Fatherlessness is the most harmful demographic trend of this generation.

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother. (Zechariah 7:10)

How can you bless someone who feels down and out on Valentine’s Day?

God is sovereign! On February 8, I received an envelope in the mail from Dan Tingley. I didn’t get around to opening that envelope until the afternoon of Sunday February 11. Inside I found a CD with 10 songs sung by Lori Tingley, Dan’s wife.

Later that evening on February 11, I drove from my home in Culpeper to Fredericksburg to hear the praise team In One Accord sing for two hours as part of the 21 days of prayer, fasting, and worship taking place at Grace Church of Fredericksburg. During my drive, I decided to listen to the CD by Lori Tingley.

The first song on Lori’s CD is called “Father to the Fatherless.” That song really spoke to my heart. Lori has a beautiful voice and the lyrics were so touching.

At 11:40 AM the next morning, my wife and I took our dog for a ten minute walk. A minute before I got home, the Holy Spirit prompted me to take Lori’s CD to the noon Pray Culpeper meeting. Three or four people who came to the Pray Culpeper meeting were first-timers.

When I played the song “Father to the Fatherless” at the start of our meeting, Debbie Delaney, a first-timer, immediately said she needed that CD to give as a birthday gift to a boy who had been abused for much of his life. She had been praying to God to reveal the perfect gift He desired for the boy. About four other people then asked me to get more copies of the CD for them to buy.

Then Virginia Morton held up a book titled “The Lord Will Provide” and told our prayer group that we must read that book. Theresa Light, a pastor’s wife who had come to the Pray Culpeper meeting for the very first time, then spoke up to say her brother who lives in Texas wrote that book. Testimony after testimony then poured out demonstrating the sovereignty of God.

To top things off, the next day (February 13), my wife and I had the privilege to meet Lori Tingley in person when she and Dan had five guests over for lunch at their home in Virginia Beach.

Today is Valentine’s Day. For many of us, it’s a time to show our appreciation to people we love. But what about those people who have been abandoned or who lost their loved ones? How can we bring hope and encouragement to them?

Prayer Power
LORD, thank You for being a father to the fatherless. Thank You for reaching out to me during a desperate time in my life to invite me to be Your child. Thank You that I can now call You Father. Thank You for my natural parents who poured their love into me. Thank You Jesus for being my Valentine, my all in all. You have given so much to my family. May we be a blessing to the poor, the hungry, widows, orphans, prisoners, and the persecuted. Encourage many others to do likewise. Bless the Tingley family! Multiply Lori’s song “Father to the Fatherless” around the world! We praise Your holy name, Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Fatherless America: Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem by David Blankenhorn
[http://http://www.americanvalues.org/html/bk-fatherless_america.html]

Blessings to be a “father” to the fatherless!

Not Used
• Ex 22:22 “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.
 
Lyrics to the song “Father to the Fatherless”

Father to the broken-hearted,
Father to the fatherless,
Healer of the shattered spirit,
Hold now in your loving caress,
The ones who need Your gentle touch,
Who need your healing O so much.
You’re father to the fatherless.