[Please join me in praying for children and families on Thursdays this year.]
“You have received the ‘Spirit of full acceptance,’ enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, ‘Beloved Father!’ For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, ‘You are God’s beloved child!'” (Romans 8:15-16 TPT)
Although we have not adopted any children, I have a great respect and heart for those who have. In my own mind, I can easily see the faces of children who have been loved and blessed by the families who have chosen to adopt – to accept, enfold, and incorporate – them into their families. The roads adoptive parents travel are not always easy. Obviously, Joseph, Mary’s husband, had to adopt and stepparent the Messiah – no small calling! I know a family who adopted a daughter from China when she was an infant or toddler. The financial, emotional, and legal challenges of international adoption are real. I know of another family with five children that is taking in two of the children’s cousins because their home is no longer an option. And I know another family which was fostering children and took in two brothers – ages 18 and 36 months at the time – who had been severely abused. After they adopted these two precious ones, they found out that both have varying degrees of damage from fetal alcohol syndrome. These adoptive parents did not know at the time how much fortitude it would take to raise the two boys. No matter why children are available for adoption, adoptive parents, I believe, must rely on God for a supernatural measure of grace, mercy, provision, and wisdom.
So, today, let us pray for adoptive families.
Dear God our Father,
Please help all parents in their role as a mother or father. Make them an instrument of your peace and love. Inspire all parents to provide the best example for their children in their words, actions, and temperament.
Encourage all adoptive families to discuss their unique story, and to always stress the love that brought them together. Help adoptive parents to be merciful and loving in their thoughts and actions when it comes to a child’s birthparents. Remind adoptive parents that You, Our Eternal Father, love all of us in a way that we could never fully appreciate, and we should strive to imitate that great love. Generously give adoptive parents the wisdom to provide and care for their children in every situation.
Loving Jesus, direct parents’ speech to be loving and helpful; guide all parents’ actions to meet the needs of their individual children; and give parents the patience they need to build strong, loving, and faithful children.
Amen.
Prayer from https://www.adopting.com/adoption-blog/a-prayer-for-adoptive-parents