7 Powerful Ways the Bible Calls All Believers to Engage with Foster Care
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Foster care is the modern process through which our government cares for children who need a safe and temporary place to live. While orphanages still exist in some parts of the world, in the United States, the foster care system is the primary means of providing care for children in dangerous or unstable homes. Whether you see the system as broken or functioning, it remains the main avenue through which we, as believers, can live out the biblical call to care for orphans.
You don’t have to travel across the globe to a remote village to find children in need of love, food, clothing, and safety. That same crisis exists here on our own soil. There is an urgent need for caregivers of vulnerable children in our communities. These are children who have been removed from their homes through no fault of their own. I happen to be the adoptive parent of two of them.
While the term “foster care” does not appear in Scripture, the principle is woven through the Bible in words like “fatherless” and “orphan.” The heart of God for the vulnerable is consistent and clear. Let’s look at a few Bible verses that help us understand God’s view of orphan care and our role as His people.
1. Orphan Care Is a Biblical Mandate
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).
James emphasizes that faith without works is dead. In this specific verse, he defines what God-honoring religion looks like: caring for the most vulnerable.
Orphan and widow care is not a peripheral issue to possibly include in service for God, it is foundational. This means Christians cannot stand at a distance and admire orphan care from afar. In some tangible way, we are called to get involved.
It might be through fostering, adopting, supporting, or simply showing up for families in crisis. But action is not optional. Consider what you can do in your community to get involved.
2. God Calls His People to Defend the Fatherless
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause” (Isaiah 1:17).
Isaiah urges God's people to engage in justice, especially for those who cannot advocate for themselves. Children in foster care are among the most vulnerable in our society. They are displaced, often traumatized, and powerless over their circumstances. They need safe adults to intervene on their behalf, to provide not just shelter but advocacy, compassion, and consistency. The justice system may not always reflect God's justice, but the people of God can step in to reflect His heart and offer hope.
3. Adoption Is a Picture of the Gospel
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15).
This verse speaks of spiritual adoption through Christ for salvation. This adoption brings us into God’s family. But it also reveals something profound about God's nature: He adopts.
Our earthly adoption of children reflects this heavenly reality. Just as we were once lost, separated, and without hope, children in foster care often experience great loss, separation, and grief. When they are adopted, they are given a new name, a new home, and a new identity, just like we are in Christ. Earthly adoption is not perfect, but it reflects the deep, redemptive heart of God.
4. Orphan Care Requires Intentionality
“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:4-5).
God did not adopt us by accident. He chose us, pursued us, and brought us into His family on purpose. Likewise, caring for the fatherless is not something that happens by chance. It requires intentional effort.
Whether that means opening your home, mentoring a vulnerable child, supporting foster parents, or giving to local organizations, God calls us to move toward the need. When we understand that we were once spiritual orphans, we begin to see every vulnerable child as someone made in the image of God, in need of God’s love and stability.
5. Defending Orphans Is a Command, Not a Debate
“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute” (Psalm 82:3).
Some issues in the Christian life are gray areas. This is not one of them. God’s Word consistently commands us to care for the fatherless, not as a suggestion, but as a responsibility. To “give justice” here means to act on their behalf, to ensure they are seen, protected, and treated with dignity. It is a call to step in and speak up, even when it costs us.
6. Speak Up for Those Who Cannot Speak for Themselves
“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute” (Proverbs 31:8).
Imagine a child’s fear, being removed from their home, placed into a stranger’s care, without understanding why or what will happen next. This is not a hypothetical; it is the reality for thousands of children in foster care. Do a quick google search of your county alone. You might be shocked at how many children are in foster care right in your own community.
Christians are uniquely positioned to be advocates, to be the voice for children who cannot speak up for themselves. Not everyone is called to be a foster parent, but everyone can do something. Some can provide meals. Others can volunteer or donate supplies. All can pray. All of us can listen, learn, and speak into situations with boldness, defending those who cannot speak up for themselves.
7. God’s Heart Is for the Fatherless
“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land” (Psalm 68:5-6).
God does not just ask us to care for the fatherless. He shows us how. He is the ultimate Father to those without one. Every time a Christian family welcomes a child into their home, they are partnering with God’s heart and God’s work. We cannot all be the father, but we can all point to the One true Father of all. We can be the hands and feet of Jesus in a child’s darkest hour. When we are close to the heart of God, we will be moved by what moves Him.
Caring for children in foster care is not only a social issue, it is a deeply spiritual one. The church has a mandate and mission to care for orphans and vulnerable children. Whether through fostering, adopting, advocating, supporting, or praying, every believer can play a role in this redemptive work.
It is not easy. But it is holy work. And it reflects the very heart of God.
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’” (Matthew 25:40).
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