Fatherless No More 不再是孤儿
Dexu Xia
[God is] a father to the fatherless. Psalm 68:5
Guy Bryant, single and with no children of his own, worked in New York City’s child welfare department. Daily, he encountered the intense need for foster parents and decided to do something about it. For more than a decade, Bryant fostered more than fifty children, once caring for nine at the same time. “Every time I turned around there was a kid who needed a place to stay,” Bryant explained. “If you have the space in your home and heart, you just do it. You don’t really think about it.” The foster children who’ve grown and established their own lives still have keys to Bryant’s apartment and often return on Sundays for lunch with “Pops.” Bryant has shown the love of a father to many.
The Scriptures tell us that God pursues all who are forgotten or cast aside. Although some believers will find themselves destitute and vulnerable in this life, He promises to be with them. God is “a father to the fatherless” (Psalm 68:5). If, through neglect or tragedy, we’re alone, God is still there—reaching out to us, drawing us near, and giving us hope. Indeed, “God sets the lonely in families” (v. 6). In Jesus, other believers comprise our spiritual family.
Whatever our challenging family stories, our isolation, our abandonment, or our relational dysfunction may be, we can know that we’re loved. With God, we’re fatherless no more.
What does it mean for you to have a heavenly Father who loves you and will never leave you? How does He meet your deepest needs?
Father God, I need a good father, a true father, one who will not leave me. I’m grateful You’re this Father for me.
上帝……作孤儿的父。—诗篇68篇5节
盖尔 · 布莱恩（Guy Bryant）在纽约市的儿童福利部门工作，他单身且没有自己的孩子。每天，他都必须面对为许多孩子寻找寄养父母的困境，于是他决定做些事情来改变现状。接下来的十多年，布莱恩陆续让五十多个孩子寄养在他的家，还一度同时照顾九个孩童。布莱恩解释说：“每次我回头一看，总是会发现有孩子需要地方住。”他又说：“如果你有心且家里有地方，你就会去做，不会考虑太多。”那些曾寄养在布莱恩家的孩子们，现已长大成人并有自己的生活，但他们至今还有布莱恩家的钥匙，还经常在星期天与这位寄养爸爸共进午餐。布莱恩向许多孩子展现了父亲的爱。
圣经告诉我们，上帝寻找所有被遗忘或被抛弃的人。虽然有些信徒在今生贫困无助，但上帝应许与他们同在。上帝要“作孤儿的父”（诗篇68篇5节）。我们会因家人的忽视或遭遇不幸而孤立无援，但上帝并没有离开我们，祂向我们伸出援手，亲近我们，并给我们盼望。的确，“上帝叫孤独的有家”（6节）。在耶稣里，我们与其他的信徒组成一个属灵的家。
无论我们的家庭如何破碎，自己如何被孤立、被遗弃，人际关系如何糟糕，我们都可以相信自己是蒙爱的。有了天父上帝，我们都不再是孤儿。
有位爱你且永不离开你的天父，
对你有何意义？
这位天父如何满足你最深的需要？
天父上帝，我需要一位好父亲，一位不会离弃我的、
真正的父亲。我相信祢就是这样一位父亲。