The Power of Hope

In her book There is No Me Without You, Melissa Fay Greene describes the reaction of five year old Mekdes at being left at an orphanage.
After watching the only family she knew walk out of the compound, Mekdes threw herself at the steel door, determined to run straight through it. Again and again she ran full force into the metal door. Eventually she stopped and just wailed.

No one knew it that day, but God had a plan of hope for Mekdes. She and her brother were adopted by an American couple. Years later, Mekdes described the scene to her adoptive mother, Mikki.
"You were sad," said Mikki.
"No hope, Mommy. I have no hope."

No hope. Having no hope makes us take desperate actions.
A few weeks ago, having no hope caused another orphan to run away from the orphanage. In doing this, she also ran away from the possiblity of adoption. Thankfully she is back at the orphanage and within the range of hope.

Karina used to be an orphan, but now has a loving family.
I asked her what it was like when she was waiting for a family.
"It was very sad,"she said. "I didn't know if a family would ever come."

But the time of waiting was different when she knew a family was on their way to adopt her.
She smiled and said, "That was a happy waiting." That waiting was filled with hope.

We all need hope, especially when we are in difficult circumstances. Having hope gives us endurance to make it through tremendous struggles. The absence of hope causes despair.

Children in orphanages also need hope. They need to know someone else in the world cares about them. And though they may not understand it, they need others praying for hope for them.

God's word makes it clear that His heart is tender toward orphans. He has promised to be a father to the fatherless. When we pray for hope for orphans, we have the attention of the mighty and powerful God who cares for them. When we pray for hope for orphans, we just might have the honor of being the way of hope that God has planned for them.