Sunday, August 5, 2012

God Sends An Amazing Blessing

“I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.” -- 1 Samuel 1:27

They longed for a child to call their own. Physically it wasn’t possible. They prayed and filled out adoption forms. They endured grueling interviews and testing. It was one obstacle after another.

They volunteered at church. The children gave them hugs and high fives. They laughed and sang. And they loved it all. Still, their hearts were as empty as the quiet home they returned to each night.

Then a call came from an unexpected source. A woman was looking for a couple to adopt her unborn child. They met and it seemed like a perfect fit. Excitement grew as the possibility of an infant, something they had never imagined in their search for a child, became a reality.

Then another phone call and the woman had changed her mind. They were heartbroken but refused to let Satan have a foothold. They clung to their faith, to God and each other. And they moved on, once again seeking God’s will as they sought a child or two to fill their lives and call their own.

Another phone call. The woman had made a mistake. She’d started going to church and spent time in prayer and discussion with the pastor and his wife. She didn’t want to be a mother. She wanted the couple to take her baby as their own.

They prayed and cried, afraid their hearts couldn’t survive if she changed her mind again. But they decided to go forward. To embrace this blessing that God had offered to them. They announced their decision to their church family. Everyone prayed. A baby shower was planned.

The tiny little boy came a couple of weeks early but they were ready and waiting. A blessing from God that they never could have imagined. They held their tiny son and remembered again how faithful God is to bless those who are faithful to Him.

It is reminiscent of a story of long ago when a woman named Hannah prayed that God would give her a child, a son. And God heard her and granted her wish. Just as God heard the heartfelt prayers of this wonderful couple.

Sometimes we get frustrated because God doesn’t grant our wishes immediately. Sometimes, just maybe, it’s because He has something better in mind for us if only we’ll stay faithful and wait a little longer.