One of the greatest crises in America is fatherlessness.  Millions of children are born out of wedlock, or raised without a dad, due to divorce, illness, or death.  The scars ingrained on the child’s psyche, and negative impact on society, are incalculable.  Even if there are great moms, grandmothers, aunts, friends, coaches etc., a child’s soul knows something, or rather, someone, is missing.

Loneliness stalks the soul of such children.  This profound emotional pain can carry over into adulthood.  I know from personal experience.

But the LORD is acutely aware of the agony of loneliness in fatherless children.  How do I know this?

The LORD, who is full of compassion, reveals a clue in the Biblical Hebrew word for “fatherless”. Let’s take a look:

The word “orphan” in Biblical Hebrew is ‘yatom’.  It actually means ‘fatherless’.  So, even if a child had a mother, he was considered an orphan if there was no father present.  I was amazed to discover that the root verb, from which the word ‘yatom’ is derived, means “to be lonely”!

Loneliness goes with the territory of being fatherless.  They are an inseparable tandem.  You can be lonely without being fatherless, but you cannot be fatherless without being lonely, according to Biblical truth.

The LORD also gave serious instruction in His word, regarding the treatment of those children who are fatherless:

1. He commands that the fatherless not be afflicted. (Exodus 22:22)
2. He expects justice to be executed on behalf of the fatherless. (Deuteronomy 10:18)
3. He promised blessing on the work of those hands (the context was agricultural) who left the corner of their fields for the fatherless and widows to glean. (Deuteronomy  24:19, 20, 21)  In another instance, prosperity in life (not necessarily financially) is promised if the cause of the fatherless is pleaded. (Jeremiah 5:28)
4. The fatherless were to be included in the celebration of the Jewish Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)!  This feast commemorates the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai.  In the New Covenant,  the Holy Spirit was given to the (Jewish) believers that had gathered for prayer and fasting.  Implied here is that fatherless children should not be neglected spiritually! They must be taught the Scriptures and become part of the Body of believers–all of whom share in the Holy Spirit.  This is a very specific command!
5. The fatherless were to be included in the distribution of the tithe. (Deuteronomy 26:12)  Based on this principle, does your congregation give a portion of the tithe to help the fatherless member in its midst, local fatherless boys and girls, or an orphanage elsewhere?  Job stated that he shared his food with orphans.  (Job 31:17)  Can we find a struggling family where there is no dad, and give food, clothing, a toy, tutoring, or some other kind of assistance to help the fatherless?
6. Cursed is the one who distorts justice due the fatherless.  (Deuteronomy 27:19)   He sees everything that goes on.  People sometimes take advantage of fatherless children because there is no strong dad there to defend them.  Be careful if you are in a decision making position, say as a sports coach, and give preference to those whose dad is there fighting for them.  The Lord is watching!  Twice He states through Isaiah the Prophet that the orphan must be vindicated.  (Isaiah 1:17, 23)
7. In ancient Israel, if the fatherless (and widows and aliens) were mistreated or had violence done to them (and innocent blood was shed), desolation would come to the house of the one sitting on David’s throne–the king of Judah.  Leadership is held accountable for caring for widows and orphans.  (Jeremiah 22:1-7)

We want the LORD to hear us in our prayers.  The Prophet Zechariah declared:

⁹ “Thus has the LORD of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother;

¹⁰ and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’

¹¹ But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing.

¹² They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.

¹³ And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts;…  (Zechariah 7:9-13)

As is very clear from the above passage, there are consequences to ignoring the needs of the fatherless.

Pray for the fatherless around you.  They are there.  You have seen them.  They could be playing at the basketball court, in the street, at the mall, at your place of worship.  Can you sense their loneliness?  Could speaking a kind, encouraging word, showing some attention, imparting some much needed wisdom, sharing some quality time, like in a pick-up game, or bestowing some other blessing be the way that the Holy Spirit has prompted you to interact with a fatherless child?  Please do not resist Him and allow your heart to be made like flint, so yourefuse to pay attention, and turn your shoulder and let your ears be stopped from hearing; and thus tragically forsake the opportunity to help lift the heavy burden of loneliness from a young, fatherless person and fail to give him or her the courage to go on another day.

This is serious business.  The LORD stated repeatedly that He is their defender.  Let’s get on His side in practical ways.  Let’s help lighten a portion of the affliction of loneliness carried by these brokenhearted children.

And, what if you are fatherless?  How do you find healing from this grievous wound?

As with any other problem or emotional pain, run to the Lord in His Word.  He is so concerned about you, and unlike others, is intimately familiar with your agony.  He has made several promises concerning you:

Psalm 68:5 states, “A Father of the fatherless, is God in His holy habitation.”

Hosea 14:3 says, “In Thee, the fatherless find mercy.”

Psalm 10:14 reminds us, “You have been a helper of the fatherless.”

Acknowledge the Creator God as your Heavenly Father — Out Loud.  Remind Him of His promises to be a father to you…and watch Him respond.  Claim Him as your source of mercy.  Remind Him that He stated in His word, at least twenty times, that he is concerned that justice be given to the fatherless.  Ask Him to send you sensitive, loving people that will be His surrogate in earthly situations.

Also, please do not be shocked or offended if “religious” people aren’t particularly sensitive to you.  For as James aptly states, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  (James 1:27)  The book of James is considered the most “Jewish” book of the New Testament.  James surely meant “fatherless” when he wrote “orphans”, since he himself was an observant Jewish man, and was very familiar with the Torah and Prophets.

May each of us become a blessing to a fatherless individual.  This is a true reflection of The Father’s heart!

The answer is “jugo de manzana”, literally translating to: “Juice from (or of) apple.”

For a great story, please read on…

Several years ago, exhausted and slouched in a chair, I tried my best to be responsive to a family member.  He had just returned from school.  How was school today?  What did you learn in Spanish class?  He said, “We are working on how to say different foods in Spanish.”  I said, “Oh, like jugo de naranja, for orange juice.”  I had remembered a little from several years of high school Spanish.

My mind wandered.  I thought, “How do you say apple juice in Spanish?”  Has that ever happened to you…you know something; it just doesn’t come into your mind?  Thank you middle age!

Well, I decided to take a walk to check the mail.  Our mail was delivered to a central location about three quarters of a mile from the house.  As it was late fall, it was beginning to get dark.  I thought to myself, “You don’t start walking by yourself in the dark.”  I reasoned that I really needed to check the mail and get some exercise.  So I went.

For the first half mile not a soul was around.  I was picking up speed as the sun had set.  Finally I saw a woman walking slowly.  I said a quick hello as I rushed by.  Then in my heart I heard, “Go back and speak with her.”  I turned around and introduced myself.  She was an older woman with a Spanish accent.  She was from Puerto Rico.  She introduced herself and then she told me her last name.  It was German.  I asked her if her husband was also from Puerto Rico.  “No, he is from Germany.”  I made a quick assessment (wrong) that he could be one of those anti-Semites that went to Latin America and other Spanish speaking countries after World War II.

She interrupted my thoughts, “He is a Holocaust survivor.  He was six years old when his mother was sent to Auschwitz.  When she got out five years later and went to retrieve him at the orphanage, he did not recognize her.”

My throat tightened as I tried my best to hold back sobs.  Can you imagine being a mother and not have your child recognize you, particularly after years of devastation, deprivation, and degradation?

We changed topics and began to speak about politics.  I decided not to check the mail.  She said, “Would you like to meet my husband?”  I said, “Sure” and we headed back to her home, which was in the same direction as mine.

When her husband, George, opened the door, I saw a six foot man about seventy years old.  I burst into tears.  I did not see a seventy year old, but a six year old who had been devastated by the Holocaust.

The couple tried to comfort me.  I told them I did not need to be comforted.  I was sharing in the grief, the generational grief that my people have gone through.  I explained in English and Spanish that my tears were because of his pain, which I felt.

Maria then asked if I wanted something to drink.  She asked, “Would you like some apple juice?”  “Apple juice!  By the way, how do you say that in Spanish?”

“Jugo de manzana.”

Then I told them that an hour and a half before I sat tired in a chair thinking about how to say that.  They were amazed.  So was I.

Sometimes we think we are alone in our thoughts.  The Living God knows our thoughts…and showed me He “hears” me…whether I speak, cry, or think!

Three weeks later I came back to their house with the Prophetic Prints.  I gave them their choice.  “Choose as many as you would like.”  George selected “A Father to the Fatherless is God in His Holy Habitation.” (Psalm 68:5)  I insisted that he choose more than a 5 x 7″ print.  He then selected the lithograph, “The Prophetic Regathering of Israel.”

We chatted a little and I began to leave.  Maria walked me to the car.  I knew George was to have another print.  I felt I could not leave the driveway until he was given the framed “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18)  that I had brought.

“Maria, the LORD wants George to have this.”  Maria happily took the framed print, confirming that she knew he was to have it.

I have since bumped into George on several occasions – in the grocery store, on a sidewalk… and at another amazing time which will be in an upcoming post involving another Holocaust survivor!

Please pray for this couple–for the love of God, the healing power of the Word and the Good News of salvation to enter their hearts and lives.  Surely, the LORD sets up these divine appointments with the purpose of showing His tender love and grace, wanting to fulfill what is written in Jeremiah 31:2-3:  “Thus says Yahveh, “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness–Israel, when it went to find its rest.”  The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”