Sometimes, our life’s experiences leave us feeling like orphans. The Merriam Webster dictionary describes an orphan as “a child deprived by death of one or usually both parents” and “one deprived of some protection or advantage”. Even if our parents aren’t dead, we can still be left feeling like orphans, being left to fend for ourselves, whether our parents abused us or simply left us to grow up on our own due to their lack of parenting skills or not caring.
When this happens, it most often leaves us with a lot of major insecurities, and it definitely leaves us with trust issues. It did for me anyway. I’ve gone down a long, hard road trying to figure things out on my own, not trusting anybody else, and especially God, but His Word tells us in Ephesians 1:5 (KJV), “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”
The Living Bible says: “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to!”
Adoption according to Strong’s Concordance: the nature and condition of the true disciples in Christ, who by receiving the Spirit of God into their souls become sons of God.
Oxford Languages defines adoption as “the action or fact of legally taking another’s child and bringing it up as one’s own, or the fact of being adopted” while Mirriam Webster adds “the act or process of giving official acceptance or approval to something”.
The good news is God is faithful and He wants to have a relationship with Him, a Father, child relationship. He doesn’t leave us or forsake us. He doesn’t leave us on our own. He will do whatever is necessary to draw us to Him and let us know that He loves us, and that we don’t have to do this on our own. Psalm 27:10 (KJV) “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”
God won’t force His will on us, but He loves us more than we could ever think or know. Through all the doubt and unbelief and the trust issues, by the faithfulness of God, I have found myself experiencing that adoption. I’m learning to seek Him instead of trying to figure things out on my own. It’s a process. It doesn’t happen all at once. It isn’t always easy. But when we spend time with Him in prayer and in His Word, things begin to change.
Romans 8:15- 17 (KJV), 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Message Bible (Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson), This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!
“This resurrection life” grabbed my attention. To me it means being brought back to life. like in Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” and Ephesians 2:4-6 “4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”
Oxford Languages describes resurrection as: the action or fact of resurrecting or being resurrected: raising from the dead, restoration to life, rising from the dead, return from the dead. (the Resurrection in Christian belief) Christ’s rising from the dead. (the Resurrection in Christian belief) the rising of the dead at the Last Judgment.
Oxford Languages describes resurrection as: the action or fact of resurrecting or being resurrected: raising from the dead, restoration to life, rising from the dead, return from the dead. (the Resurrection in Christian belief)Christ’s rising from the dead. (the Resurrection in Christian belief) the rising of the dead at the Last Judgment. The revitalization or revival of something: restoration, regeneration, revitalization, renewal, awakening, rebirth, comeback, etc.
It isn’t always an actual death that leaves us feeling alone. God created us to belong to Him, but when our parents turn their back on Him, when we as parents, turn our back on God, it affects not only us but our children, and our children’s children and on down the line. It leaves us grappling with insecurities and hopelessness. Something inside of us dies when there seems to be no hope. And the devil wants us to believe that lie. He wants us to believe that God doesn’t love us or want us. I allowed the enemy to make me believe that God didn’t have the power to rescue me or change my life.
I am so grateful and thankful that God showed up in my life and showed me what a liar the devil is. God adopted me into His Kingdom, and if you will let Him, He wants to adopt you. This gives us a whole new life. It doesn’t become easy and make everything good, but it gives us hope and resurrection life. We aren’t alone anymore. We don’t have to struggle to on our own.
Without God, there really isn’t any hope. In the end, without God, there is no salvation and even if our lives on this earth can be pretty bad, spending eternity without God will make everything we’ve gone through seem so little compared to what it will be like in hell. God wants to legally adopt us and make us sons and daughters. Will you say yes to Him today?
An Orphan No More
