WEEK 5 - MARGINALIZED PEOPLE
The prayer spotlight falls this week on people who are often overlooked or even mistreated. Pray that the Lord will make us His vessels of love, hope, and justice. Pray for those among our Alliance family who do the important work of chaplaincy—bringing the message of Jesus to people in their most challenging times, when they need to hear that message the most and may well be most responsive to it.
DAY THIRTY-TWO // THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND THEIR FAMILIES BY TOM FLANDERS
. . . I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One
- 1 John 2:1
My wife holds her graduate degree in special education, but it’s our experience as parents of children with special needs that has taught us the most about ourselves and God and how to be their advocates. If you are a parent or guardian of someone with special needs, you are familiar with the term “advocate.” And you’re often reminded that you are your child’s BEST advocate.
Initially, I was overwhelmed at the thought of being an advocate for our children, as I was unfamiliar with the laws upon which special needs advocacy is based. In time, I realized these statutes, while needed and helpful, were not the best foundation for my advocacy. The reason my wife and I make the best advocates for our children is that we know them better than anyone else. 1 John illustrates Jesus’ advocacy for us in the context of being God’s children.
Who better to advocate for you than the One who knows you best? God’s intimate and infinite knowledge of you is what allows Him to arrange what’s best for your life. We love our children unconditionally, but we will not always be around to advocate and care for them. This thought can be unsettling, because no one loves your children the same way you do. Our comfort is in realizing that God knows, advocates for, and cares for them perfectly every day of their lives. One day, His advocacy will remove all the limitations they experience in this world. Trusting Christ as your advocate means He will do the same for you.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Go confidently to the Advocate of heaven, who occupies the throne of grace and dispenses mercy from there. Tell Him your concerns.
2. Ask God to reveal how your church can embrace families and individuals with special needs, a largely unreached segment of society.
3. Prayerfully consider giving some of your time and resources to an individual or family with special needs. It can make a world of difference!