No Child of God Is an Orphan

By 1930 my grandfather had lost both of his parents. His mother passed away in February of 1929 and his dad died in March of 1930. His uncle on whose ranch they had lived for quite some time left the area also in 1930. So, in 1930 as an eighteen-year-old my grandfather Bill Rice was essentially an orphan. He had no parents. He had a large family and lived with his brother and his sister before that. God was good.

Every ministry has DNA, and the Bill Rice Ranch was shaped by a man who knew what it was to be without parents. That compassion came through in the way the camps were established in 1953. I don’t know your background or family, but I’m here to tell you that it may seem like you are alone and have no recourse in situations you face, but if you belong to the Lord Jesus, you are not an orphan.

In John 13 Jesus is talking to His disciples. In verse 33 He calls them little children, this was in regard to their knowledge, their guidance and direction, and their needs. He says, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.”

The time was coming when one of His disciples would betray Him, another would deny Him, and the rest would head for the tall timber when push came to shove. They felt like they had lost their guidance and direction because Jesus was crucified. They did not yet know what we know about the resurrection and the gift of the Holy Ghost. In John 14 Jesus says, “I go to prepare a place for you.” What you gather from these two chapters in John is that no child of God is an orphan.

Jesus said, “You can’t go where I am going now, but I am going to prepare a place for you.” In John 14:16 He says, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter.” It was someone to come along beside them. It was the Holy Spirit. It continues, “That he may abide with you for ever.” So, no child of God is an orphan.

First, God is with you in the person of the Holy Spirit. The psalms say that the Lord is a very present help. He is present in time, now as well as ten years ago; and present in place, here as well as where you were ten years ago. God is right here, right now. He is a very present help, and if you belong to God, you are not an orphan. The Lord Jesus is not bodily here, but He has left with you His Holy Spirit.

Years ago, I was in Great Smoky Mountain National Park in a large meadow area. There were cabins and settlements and a long line of cars. All of a sudden, a bear cub came running across the meadow, crossed the road, and ran up the hill into the woods. Of course, everyone was taking pictures and was quite taken by this cute little bear cub. I’m sure there were many a mother’s heart that said, “The poor bear cub. I hope he is ok.” Well, if you had gone up into the woods after that bear cub, you would have found that the bear cub was not alone. There is a mama bear somewhere in those woods watching over that cub. Friend, you may feel alone and you may not perceive the presence of the living Lord, but He is with you. He has gone to prepare a place for you and He has left you the Comforter who comes alongside you, the Holy Spirit of God.

Second, the Holy Spirit will guide you. Verse 17 says, “Even the Spirit of truth.” So, He is a spirit that brings us God’s truth. In verse 18 Jesus says, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” He will come to us in the person of the Holy Spirit of God. In verse 26 Jesus says to the disciples, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you.” There is peace because of what is known and there is knowledge because of the resources God has put in our hands.

In John 13 it becomes very obvious that there was a lot the disciples did not know and there was everything that Jesus did know. The disciples were asking question like, “Why?” I can understand this. Peter asked Jesus, “Why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.” I’m sure Peter believed that. Peter didn’t even know what was in him, but all of us, like the disciples, need someone to guide us and be with us.

How does the Holy Spirit of God do this? That is a big question. For starters you might ask, “What does the Bible say?”  It says, “Teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” So, God has given us Jesus’ words, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit who is literally a person of the Godhead who gives us guidance in part by reminding us of what His Word says.

Some years ago, I was in New York City with a group giving the gospel to people there. One day a man confronted us and asked rather abruptly, “Why do you believe in three gods?” I thought he was trying to begin an argument, but it was an honest question. He was talking about the doctrine of the triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

When the man asked why we believed in three gods, in my heart I instantly prayed, “God, help me.” I didn’t know what I was going to say. I can’t remember what I said, but I do remember that there was a Bible answer that the Lord brought to my memory. It was a good and helpful answer. When I gave the answer, the man stood there pensively, thought for a moment, and said, “Okay.” Then he fired off another question. I can’t remember what that question was, but again I prayed, “God, help me” and gave another answer that God had given to me. I don’t even remember my answer, but what I remember is that I had what I needed when I needed it as I was doing what I could to serve the Lord and relying upon Him to do what I could not do.

Many of us feel lonely, dejected, smug, and like we don’t need anyone because we are doing quite well ourselves. In both cases, being dejected and being smug, we have forgotten the presence of a person, the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ the Comforter, the Spirit of truth. No child of God is an orphan. You have God Almighty to be with you and to guide you.