"But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles." - Isaiah 40:30
Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper from Crossway on Vimeo.
“Joshua had to wait seven days as he obediently marched around Jericho before God rewarded his patience and brought the walls down. Israel waited for the Messiah to come. Mary waited nine months for Jesus’ birth. Jesus waited for the woman of Samaria to come to the well, Mary and Martha waited for Jesus to come to Bethany, and Jesus Himself waited three days in the tomb for the resurrection. A person who lives in submissive obedience to Christ is a person who is often called to wait.”
~Ann Graham Lotz
Our very long “Wait” for a child is nearly over. Reflecting on the last six years of our lives, we now see God’s provision in this wait, and honestly, we can rejoice in the fact that God’s will is being done in our lives and not our own. God has been preparing our hearts and in the process, we have:
...learned that we have been waiting on God all along and have grown to better trust His plan for us. It was so easy in the first few years to want to blame “China” for taking so long and creating this extended-and-not-expected waiting list. But we were finally able to understand and rest being assured that we were really waiting for the God of the universe to reveal His story, in His perfect time.
...developed a deep, deep hunger for the pure holiness of God and for His glory to sustain us. We have been overwhelmed with His goodness, which has nothing to do with our circumstances, but everything to do with who He is. Oh, to really know Him! Thank you, Jesus, for giving us passion for You. Our prayer is that you know Him deeply too!
...grown strong in our marriage. We do not claim to have a perfect marriage, as we acknowledge that we are imperfect people. But we do have a very strong marriage today, again, thanks to our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have experienced healing through forgiveness and therefore, have learned to forgive each other daily. We see each other as a precious gift from God, together experiencing all of the blessings, trials and surprises of life.
...felt an immeasurable amount of grace upon our lives. As children of God, we are not under His wrath but under his mercy. His grace is sufficient. We must focus not on "what we can do better", but on what He, Jesus Christ, has already done for us.
...understood more deeply that the condition of the heart is what truly matters. If our joy is rooted in Christ, then everything we think, say and do should honor and glorify Him. Do we believe this? Yes! Our joy must be deeper and stronger than our circumstances. Knowing and believing the Gospel reinforces all power to transform and cleanse our hearts.
If you are waiting on God in prayer, remember Isaiah 40:28-31:
“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”
Lily is in Jiangxi Province. We will meet her in the provincial capital, Nanchang.
