Thanks for your support of our adoption journey. We would love for you to join us in praying that God would give us wisdom, patience and perseverance as we go through the process to adopt our children! We appreciate the many people walking this adoption journey with us in prayer! ~Jon & Bethany

March 30, 2012

Psalm 90- how long, O Lord?

Well friends, we are about 15 months into our adoption process and I confess that I have been struggling lately with feeling weary. We were so excited to start court with baby R but it has been 5 weeks and we have heard nothing. We were excited on March 14th to get baby girl's birth certificate, but since then we have heard nothing. As far as we know we haven't passed court for baby R and we haven't even started court yet for baby girl.

Everything seems to take SO LONG in the Congo. Every day that goes by I just think about what a miracle it is that our children are still alive in such horrible conditions and neglect. And so every day lately I have been crying out to our great God to have MERCY on baby R and baby girl and please let them come home soon! Of course we want them to be home with us and love on them. But we also want them to survive long enough to know the unconditional love of a family and have a chance to hear the gospel and be saved. Have mercy on them, O Lord, Father of the fatherless!

I was so thankful to get together with my friend Bonnie this morning. She and her husband went through a very long and very trying journey to adopt their 2 beautiful children from Ethiopia. In fact, they've only been home since mid-February!! And I just praise the Lord every time I see her children, because it truly was the hand of God that brought them home from a hopeless situation. But our entire church family rallied around their family in prayer and GOD HEARD. I am so thankful for these reminders of answered prayer in my life. I need to be reminded often that God really does hear the prayers of His people. I know this in my head, but sometimes I need to be reminded in my heart.

Bonnie understands what it's like to feel like you're going to be stuck in the season of waiting and pleading with the Lord forever. And asking "How long O Lord?!" She wrote a great blog post on Psalm 90, which has been a great encouragement to me, and I'm sure it will be to you as well... whether you're in a season of suffering through a long, drawn-out, emotional battle to rescue orphans or are enduring some other kind of suffering right now. 

Psalm 90: 12-17
"So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.17 Let the favor[d] of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!"


I will be meditating on these verses each day for the next week or two (or three). And praying that God's steadfast love would satisfy me anew every day. That HE would be enough for me, no matter what my circumstances. And that His grace would be sufficient for me in my weakness (as He promises it will be in 2 Cor 12:9). I know that I, by my own strength or determination, could NEVER endure to the end of this adoption journey. But I praise God that He will never leave me nor forsake me. And because the Spirit is now dwelling inside of me because of my faith in Christ alone for my salvation and atonement, I can use the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control that God gives through His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
" I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20.

Living each day by faith in the Son of God,
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