Peace

Well that didn't take too long did it?! I definitely have to say that I can feel the prayers all around me, especially these past few days. I have never had more of a peace than I have these past 48 hours, which is a HUGE blessing! My friend recently (or not so recently) ordered cds for me from a conference she attended at our church. It was a Hope Conference for women that I wasn't able to go to because I had work and a prior commitment. While she was there, she thought of me and my situation. It seemed like it took FOREVER to get those cds, but I truly feel that God had placed them in my hands at the time I was ready to hear it. You know, sometimes it takes you falling flat on your face to be ready to listen to God. There have been some recent events which I had felt that I had no more strength left, no more hope on our journey. I felt like maybe I needed to accept the fact that natural parenthood was not in our plan. But back to the cds. A speaker from Proberbs 31 ministries gave talks on questions that Christ had asked while he was on earth, and that we should ask ourselves. Through these talks, one session that struck me was when she spoke of her friend who had been a Christian woman in a Christian marriage. I will spare you the details of this marriage, but her husband had left her and left her family with financial trouble, etc. This woman's house was going to be foreclosed upon. So this woman rose up gathered her children, and they prayed in their home. She thanked God for the house He had prepared for her, and all the blessings He was going to bestow upon her. She believed without a doubt that God was going to take this situation and use it for His glory. A few days later, her neighbor said that her brother was called to service and his house was empty and she could live there till she got on her feet. WOW! God answers prayers in such a special way! Another story she told was that a lot of times we feel that God sees us on the street, suffering through a situation in our lives and just walks past us. We feel a lot of times like calling out and saying, "God, why do you keep walking past this situation in my life when you can fix this with a snap of your finger." God answers prayer and helps us out of our suffering, or predicaments not to what we always think the answer should be, but for the better of His kingdom. I began to think how this pertained to my struggle. I thought how amazing it seemed that maybe God would be using this situation for a bigger picture. I thought about the way I pray about situations in my life. My prayers definitely have changed in the last few years from the desire of a child, to prayer for His timing, and now to this. I pray for our child-to-be that God has planned for us. I pray that God has the perfect time in which that child will be brought into this world. I thank God for all the blessings He has given us and will give us by knowing that child, by already loving that child (even before it is spoken into existence). I thank God that He makes everything so perfect in His image and that our child will be a glimpse of God's character. I pray that God helps us and guides us to raise that child in a loving Christian home. What a sense of peace and love I feel when I know my God has a plan, and already knows what He is going to do with our lives, even when my human mind cannot even comprehend HIS bigger picture.

Love and Prayers,
Beth