FEBRUARY 2014 PRAYER GUIDE
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in
His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely
in families...”
Psalm 68:5-6
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor. He
has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the
blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
During the month of February, AP4C is praying for
individuals who are orphaned or widowed.
It is our intention for believers from all ethnic, socio-economic and
denominational backgrounds to unite in prayer and use this guide as a catalyst
for on-going prayer. It is also our
prayer that God will unite the Church and use us to shape Greater Dallas into a
place that more accurately reflects His Kingdom.
SALVATION
“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and
loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.”
Deuteronomy 10:18
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who
saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke
you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Pray that orphans and widows/widowers will know the love of
the heavenly Father.
Pray for orphans and widows/widowers to accept God’s comfort
in their circumstances.
Pray for God’s protection, provision, direction and healing
for those who are orphaned or widowed.
Pray for God to inspire believers to share His love and the
Good News of the Gospel with orphans and widows/widowers resulting in their
salvation.
Continue to pray for the salvation of people within your
sphere of influence.
DISCIPLESHIP
“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true
justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or
the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each
other.’” Zechariah 7:9-10
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
Pray the Church will lead the way in caring for and meeting
the needs of orphans and widows/widowers in our city.
Pray for the Church to comprehend and reflect God’s heart
for orphans, and for believers to be filled with compassion, making themselves
available for how God wants to use them.
Pray that the Lord will give believers a personal sense of
responsibility to pray for orphans and widows/widowers.
Pray that people within our city will pray about becoming a
foster parent or adopting a child and/or ministering to a widow/widower.
COMMUNITY
“The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless
and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked. ” Psalm 146:9
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take
up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow..” Isaiah
1:17
Pray for God to raise up people to fill the voids that exist
in orphan and widow/widower care in our city.
Pray that God would draw workers in these fields to Himself
and that He would encourage them so that they would not grow weary in their
work.
Pray for children growing up in foster care and orphanages
and ask God to provide them with permanent loving families.
Pray that widows and widowers will find a community of love
and support as they mourn the loss of their loved ones.
Pray for families who are taking care of relatives who are
orphaned or widowed. Ask the Lord to bless them for their sacrifice and
to provide enough resources for all their family members’ needs.
TRANSFORMATION
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the
rights of all who are destitute.” Proverbs 31:8
“ Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
Isaiah1:17
Pray that our government will execute policies and actions
that will protect the vulnerable and provide the assistance needed by orphans
and widows/widowers.
Pray that as people care for orphans and widows/widowers
they will be transformed by the power of Christ.
Pray that our city will become a place where all orphans and
widows/widowers receive the love and care they need.
Pray that a watching and skeptical world will see God’s love
demonstrated through the care offered to orphans and widows/widowers.
The State of Foster
Care
There are nearly 3,000 children in foster care in Dallas and
Collin County. Around 500 of them are awaiting adoption, and over 200 are
in group homes or shelters. Over 100 will age out of foster care this year
having absolutely no support after the age of 18 putting them at extreme risk
for poverty, incarceration, and human trafficking. Information provided by Buckner Children and
Family Services
The following statistics are from Texans Care for Children.
http://txchildren.org/Images/Interior/reports/transitions_to_adulthood_for_texas_foster_youth.pdf
While 70% of foster youth say they want to attend college,
only 3% receive a college degree.
Foster care alumni are more than twice as likely to drop out
of high school.
After four years of independence from the foster care
system, only half of former foster youth hold a job.
A 2003 study found a third of foster care alumni have
household incomes at or below the federal poverty level—nearly three times the
national poverty rate.
Thirty percent of homeless adults report having been
involved in the foster care system.
One in four former foster youth have reported symptoms of
post traumatic stress disorder, compared to 4% of the general population.
Roughly 30% of foster youth who age out of care have a
diagnosed mental health challenge, such as depression.
The teen birth rate for girls in foster care is twice that
of the general population.
Nearly half of all girls who lived in foster care are
pregnant at least once by age 19.
Among male foster youth and alumni, 30% are incarcerated by
age 19.
For ways to engage visit:
www.unitethechurch.org
www.buckner.org
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