Sigh.
That was some tough news. The kind of news that took my hope that we could definitely travel to little miss this Fall (if the paperwork came in soon) and could potentially even push it out into next year sometime.
Jason & I were processing (read: me crying) this past Saturday night about the ridiculousness of it all. How the end is getting SO hard to see and hope for. How we might just be at the start of yet another long wait.
But then Sunday came.
I headed to church with tears already near the surface. Raw. God met me there.
Our pastor has been going through the book of Daniel this Summer. Courage was the sermon series. This week? Daniel and the Lions Den. Immediately you would think of the Sunday School version of the message - where is he going to go with something so well known? What could God have for me through this?
More than you could imagine.
He started with reading this from Daniel 6:16-17:
16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him in the lions den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God who you serve continually, rescue you!" 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed.
And he proceeded to talk about snapshots of stories. If someone who didn't know that story - the beginning, the end - they would read that vs 16 & 17 snapshot and come to a conclusion of what happened to Daniel.
Dinner.
This correlated SO closely with our situation. I think I cried through the majority of this message. THIS is US. I know God called us to adopt and we experienced Him providing what we needed to do so (the beginning), but finding out the WHAT we were waiting for now? Oh the dread. I stopped and for a few days (without realizing it) was staring at the snapshot of looking at this in the natural. However, I also realized that I already know the end of the story. How? Because God is faithful.
Pastor Shawn said something that rang SO true Sunday. We all like to HEAR about the supernatural. We all like to SEE it happen for others.......we just don't truly like to be in that position ourselves, where we need supernatural intervention.
Talk about a huge head nod from the middle-right portion of the congregation!
I AM LIVING that statement - oh, how I much would have preferred an adoption that followed a normal timeframe from beginning to end! However, that is not what we have had.
That is not where we find ourselves.
We find ourselves in a situation where in the natural - there could still be a LONG wait ahead.
We need a supernatural breakthrough!
We are praying for it ourselves and are calling all prayer warriors - You! My family, our little girl needs you! The God who created the Universe, parted the Red Sea, ^^^saved Daniel from a den of Lions, made the walls of Jericho fall, healed the sick, raised the dead......and on and on and on. That is the God who knows my girl by name (Psalms 139). Who hears us when we call to Him (Psalms 34:15). Who can move the hearts of kings. Please be joining us in prayer for God to move in a BIG way..........I'm done with my lingering glance of the snapshot and how this should play out in the natural. I am ready for the homecoming. The end of the story celebration that I know is coming!!!!!!
Want to listen to the message? Because believe me, I didn't do the sum up justice. Click here.
In other news (this is good stuff keep reading).....it is no secret that I have been missing my girl something fierce as of late, so much so that I found myself glad for sunglasses today while sitting at swimming lessons, watching the kids as the Tuesday's tune song (below) came on the radio they had playing overhead at the pool.
Tears.
I have been kicking around the idea of heading back to visit late August when my friend Rhonda (who I traveled with in May) travels to pick up her son. She was planning on going solo. My thoughts being that I could help her out on that long plane ride back, check in to what is going on with our paperwork IN country, and love on my sweet girl.
The problem? Well there are obviously lots of things to consider - family, time, budget, when we could potentially travel for court (i.e. if it was in the Fall and I did travel in August, was the trip needed? If we don't travel until next year and missed this opportunity, would it be a regret?) etc.
I don't want to go based on emotions alone, because face it, if I went on emotions alone I would have still be living in country right now because I couldn't have left her behind all alone.
Anyhow. I was praying for clear confirmation of what to do (either way, for a yay go! or a no go). Between me and the Lord, I knew that clear confirmation to go would be that the ticket cost would be covered. That way, EVEN IF we travel in the Fall, this would not ever "feel" like a wasted trip.
Yesterday morning? I awoke to an email.....a friend (who knew NOT of my asking God for confirmation, just that I was wanting to go) wrote and told me that they wanted to cover half of my ticket. What? Utter amazement & tears.
I was telling a family member later that morning about what had happened. About that confirmation. She told me that they wanted to cover the other half of the ticket.
Incredible. Absolutely incredible. This mama gets to head back to see my sweet girl in about a month's time. I was so blown away. One of the Lord's names came to mind: Jehovah Jireh - the Lord will provide.....which was in a song we sang a LONG time ago as a kid, and it has been running through my mind ever since. Love it!
Don't doubt it. God hears when we call to Him. And you, my reader(s) have a front row seat to seeing through this adoption that He answers prayers. His answers might not always be fast, or exactly when and what I want at times, but He hears. He is always working all things for my good because HE is good and He loves me.
He. Loves. Me.
Yep. The God of the Universe. Creator of all. Loves me. Despite my weaknesses (because of my weaknesses!), despite me trying to take things in my control, despite my sin, He loves me.
Know what else? He loves you too............Psalms 139:13-16, John 3:16-17, Romans 8:35-39 (for more clarification)
Pretty sure this Tuesday's tune isn't an adoption song or how much God loves you song ;) as when I youtube'd it, it apparently was in a popular movie that I hadn't seen - but it sure is a good one that fits at least me thinking of my little miss!
A Thousand Years
Christina Perri
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