Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Confirmation from the Lord

While we were in Florida, the Lord continued to confirm to me that Ethiopia is the path He wants us on. Once again, there weren't any neon signs and I didn't hear God's audible voice, but through some of what I was reading that week, God whispered to my heart and continued to fill me with His peace about His plan for our adoption.
Here are just a few excerpts from the book "Sun Stand Still" that really spoke to me.

"Not only do you need to believe in God's ability to bring you across the Jordan, but you also need to trust him enough to let him develop a heard of sacrifice and surrender inside of you. It's tempting to want to skip right to the sun-stopping, river-crossing stuff - the increased influence, answered prayers and electrifying experiences of God's presence. But that stuff won't be genuine and certainly can't be sustained if it isn't cultivated out of a heart that has been formed by the spirit of God. Before God can bring His promises to pass in your life, he has to strip away all the stuff that keeps you from trusting him wholeheartedly."

"The glory of God often shines the brightest when the sun goes down...and we keep our eyes on Jesus anyway."

"Sometimes we get to see the miracle; other times we get to be the miracle. In other words, sometimes God's strength is demonstrated in what he does around us - the external effects of our faith and tangible answers to our prayers. Other times his strength shines IN us, enabling us toe endure devastating setbacks with remarkable strength."

This part of the book probably spoke to me the most: "When what you see around you doesn't match up with what God has spoken inside you, you've got to hold on to what you've heard. Paul said it best in 2nd Cor. 5:7 'We live by faith, not by sight.'"

In February 2010, God called John and I to adopt from Ethiopia. Although we see all the slow downs and the set backs we can never forget what God spoke to our hearts. We will hold on, we will endure. We will walk by faith, not by sight. We will pray that God's glory will shine bright through each and every setback. We can't rush to our Sun Stand Still moment - God has an important purpose for the wait. The wait is a chance for my faith to be proved genuine and for God to show Himself faithful and be glorified.

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith...may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

2 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you have confirmation and feel peace about the path you're on. It WILL happen for you guys!

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  2. What a great post of encouragement for all of us Ethiopia program families despite the current situation. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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