Life is filled with waiting. For the Christian, waiting leads to prayer. Prayer leads to yes or no answers and to blessings, even when the answer is no.
2MefromHim Devotional
But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me. Micah 7:7
Receiving the official adoption papers for a child is the culmination of a long, hope-filled wait. The waiting progressed in stages, each bringing us closer to reality, but nothing compared to the feeling of knowing that child was ours forever.
Once we decided to adopt, we were anxious to have a child immediately. However, the end of the long period of infertility and unrealized hopes and the beginning of our pursuit of a child to adopt came without a time limit. Agencies could give us a range, but there was no guarantee. Our desire to adopt did not equate with God’s desire to grant us a child. We met couple after couple whose hopes were dashed as things went wrong at some stage of the process.
For the Christian, waiting is a time of hope and prayer, a time of expectancy that God will indeed answer our prayers with a “yes”. Whenever we talked about adoption, it was qualified with the phrase “Lord willing”. We must understand that “no” is an answer.
The decision to adopt was an outgrowth of our continued desire to have a child, in spite of the fact that the answer to having biological children was “no”. The children gifted to us through adoption could not bless us more if they came through birth.
As Christians, we wait in hope because God is in loving control of our circumstances. “Lord willing” keeps us aware
that our plans and God’s are not the same. I have felt the joy of a “yes” to adoption and the pain of a “no” to giving birth. In the end, the result was the same—a blessing. The key to waiting is understanding the sovereignty of God and trusting that “no” can lead to blessing just as much as “yes”.
I now stand on the threshold of another kind of waiting. Because I have experienced blessing through both “yes” and “no” in the past, I understand that “no” is not the end. God always has an answer, and because He loves us, it will bring blessing.
Wait in hope. Look for the blessing, even when God’s answer is “no”. Remember the blessings. Even if you don’t receive what you desired, God never disappoints those who understand “Lord willing”. “Yes” or “no”, the blessing is forever.
© Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, November 6, 2015
About the author:
Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, released in April 2014. She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 20 years. Her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 39 years. They have two adult children.
Connect with Norma:
Website: www.normagail.org
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Book Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864?ean=9781941103173
4 Comments
We’re waiting in hope right now, too, praying God’s answer will be yes and soon. Thank you for this reminder to trust Him either way and to trust His timing as well. Blessings to you!
You’re welcome! My adoption wait was thirty years ago, but it is still my greatest example of God’s answers to prayer. Seems there is always something to wait on.
I’m not waiting to adopt a child. 🙂 Although, I’d accept another child to raise, if circumstances arose and I knew God wanted me to step in. I can understand the “waiting” in other parts of my life.
The concept of waiting definitely transfers, Karen! Like 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, God allows our experiences to help us and others with whatever He brings into our lives.