10 Bible Verses About Adoption

“ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

The adoption journey can be brutal. I have yet to meet adoptive parents who have said that the process was easy, nor have I met birth parents who did not feel “weary” at some point. It takes incredible strength on both side to take the adoption journey.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

This verse was the one that made me know I would adopt, even as teenager. The Bible makes the mission quite clear. We are to love and take care of one another. This verse is a call to Christians to take on the mission of making sure that every child is taken care of and a part of a family. This may look like adoption, foster care, or supporting those kinds of ministries directly.

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families…”

If you look at how humans interact with one another, we tend to need community at our core. We long to be a part of something and typically, a part of family. Whether these families be self formed or biological, God meant us to interact with one another in a family form. This may look like a group of friends, an adoptive family, a foster family, or a traditional familial setting. Regardless, God makes it known that adoption and family in many forms is central to what He desires.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

This verse not only speaks to me regarding adoption in general, but also in how I treat and interact with my children’s birth parents. I cannot simply say that I love my children and then disrespect their parents and family in the process. I have an incredible amount of love for my children’s mom and dad. I also have a firm belief set on open adoption as key when it is a possible option. Adoption is about expanding families, not demolishing them. What can we do for all members of the adoption triad?

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,”

Such a simple verse, but it truly reveals the heart of Christ. Accepting children and regarding them highly was always at the core of His message. Adoption and foster care are full embodiments of this verse.

“Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphans, plead for the widow.”

Even if adoption or foster care is not something in which you can be an active participant, supporting these journeys is central to Christ’s message. For Christ-followers, doing nothing is not an option.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”

Christ calls His followers to support, love, and defend those who need a voice. This includes orphans and widows, but also all involved in the adoption triad. Adoption and foster care is a mission that will never be compete and needs all the support it can muster.

“In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will . . . "

Under this belief, we are all equals in the eyes of God and He has called us worthy. In adoption, every child deserves to and is worthy of being a part of a family.

“And when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.”

This verse is referring to the adoption of Moses by the Pharaoh’s daughter. What strikes me most about this verse is that, even that long ago, Moses was not seen as “adopted.” The Pharaoh’s daughter took him in as her own and he was royalty. There was no question of his heritage of worthiness. He simply belonged, as it should be in any adoption.