The dictionary defines orphan as "a child whose parents are deceased." That's a very short definition that is to the point, but it nowhere begins to reflect the long life of challenges that face young people in this predicament. For all of us who consider ourselves Christian, one telling scripture is James 1:27 that defines "pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble." God succinctly points out that pure religion, or what we might call "the real stuff," is not so much what we know, but much more what we are doing for others who have no way at this time in their lives to give to us in return. God lays special claim to such young ones by proclaiming in Psalm 68:5 that He is a "father of the fatherless."

I want to share with you a remarkable example of a man now dead, whose memory lives in the heart of the fatherless, and whose legacy can be a tool for understanding our role in future events.

The Indianapolis Star recently picked up a story written by E.A. Torriero for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel titled "Jordanian Orphans Call Palace Their Home, Thanks to the Late King." This piece was written shortly after the death of King Hussein of Jordan. It describes a unique love affair that emerged between a man of incredible privilege and wealth and orphans facing an uncertain future.

Torriero describes "pictures of the smiling, famous king—the man the peasant teenagers so dearly adored—hang neatly in every room of the ornate mansion." Why the pictures? Why the adoration? The palace was King Hussein's favorite retreat. High on a windswept hill, it gazed west to the glimmering lights of Jerusalem. Hussein built the $87 million, two-story residence in the 1970s as living quarters for himself and his third wife, Queen Alia. After the queen was killed in a helicopter crash in 1977, Hussein buried her on a knoll within sight of his bedroom window. Upon the king's remarriage, Hashemiyeh Palace became the official guesthouse for visiting dignitaries. President Clinton, Yasser Arafat, Israeli prime ministers and European leaders have all stayed here.

To Search Out a Matter

Today, the sprawling estate is home to Sahar Falah, who is neither a head of state nor a foreign dignitary. She is an orphan, and shares her home with 230 other orphans. Our reporter defines the late monarch as "a towering statesman, a playboy king, an iron-fisted ruler who carved a thriving Arab kingdom out of mostly barren desert. But within the royal family, one of the king's most enduring legacies is Hashemiyeh Palace, his beloved getaway that he turned into a home for neglected children." Here, within the glimmering white walls, Hussein is simply called "Daddy" by the young residents. "It's still a shock; we miss him so much," said Sahar, 14, who was abandoned as an infant, but came to know the king on a first name basis.

Hussein inherited his royal titles, but how did he come by this endearing one?

The reporter defines the moment. "In 1997, when Hussein made an unscheduled visit to a children's shelter in Amman, run by his own foundation… [he] was appalled by the conditions. He found malnourished children living in filthy, crowded conditions. In some cases there was evidence of abuse." It is here that the king followed the counsel of another Middle East ruler of another time whose thoughts are found in Proverbs 25:2-3. "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable."

Hussein dug deep into himself to make a difference. "After tossing and turning for much of the next night, Hussein gave the abrupt order to turn the ornate guesthouse into a children's palace." Tayseer Elias, the clinical psychologist who directs the orphanage, states the moment of decision came, "with a snap of his fingers and it was done. The children went from the worst of conditions to the best." Perhaps unknowingly, but not unwittingly, the king echoed the United Nations declaration that "Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give." As a wise ruler and parent, Hussein recognized that you must deal with children when they are young, or you will have to deal with them when they are older.

Reporter Torriero describes the palace as "being outfitted for children who range in age from several months to mid-teens. Bedrooms were turned into dorm rooms. Financed mostly by the royal family's private coffers, the orphanage hired a staff of cooks, doctors, nurses and teachers. Under Hussein's personal direction, each child's condition was recorded and monitored. The children were given clothes, but not regal garb. They are given healthy meals, but not gourmet cuisine." And they were sent to a suburban neighborhood school where they mixed with local Jordanian children.

The Personal Touch

Beyond the physical realm it was Hussein's personal touch that truly was the bond. Proverbs 20:28 states, "Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by lovingkindness he upholds his throne." It is said that King Hussein insisted on knowing details of many of the children's lives. He often showered them with gifts. Director Elias said, "It was as if they were his own children." Young 14-year-old Sahar, who was left on the doorstep of a shelter as an infant, said Hussein became her father figure. "You could talk to him," she said. "When he came around, we knew we were safe."

Hussein hid news of his advancing cancer from the children of the orphanage. But there would be a time when he could no longer come back. While the king's death shook his nation, children at the orphanage were especially traumatized. Some fainted. Others became ill. All feared the government would close the orphanage. "They were afraid of going back to the miserable life they had lived before they came here," said Director Elias. Only days after the king's death, his successor and son, King Abdullah II, visited the orphanage with his wife and promised to keep it open. He lives on a hilltop mansion that the children pass on their way to school every day.

As the children remember King Hussein in life and death and the enduring kindness of his son, the echo of Proverbs 29:14 clearly cements the compact between king and subjects: "The king who judges the poor with truth, his throne will be established forever." There is a cause and effect that cannot be dismissed.

On the Day You Were Born

Long ago, God rescued an orphan people that the nations of this world had pushed aside. Ezekiel 16:4-7 vividly describes this event. "As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born. And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful." God always took Israel back to this time of rescue in describing proper and responsible human relationships.

In Exodus 22:21, God takes them right back to this moment of rescue by stating, "You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child." In taking them back to their roots as a people, God wanted them to offer as much as they had been given. Deuteronomy 10:18 completes the thought by stating God's personal example that He desires His people, now and then, to emulate. "He [God] administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing."

Let the Little Children Come

During His earthly ministry, Jesus set a marvelous example by placing the needs of children at the top of His agenda. His aides and "handlers" had other ideas, but Jesus quickly stated the importance of children in His eyes.

Mark 10:13 shares the action. "Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.' And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them."

In reading this wonderful account of Christ and remembering the story of King Hussein, I wonder how often the king's aides and handlers questioned the time he spent with the orphans of Hashimeyah Palace? "Sire, time to talk to the American president; time to visit Morocco; time to negotiate terms with Syria; time for [you fill in the blank]." But the reality is he filled these young lives not only with palace halls but the love of a king.

I Go to Prepare a Place

In an interesting parallel, Christ gives encouragement to His followers that He has rescued from a world cut off from their heavenly Father. He offers in a sense a "palace experience" far beyond what any earthly sovereign can offer. John 14:1-3 reads: "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

Before our reception into that "palace experience," the prophecies of your Bible indicate humanity is going to perpetrate horrific acts. They are even going to battle against God. The events of Revelation 16, 17 and 18 indicate that divine judgment is going to be rendered on the armies of this earth. Between the events of the tribulation and the day of the Lord, many people are going to die. Ever thought of the number of orphans who are going to need care at the dawning of the Millennium? Who is going to care for them? Who does God say are going to be kings and priests?

Revelation 5:10 is an invitation to service. It is an invitation to extend the sensitivity and capacity to care that we have begun to develop with the challenges that we are now encountering. But then it will be astonishingly enhanced by the earthly presence of a heavenly King and all that His spiritual realm can offer. Revelation 5:10 is an invitation to intervene when you see help is needed, even if it means giving up a part of something precious-that is, until you see a greater need which cannot be measured in dollars. No, none of us has a palace in the wings to offer those less fortunate than we are in this life, but what we do have, we are to share and make a way. Nothing plus nothing equals nothing. But when we give our something, no matter how small, God can take that seemingly small something and make it everything to serve His purpose.

King Hussein offered the wisest of counsel about what really are true riches. "Many years from now it will not matter what my earthly possessions will have been. What will matter is that I was important…in the life of a child." A king, a warrior, a "father to the fatherless" to orphans running around in palace halls looking for "Daddy"-it was in those moments of walking hand in hand with his young subjects that the king could turn around and say to us "this is the way, walk you in it." WNP