along the edge of the Nile River. Most likely, she was hoping that someone would take pity on him. None other than Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the baby, and the baby’s sister, who had seen what had happened and who was one of Pharaoh’s maids, offered to find a nurse. She chose the baby’s mother. To me, God provided the way of escape for this baby – a child who would go on to lead his Israelite nation out of slavery into freedom. The baby’s name was Moses.
Prayer for the world’s orphans begins by realizing that the God of Moses is the same God for each child (and parent, too) all over the world. This God is Spirit, whose law protects, comforts, leads, cherishes, and supports His children. It can help each one find a way of escape from abuse or neglect. There is not an individual anywhere who is outside God’s law. Mary Baker Eddy, author of “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” wrote, “Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation” (p. 332).
Our prayers to help the world’s children include the understanding that this Father-Mother Love is all-powerful. It guards and sustains each child, breaking through any mismanagement or incompetence. Divine wisdom provides specific answers to meet every adverse circumstance.
Some time ago, my wife and I desired to help a child in need. As we prayed, we were led to adopt a baby from Paraguay who needed a family. After much legal preparation, we spent three weeks there with our baby boy. Before leaving Paraguay, we were required to have our son examined by a local physician. He took one look at Ryan (the name we had given him), and stated in his native tongue, “Ah, Moises!” He knew this baby, who had been named after the baby in the basket, Moses.
We took this as proof that God had protected this baby and brought him to us. Every child is like a Moses – loved, cherished, guarded, and guided by divine Love. As we pray to understand this more fully, we will see ample evidence of God’s love lifting His children (including the world’s orphans) out of poverty, illness, despair, addiction, slavery, and corruption.
