Jeff and I are a part an orphan ministry/adoption group here in town. It has been one of the HUGEST blessings to us. Yesterday, we were blessed to be able to meet a family who has recently adopted a girl from Ethiopia.
She shared about meeting their daughter’s grandmother. The grandmother talked about how she had been praying that a Christian family would adopt, her girl. The grandmother kept saying over and over Praise God, and giving thanks to the Lord. This couple was moved to tears. She said she almost did not have words to share how deeply impacting that meeting was. She was challenged to think why would I not trust the Lord. Here is seemingly, by the world standards, an unimportant woman unable to care for her granddaughter who was praying. This couple had been praying because they were burdened to help orphans. Then they were matched with this girl. They traveled half way around the world to Ethiopia bring this girl home. They would be her forever family.
After meeting their daughter’s grandma and hearing her praising God for answering her prayer. She said why would she not trust the Lord. The Lord had orchestrated this whole adoption process to where this grandmother’s prayer was answered by them. This family did not do anything except answer God’s call on their hearts to care for an orphan. This family was just awed. She kept saying how could she not trust the Lord, after seeing how He did all of this.
Their story really struck me. When we got matched with our boys, they were the ages that I had been praying for. I had always said that we hoped for children around 4-6 and under 2 if possible. I saw it as such an answer to prayer when we were matched with boys aged 5.5 and 1 year 8 months. Don't get me wrong I would have been fine with different ages. But it amazes me that God cares about such details as the age of the children we prayed for.
In Joshua 4 when the Israelites crossed the Jordan River God told them to pile twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan. Whenever anyone asked about the stones it would serve as a reminder of how the Jordan was cut off and stopped flowing and the Israelites were able to cross the flooded river with the arc of the covenant. What a reminder of how God had done something extraordinary.
I want to make this answer to prayer one of my pile of stones so to speak. The ages of our boys being what I prayed for is such a God moment that I want to cement it in my mind. Even though I was not there, I feel like hearing the story of this newly adoptive family meeting their daughters grandmother was like I walked by their pile of stones and said what are these stones for? Then they told me their story. Even though I was not there, hearing their story be recounted filled me with hope.
I want these and many other stories to be my mental pile of stones, so to speak. So when I doubt, I can look back and remember; of course God is trustworthy. Of course He loves me; He loves Jeff; He loves our boys more than we ever could. We can look at our pile of stones and remember how can we not trust the Lord?!
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