Praise the Lord!

I would like to praise the Lord for what He has been doing in my life recently!

The Lord recently allowed me to be able to take my first mission trip.  I went with a team from my church, and the blessings were beyond description.  The Lord worked in my own heart on some issues of attitude and judgementalism (if that's a word ;) ), surrendering less-than-perfectly-handled situations to Him, and trust.  We on the team were able to bless and encourage the believers we met there, hopefully we influenced others to open their hearts to the Lord, and for our own part, we received tremendous blessings ourselves!

The Lord has also used a situation in my life (and the life of someone else) to teach me, encourage me, and grow me more in my reliance on, and submission to, His perfect Will and timing.

My Sunday School teacher and his wife have been married for 9 years. Though they wanted children desperately, the Lord had withheld that blessing from them.  They have had two miscarriages, which were extremely hard.

My family has known them now for two years - since we came to this church.  For about the last year and a half of that time, I have been heavily burdened with a desire to see the Lord to bless them with children.  It probably sounds rather strange, but I do not believe I have ever wanted anything so badly in my life - I know I have never desired anything for myself so strongly.

This dear Godly couple has been such a blessing in my life, and I desperately prayed for God to give them this gift that they so desire.  Does the Lord not tell us to ask for His good gifts?!  Does His Word not tell us that children are one of His most special blessings?!  Why would He withhold it?

The Lord has used this situation to test and grow my patience.  To enforce the lesson that HIS Will is indeed perfect.  That, though He understands our confusion, hurt, and questioning, we still have no right to accuse Him for what we think isn't "fair".  He ALWAYS has a reason for doing or not doing what He does - even if He never tells us what it is.

Earlier this year, I started praying that the Lord would allow them to be expecting a child by the lady’s birthday, which was May 1st.  Long story short(er), that day came, and went - nothing.  I felt like the ground had been cut away beneath my feet – all the hope I had been standing on vanished in a moment, and I was plunging downward.  The Lord led me through a deeply difficult, but thorough and honest, self-evaluation.  He had not answered like I had hoped and expected – what was I going to do with the situation?  It was an almost physical pain I felt for these dear people and their sweet patience, sad hope, and empty arms.  But I could trust Him - keep hoping in spite of hopelessness, and remain persistent and unshaken in my prayers - or let my faith be shattered, which was not an option.  He used this time of dark, intense disappointment, this journey through a dim, hazy, personal tunnel, to test my own trust in Him – my Faith in His all-wise Goodness.  And though the tunnel was still dim and sorrowful, His hand was there all the time, and His arms around me only tightened the more I cried to Him.  I believe He made me stronger in Him through this ‘crisis’, than I could have become, possibly any other way.  He took probably the strongest, dearest desire of my heart, and asked me to give it to Him, not looking to get it back.  He gave me the courage to let it go.  When I did, the pain was tremendous, but the trust was complete.  It was all His now.

The evening we got back from the mission trip, my Mom told me and my sister (who had also gone on the mission trip) that Sunday while we were gone, it had been announced that this dear couple was expecting a baby, due December 10.  They had wanted to wait until the time passed that their previous miscarriages had happened, to announce it.  But they would have known by her birthday – May 1st.  In a moment, the Lord had uncovered the end of the tunnel, and I was blinded by the brightness of the dazzling light I stood in.  I was blown away.

So many more little details that, for sake of not being any more long winded, I will not relate here.  But so many ways that the Lord did exceeding above all I asked or thought, and for the past couple of weeks, I have been continually overwhelmed by the Kindness and Graciousness of the Lord!

I apologize for taking up so much time.  But I wanted to relate this story to hopefully encourage anyone who has been in a similar situation, and to ‘declare His works with rejoicing’.  Perhaps it sounds strange, to be in so much anguish for someone else.  But all I know is that, the Lord worked in great ways in my life through this situation, and I can only imagine what He has done in the hearts and lives of this dear couple themselves.
The Lord will not always give us what we ask for, but our business is just to ask, seek, knock, and trust Him with the rest.

All the glory is His.

“Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.”  Ps. 107:21

~Kyrie

Editor note: Please pray that this woman would be blessed with a wonderful pregnancy and healthy birth and baby! Praise God!