Though I Was Born an Orphan
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Tags: God's Love, Joy and Thankfulness, Style: TraditionalPosted by David L. Ward on October 23rd, 2009
Description
One of the central applications of the Gospel is to imitate it. Israel was to love the sojourner because they were sojourners in the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:16). If they, when fatherless, widowed and homeless, were fed, clothed and sheltered by the Lord, they should display his glory in their treatment of others.Likewise, James says to Christians (James 1:27), “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” James is not content to refer merely to God. Rather, he writes of “God, the Father,” reminding his readers of the privileged relationship they have with God—namely, He has become their “Father.”
As believers, we may call God “Father” because of our adoption as “sons” in Jesus Christ. We were born “sons of disobedience” and “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3). But the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, chose us and predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3-6).
He sent his Son to live a life of full obedience, to die on the cross for our sins, and to be raised from the dead. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are adopted as sons of God and become heirs (Galatians 3-4). Because we are sons, the Father sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying “Abba! Father!” To keep us from falling back into fear, the Spirit of adoption bears witness to us that we are children of God, fellow heirs with Christ, with whom we will be glorified (Romans 8:15-17). God the Father graciously makes his home with us until he calls us to his house (John 14).
If God the Father has blessed us with this great and altogether undeserved adoption, we will show like care to “orphans and widows in their affliction.” In application of the Gospel, Christians become people who display the greatness of their Father through their care for those in need.
Bonus
A church in Delaware has posted a nice video of this hymn:
Lyrics
Verse 1:Though I was born an orphan,
Abandoned and alone,
Enslaved and bound in darkness,
Without a hope or home,
The God of grace and mercy
From his eternal throne
Ordained to be my Father
And claim me as His own.
Verse 2:
That I might be adopted
The Father sent his Son
To live in full obedience
And die for what I’ve done.
Now through his resurrection,
Through faith, with him I’m one.
A member of his household,
I am an heir, a son.
Verse 3:
To soothe my fear and worry
The Spirit from on high
Was sent to be a witness
That “Father!” I might cry.
O How I love this Father!
I’m never left alone.
He’s come to dwell within me
Until he calls me home.
Verse 4:
Since I have this adoption,
I cannot close my home
To widows and to orphans,
Abandoned and alone.
Lord, fill me with compassion
To love the fatherless,
That I might show the nations
How great my Father is!
Eric Schumacher & David L. Ward
© 2009 ThousandTongues.org, admin by Thousand Tongues
© 2009 ThousandTongues.org, admin by Thousand Tongues
Wow, this song truly touches to the heart!
We are all His adopted children...
Praise God!
[...] of Cedar Rapids, IA collaborated to create a poignant new hymn for Orphan Sunday, entitled “Though I was Born an Orphan.” (He’s even provided the sheet music and learner recording free for [...]
Thanks so much for the great song - exactly what we were looking for...are we allowed to use this for our Orphan Sunday service? What a beautiful reminder of our adoption into the family of God.
Teri,
Of course you can use the song on “Orphan” Sunday. May it guide your people’s hearts into gratitude for God’s adopting love.
David
Wonderful!
May the Father be pleased to use this for His glory and the advance of His kingdom, especially remembering that we are among 'the least of these.'
I am so excited about this hymn! We were just discussing at our church, after a study through the chapter in Knowing God about our sonship, the fact that there is only one hymn in our hymn book (Trinity Hymnal, Baptist Edition) that even briefly touches on our own adoption. As we seek to begin an Orphan Ministry in our church this is PERFECT! Thank you so much~
I am interested in Orphan Sunday as I am a missionary currently on deputation to go to Honduras to work with the orphans. The need is great!
[...] free download (lead sheet and demo audio) is courtesy of David Ward and Northbrook Baptist of Cedar Rapids, [...]
[...] Though I Was Born an Orphan by Eric Schumacher & David L. Ward – Eric and David wrote this hymn specifically for churches to use in worship. They write, “If God the Father has blessed us with this great and altogether undeserved adoption, we will show like care to “orphans and widows in their affliction.” In application of the Gospel, Christians become people who display the greatness of their Father through their care for those in need.” [...]
[...] Though I Was Born an Orphan by Eric Schumacher & David L. Ward – Eric and David wrote this hymn specifically for churches to use in worship. They write, “If God the Father has blessed us with this great and altogether undeserved adoption, we will show like care to “orphans and widows in their affliction.” In application of the Gospel, Christians become people who display the greatness of their Father through their care for those in need.” Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)No Title10 Ways to Pastor Adoptive ParentsRecommended Adoption BooksThe return of the hymn? [...]
[...] a couple copies of Russ Moore’s book, Adopted for Life, to those who link to our song “Though I Was Born an Orphan” or pass it along to their [...]
[...] chosen to adopt and why Ethiopia, but I’ll save most of that for another time. This hymn, written by Eric Schumacher, captures a lot of what our hearts [...]
[...] who started calling on churches to recognize such a day in 2009. We wrote a modern hymn called Though I Was Born an Orphan to address the theme of adoption and the mandate to care for orphans and to give the church a [...]
[...] many resources and links on the webpages for Together for Adoption or Orphan Sunday. And here is a great song we plan to sing this [...]
So what is the other hymn you found in your hymnal?