Today on the Bible Verse of the Day widget in the sidebar of this blog, the following verse came up:
“Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” Psalm 68:4-5
Shortly before all the huge changes in our lives (my husband moving out due to his health issues, selling our home, moving to a new community, starting life as a single mom, etc.), I’d been sitting in church and the pastor was talking about how God can be exactly what we need when we need it. The pastor asked us all to take a few minutes and quietly in our hearts ask God what we needed Him to be for us at that moment.
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As I sat there in the silence thinking about all the huge changes looming in our lives, the phrase “a father to the fatherless and a husband to the widow” came clearly to my mind. It was exactly what I needed to know. That God would care for my kids — and for me! — as we negotiated the scary, unknown future we were facing.
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It was a comforting reminder of His pressence and His care when I saw that verse pop up on my blog today, especially in light of Father’s Day coming up this weekend. We’ve found that Father’s Day is a particularly difficult day for my kids each year because their dad has repeatedly chosen to NOT spend Father’s Day with his children, even breaking plans with them so he can go out to ball games with friends, etc.
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If you think about me or my family this week, could you pray for my children and for Father’s Day? I pray they won’t spend the day crying – actually more like gut-wrenching sobbing – like last year.
You and your kids have my prayers.
Its so wonderful when you realize that God can be the father your kids need and the husband you need. He is all that and more. You and your kids are in good hands!
God bless you.
I will be praying for you and your kids as I pray for my daughter and grandson (a widow and fatherless son by divorce). Blessings on your week!
BTW, just so you know, this is Willow, signing in now as willowknits because I signed up at wordpress to post on a blog with that name.
Your situation has to be infinitely harder than if you had lost your husband and the children’s father to death. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
I have biological father but he left me and my family when I was young. It hurts me not to have a father who loves me. He decided to completely forget about me. And he did. He never looked back. He raised someone else’s children.
Happy Father’s Day.
Debi,
Although I didn’t see your post until today, know that you and your family remain in my prayers. May God walk close and hold you and the kids lovingly as only He can.
All blessings,
Denise McKinney
I find so much informationabout the Bible verse “He will be a Father to the fatherless and a husband to the husbandless….however, no one says where it is in the Bible. I have been looking under every reference I can find…and still no one nor anything states the verse…
Thanks,
Peggy
“A father to the fatherless, a defender [husband, protector] of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” Psalm 68:5
Isaiah 54:4-5 (“…The reproach of your widowhood, you will remember no more…For your husband is your Maker….”)
I have been a widow since my children were 3 and 5 years old. My daughter,21, is now serving in the Middle East. She is a strong Christian, but has been going through some extreme turmoil. Please keep her in prayer- that God will intervene in the hearts and minds of the Godless. Also that He will open the eyes of Christians to the truth.
My father never raised me but we still socialize. We got in an argument bc he showed my husband pornograghic material. I confronted him and we started to argue. He called me names and I brought up that he never raised me. He told me to get over it and that I needed a shrink. Please pray that God heal my heart bc my fatheR will never be the father I need him to be. Pray that God protect me, my husband and 2 children. Pray that he heal my heart and my mind.