Both Old and New Testament writers describe God’s care for those of His image-bearers who find themselves on the margins of society. In Deuteronomy 10, Moses exhorts Israel to remember not only their privileged status in God’s redemptive plan but also to remember God’s personal concern for the orphans among them (Deut. 10:18–19). Psalm 10 places God’s concern for the orphan as a means of describing His care for all who are oppressed.

Today I took one of my daughters to work with me for a portion of the day. She did some homework while I worked on my sermon for Sunday and graded some papers. Well, she was supposed to be doing some homework. She was watching music videos on iTunes. “Dad,” she said, “did you know that at the end of this video it says that many of the children in Africa don’t have homes?” I stepped away from my desk to watch the video with her. I could tell that the song, images, and text had gripped her. I put my hand on her shoulder as we watched together for a moment.

And in that moment, I wondered if she was thinking about her own history. My wife and I adopted her almost four years ago. She was neglected by her biological parents, grandparents, and aunt. She was as homeless as the kids in Africa portrayed on the music video. As we watched, I thought about her and about Christian theology. In Scripture, God is described as the God who cares about His image-bearers and calls His people to care about them as well.

A Theology of Victory—and Vulnerability

Psalm 8 describes humanity as those through whom God demonstrates His greatness. In this psalm David writes that God demonstrates His warrior power even through the cries of an infant: “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease” (v. 2). In David’s mind, suckling children and the sounds of a church nursery are war cries of God’s greatness.

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