God’s Heart for the Vulnerable and How We Can Reflect It

God’s Compassion for the Vulnerable Through Scripture

God’s heart for vulnerable groups is threaded throughout the Bible. Verse after verse, chapter after chapter in the Old and New Testaments reveal God’s compassion, mercy, grace, and love for those who are marginalized. Deuteronomy 10:18 offers an example of his heart: “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” He is a defender and lover. From Hagar to Hannah, from Rahab to Ruth, we also see how God specifically cared about marginalized women. God provided for these women in personal ways and empowered them to minister to others.

Lessons from the Widow of Zarephath

One widow God used mightily in ministry is the widow of Zarephath, who fed the Old Testament prophet Elijah in a time of need. Elijah ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel and represented God in a showdown against the wicked King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, who worshiped Baal. But before Elijah confronted Ahab, God sent him to

Zarephath to have a meal with a widow.

First Kings 17:15 is a powerful moment for the widow of Zarephath. Because of her obedience, she receives God’s unexpected provision. She and her family were on the brink of starvation, but God uses her to feed his prophet and meets her in her lack.

I studied many of these passages about God’s heart for widows and orphans with my late husband, Ericlee. As a couple, God specifically gave us a heart for orphans. We helped start two children’s homes in Haiti and through the years provided support to many friends who adopted children. We even pursued plans to adopt children of our own before Ericlee went to heaven.

I didn’t know I would need these same Scriptures to affirm and encourage me years later when I stood at my husband’s graveside at age thirty-seven as a widow. In my twenties, God moved my heart with compassion for orphans, but in my thirties he gave me compassion for another vulnerable group mentioned in those same Scriptures—widows.

Grief can be a lonely journey, especially when you are caring for young children still at home. I am deeply grateful for the multitiered community of support I had after my husband’s death. My daughters and I received generous support from several churches and many outside the church. They brought us meals, helped with our medical bills, invited us to visit, sent cards, and most importantly, were present with us through the darkest days of grief. We also had our Haitian friends who had become family through the years. They prayed over us and loved us from afar. I was humbled again and again by God’s special provision for us through his people.

Grief and God’s Comfort in Our Vulnerability

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, the apostle Paul wrote about the ways God can use our grief: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Did you catch that? We can offer comfort to others because we ourselves have experienced comfort from God.

Comfort is one of the specific things Ruth thanks Boaz for in Ruth 2:13. We know Ruth’s history. She was childless for more than a decade of marriage. Her father-in-law died, and then she lost her husband and brother-in-law. This woman has endured grief upon grief. When Boaz speaks kindly to her, Ruth feels a sense of comfort she has not felt in a long time—if ever.

Over time, God began to open doors for me to share my story and help those navigating grief, especially other widows. I quickly discovered that many did not have the kind of community support I had received. This burdened my heart, and I began to pray for creative ways I might bridge this gap for widows.

Multiplying Comfort Through Community

After praying for almost a year, I launched the Widow Mama Collective on Facebook, an online support group for widows who are mothering children at home. Three other widow mamas who are also writers joined me to help create a safe space where widows might share their experiences with grief, their questions about parenting, and their prayer requests on the journey. The group continues today with more than six hundred members.

There’s a proverb in several cultures that says, “Grief shared is half grief; joy shared is double joy.” My experience is that grief feels less heavy when we share it with one another. When we show compassion and care for people who are grieving, we are multiplying the comfort Jesus Christ first offered us through his life and love.

Friend, I want to challenge you today to think about anyone in your midst who is grieving—widows, widowers, orphans, childless parents, divorcées, caregivers, and others. As believers, we are called to walk alongside all who grieve. We have an opportunity to be Immanuel—God with us—to them.