12 Bible Verses About Foster Care
Dear foster parent, God is using you to show His love in the most difficult places and in the most challenging situations. Caring for children who come from difficult places is not easy. It is a sacrifice. And some days it can feel utterly impossible. But in the midst of it all, our Father provides us with everything we need to overcome these challenges.
There are promises and truths in scripture that are constant, sure, and worthy of being held onto in the midst of all the uncertainties and unknowns that come with caring for vulnerable children. In this article, you will find 12 Bible verses about foster care. I pray they encourage you wherever you are in your fostering journey.
The journey is not easy.
Nothing worthwhile in life is easy. And if what you are doing feels difficult or overwhelming, it doesn’t necessarily mean what you are doing is wrong. It could signify you’re doing something extremely meaningful. Jesus makes it clear what the implications are to follow Him. In Luke 9:23 Jesus says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” Being a foster parent can be challenging at times. But the promise we can hold on to is that our Heavenly Father is faithful and will give us all that we need.
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
-2 Corinthians 9:8
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
-Ephesians 1: 4-5
The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
-Matthew 25:4
But it is worth it.
The Bible never guarantees that following Jesus will be easy; but, it does ensure that it will be worthwhile. “Do not become tired in doing good,” says Galatians 6:9, “because if we do not give up, we will reap a crop at the correct time.” As a foster parent, there are good days and there are days that just seem insurmountable. But we can hold on to the hope that our current difficulties are but a prelude to the greater glory that has been promised to all of us through Jesus.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
-2 Corinthians 12:9
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
-Romans 8:18
Learn to do good; seek justice, help the oppressed, defend the cause of orphans, fight for the rights of widows.
– Isaiah 1:17
There are a lot of uncertainties.
There is a battle that goes mostly unnoticed at the heart of foster care. By caring for children and families from hard places, we eternally affect the trajectory of a human soul. We may not get to see it now, or even in our lifetime, but what you’re doing has eternal importance. And as we fix our eyes on what is unseen, we are able to see evidence of a faithful God.
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
-1 Peter 4:11
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
-2 Corinthians 4:18
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
-James 1:2-4
But God is faithful and good.
In foster care, nothing is guaranteed. But the one thing that remains the same is that God is faithful, sovereign, and good. He knows the circumstances our children came from and he knows their future. His ability to care for them outweighs any wrong that has been done to them or any care that we can provide. As foster parents, we have to come to grips without limits and find peace and comfort in a sovereign God who is doing millions of things we cannot see.
Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
-Hebrews 13: 20-21
You are not alone.
Obedience to the call to care for vulnerable children brings a treasure far more precious and lasting than comfort or reward. It provides an opportunity to experience His presence. Our Father meets us in our brokenness and weariness and provides His encouragement, understanding, and care. May we always remember we are not alone on this beautiful, messy, and uncertain journey of foster care.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
-Psalm 46:1
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.
-Isaiah 40:31
Not everyone is called to foster, but everyone can help. For a list of ways you can get involved in the foster care community, check out 8 Ways to Support Foster Families. Or check out our article Aging Out of Foster Care for ways you can help older youth preparing to age out of the foster care system.
How has God cared for and encouraged you on your foster care journey? What are your favorite bible verses about foster care? I would love to hear from you!
