We all need someone in our lives to simply sit in an unhurried manner and listen. Widows and orphans are no different. In fact, because they often lack a sense of belonging, taking the time to sit with them, listen to them, attentively hear them, see them, and love them in this way is certain to encourage those who battle loneliness.

“God is a father to the fatherless and protector of widows.” These powerful words are not the clever sayings of orphanage founders or nursing home slogans filled with elderly widows. Rather, they come from the Psalms (Ps. 68:5), as David praises God for His great and glorious character. The desire to care for the poor and most vulnerable, specifically orphans and widows, runs deep in the character of God. And yet, so many Christians in the modern day seem to have forgotten this central passion of God’s heart and biblical theme throughout Scripture. Jesus modeled a special care for the weak and vulnerable throughout His ministry, but this divine task is most succinctly captured by the Apostle James, who writes to Christians and exhorts, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).

The context of this passage comes directly after James has exhorted his readers to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22–25). The care of widows and orphans needs to press upon the conscience of every follower of Jesus. But the command is not simply to be hearers, but doers in this noble act. How can followers of Jesus do the care of widows and orphans today? Here are four ways that we as individual Christians and local churches can engage and make a difference:

1. Visit

Never underestimate the power of presence. A visit to an orphanage or the home of a lonely widow in your church is a powerful ministry in which any Christian can engage.

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