Since the early days of my walk with Jesus, I have written down passages of Scripture that are meaningful – verses on which to meditate throughout the day or even for a period of time. I often will use these Scriptures to inform and guide my prayers.
Some passages seem to rise to the surface of my awareness more often than others. One in particular is as follows:
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” (Psalm 37:4–5, ESV)
I have always loved these kinds of power-passages. What encouragement and wisdom, giving me insight into the heart of the Almighty.
Later in this same passage, the psalmist writes the following:
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” (Psalm 37:23–24, ESV)
Essentially, the above Scripture teaches that when God delights in a person, He will sustain that person – even though they stumble.
I have stumbled, and God has demonstrated His delight in me. He has been upholding me through the deepest hours of my journey of adoption.
When I tell someone that my wife and I have adopted four kids from OKDHS we usually get looks of admiration and words of affirmation. The reaction is not so defined, as I go on to share with them that one of our children has been living with my in-laws for the last 9 months out of state.
There is the beautiful idea of adoption – that ethereal concept of grace that floats in our minds like a picture of a light’s first glow filtering through the trees at daybreak or the tranquility of sunset on a summer day at the beach. But there is also the more gritty reality of the scorching hot pavement of daily experience sometimes associated with adopting kids from hurt places.
One thing I know is this. God delights in me. He continues to uphold my family, despite the stumbling, bumbling attempts to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and home.
My wife has gone to Florida to pick up our child. We are reunifying. God has given us space and grace to grow and heal. God has blessed our children with advancements in healing and perspective. I am committed to continue believing in the grace and goodness of my Father. In faith, I am trusting that the next chapter in our journey of adoption will begin to be more characterized by beauty than it has in days gone by. Will you pray with us to this end?