Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – With Purpose in Delay (1/18/24)

Have you ever asked God for direction or provision for something that seemed to be according to His will, but His answer didn’t appear timely?

That’s happened several times to me. I’ve thought God directed me to do something, but then things seemed to fall apart or didn’t resolve in the way or timing I expected. With the adoption of James and Sarah, God miraculously connected us with them. However, the process was delayed and quite frustrating. Various people seemed to step up or appeal for them. Looking back, we can see how God received greater glory through all the delays! He made it more and more clear He intended us to adopt and that He was in control to bring it about.

 

God’s seeming delay is always for His purposes and His glory. As with the raising of Lazarus, Jesus delayed for God’s glory and the benefit of his disciples.

John 11:1, 3-6, 14-15  Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha… ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." ⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." ⁵Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days… 

¹⁴So then he told them [disciples] plainly, "Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

 

Can you think back over your past situations and see how God received greater glory and grew your faith through seeming delays? Let’s remember that as we face new situations that don’t seem to be working out in the timing we think is best.

Our Journey to Adoption, Part IX - Blessings from the Impossible

As I mentioned last week, slowly the other possible homes for James and Sarah fell through and left us and the current foster family. The current foster family didn’t take their names off the list, in case we fell through. They also made it seem like they were waiting to decide if we cared enough about the kids. If they didn’t feel like we cared enough, then they were going to adopt. It certainly made us feel manipulated for continuous weekend respite care, not to mention extra scrutiny.

After much pressure, even though it was the heat of tax season, we also agreed to keep the kids for part of Spring break so that the foster family could go on a family vacation geared for their older children. However, a few days before Spring break, the other family that was going to take the kids for the other half of the week called and cancelled. We were then pressured that if we really cared about the kids we would agree to keep them longer than originally planned! I felt like we were already going way out of our way and had already taken off some work time at a very busy time of year.

After prayer and talking to my boss about a creative work schedule, we agreed to keep the kids. It was quite a tiring week, but we really bonded with them! It helped to be all together for more than just a weekend!!! God used what seemed like unrealistic expectations to bring blessings. I shouldn’t be surprised, as God can bring blessings from any impossible situation, including death!  

John 11:38-43           ³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” ⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
What are you facing that seems overwhelming, stressful, or impossible? Will you take it to God and then be willing to creatively participate in the solution? The greatest blessings often come out of the most difficult situations.

Alice

Our Journey to Adoption, Part VIII - Glory from Delay

The delayed process to adopt James and Sarah was frustrating. However, looking back, we can see how God received greater glory through all the delays! He made it more and more clear He intended us to adopt and that He was in control to bring it about.

Last March and April we continued to keep James and Sarah on weekends as we awaited the outcomes of other possible families for them. First, their biological mother said she appealed the termination, but she only thought she did (or wished she had, or wanted to believe she had). No record of an appeal was found, so the termination of the rights was not reversed.

Second, the uncle that said he was interested in the children didn’t have enough money to come up from Texas to even meet the children. He already had three of his own children, and didn’t have a permanent residence at the time. So, he relinquished his interest.

Third, one of James’ former foster families turned out not to be interested in adopting the children themselves, but wanted a relative of theirs to adopt. The relative didn’t have any recent connection to the children, so they were also scratched off the list. That left us and the current foster family.

God’s seeming delay is always for His purposes and His glory. As with the raising of Lazarus, Jesus delayed for God’s glory and the benefit of his disciples.

John 11:1, 3-6, 14-15  Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha… ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." ⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." ⁵Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days… 

¹⁴So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

Can you think back over your past situations and see how God received greater glory and grew your faith through seeming delays? Let’s remember that as we face new situations that don’t seem to be working out in the timing we think is best.

Alice