One minute a little boy's room is clean and tidy. But 10 minutes later his dad looks in and there are toys everywhere! The dad tells the son to clean up the mess. Later dad returns to find the mess still there. The little boy asks his dad to help him pick up. When asked why he needs help, the boy says, "It is just too big a job. I don't know where to start." His dad begins suggesting things to pick up and the boy does. Pretty soon the room once again has order and is tidy. Everything is back in its proper place. The son and father can now go about doing other things together with the rest of their day.
How often is the same true for us when we look around the world and see the problems facing orphaned, abandoned, and fatherless children? The situation seems overwhelming. The job just seems too big. We wonder where to begin, and we may even wonder if it matters at all because the job looks impossible to complete. So, sometimes we just sit and look at the situation. We sit knowing we are supposed to act, but feeling to overwhelmed and helpless to even begin doing anything. After all, what are you supposed to do? Travel to Africa and live in a refugee camp handing out food? Save up thousands of dollars and wait several years to adopt a child from overseas? Open your home with your young children to bring in a local foster child who has a history of violent behavior? Even if you did all three of these things, the situation in the world would still look just the same; it would look as if nothing had changed. So, you can reason to yourself that there is nothing you can do to make a difference. Yet, in your heart, you know that you are wrong.
True, you probably aren't going to be the person who changes the world all on your own; however, you could be the person who faithfully prays to the One who created the world and who loves every child born into it. Right now, you could decide to pray for one child for the next 3 days or 7 days or 30 days. Just pick a country and then pray something like, "Heavenly Father, there is a little boy in Bolivia who has no one to care for him. He is all alone and struggling for his physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. I don't know his name. I don't know what he looks like. But I know You do. I know You know Him and call Him by name. My prayer Heavenly Father is that You will supernaturally bring someone into his life to share with him, or that You will reveal to him in some way, the reality that You want to be his strength and his shield and that if he trusts his heart to You that You will not leave or forsake him but You will be his help and salvation. I pray that You will hear and answer my prayer offered selflessly on his behalf. I thank You that in time this little boy's heart will leap for joy and he will give thanks to You in song. I know You are faithful and a God of grace and mercy. Please bless this little boy and keep Him in Your care and protection. May no harm come to him this day or night. May You be glorified and receive honor and praise in answering Your child's prayer offered in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen."
As you become faithful in praying for this child and others like him, I believe your heart will become softer and your spirit more open to other ways God wants you to participate in His work to bring about justice for these children. As more of God's heart for these children takes root in your heart, you will find yourself more ready and able to respond to God's promptings to help in other tangible ways in the physical, material world.
When you shift your focus from the situation in its entirety to the situation of a single child, I believe you'll know a greater sense of empowerment to bring about change in the spiritual and physical reality. Prayer makes for preparedness. Preparedness fosters responsiveness. Responsiveness leads to action. Action causes change. Prayer changes you, and God changes the world -- one answered prayer for one child at a time.
