Saturday, January 15, 2011

The Sphere of Faith

Good Morning!

   As I start this day with my cup of coffee and my Bible....and the still of the morning, I am in awe of God's grace and mercy.  I would like to shout that I HAVE BEEN ADOPTED into my precious Savior's family.  I don't know if any of you have ever had a praise session all by yourself, but on this 15th day of January I am praising the Lord!  God's amazing power has swept over my family this week and has convicted each of us even more to serve and honor the KING! He is worthy!
    The verse that I found myself needing this morning is from Hebrews....the faith chapter.  I am a teacher in a Christian school here in our town and have taught third grade for many years.  This year I changed positions in our school, but this chapter which is the chapter I recited with my students for years is my favorite.  I listened to these words spoken over and over through sweet little voices for many years.  This morning....these words spoke very differently to me.  Hebrews 11:1,"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  My faith has been strong many times in my life, but many times I have failed to believe or relinquish my stubborn will.  I have wanted my own way or I have just been very impatient.  My faithful and mighty God still protected me.  He still loved me and guided me and caught me when I failed.  He has loved me when I did not keep His commandments.  HE is worthy!  This morning as I read this verse God revealed to me the meaning of what faith truly is and without faith it impossible to please Him.  Through the last 6 months, my faith has been stretched, tried, and I pray strengthened.  My husband and I have walked out on faith and God has overwhelmed us with love.  I know that more will come, but through prayer God will provide.  One of my favorite verses from this chapter is verse 30, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days."  It took faith to bring down those walls.....it was belief in the things not seen that God honored his promises! 
    My prayer this morning is that my FAITH will grow and strengthen and that I will hold to these verses as we begin this new challenge.  It will take faith to raise a family of five children.  I pray that through these experiences my children will grow in their faith and will learn to rely on the Lord....to wait on His answers.  "He is the rewarder of them who diligently seek him" Hebrews 11:6.

21 comments:

  1. I found your blog through the posts about Davids. This story blesses me to the core of my being. What an amazing God we serve! This post about God's faithfulness is exactly what I needed to hear this morning. We are trusting God's faithfulness to bring home another daughter. I can't wait to follow this journey to your new sons!

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  2. Hi there, I just wanted you to know what a blessing it is to hear of you adopting Davids. I have prayed for this child since hearing of his story. He touched my heart and I just kept thinking what if this were MY child. I hope Davids and his brother are home soon!

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  3. I too have had to cling to these verses over the past several years....

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  4. Beautiful! There are so many of us out here praying for your family and this amazing journey that you are on! God bless you as you bless those five babies!

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  5. Hello and welcome to the adoptive blog world! So happy to have you on board! So happy that you have taken that leap of faith. We have been praying so much for Davids to find a family. We have been praying FOR that family. I am also a teacher at a Christian school and my students have all been praying for Davids.

    I have five children (all adopted) and on Wednesday of this week, my daughter (age 15) told me, "Mom, I just can't get David out of my mind. I feel so bad for him. I keep praying that he will find a family." I encouraged her to keep praying and reminded her that God was working on David's behalf.

    In my own mind, however, I struggled a bit. Could a family really be found in such a short time? Through this story, God proved to me that He truly is a Father to the fatherless and that nothing is impossible for Him.

    Thank you so much for stepping out in faith.

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  6. Lisa pointed us over here to meet the lucky family of Davids!! :) Bless you for following the Lord's leading and proceeding with his adoption. Can't wait to hear he is HOME where he belongs!

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  7. So happy to see the family adopting this precious boy that the Lord already had planned for your family before you even knew it. Our gracious heavenly Father is so good and merciful and we are so blessed when we step out in faith. Blessings to you!

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  8. Your post has me in tears, as I too am in awe at God's faithfulness. I tell people over and over that adoption is a faith journey. We will continue to pray for you all in this, your family's journey of faith.

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  9. I heard this song today, and thought of God and Davids. He heard all of the prayers, and you answered the call. Davids story is an awesome witness of God's amazing grace.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGUKWiw7Wk

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  10. We are all still praying for your entire family, and for Davids. He is a special child, and I have no doubt through this experience that God has BIG plans for this young man!

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  11. I am so happy that Davids has a Forever Family!! I too have been following the blogs and facebook on updates on him!! We been praying and hoping a family would be able to step up and adopt him. We too are in the process of adopting an older sibling group (a girl - 11 and boy-14) from Estonia. So my heart ached so bad when I heard another family backed out last minute. Thank you for being there for your two sons!! ;-)
    Best Wishes,
    Michelle
    (mom to Michael, Brett, and hopefully soon A & O)

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  12. Penny and Mike,

    I've been following Davids story since Lisa hosted him this summer. My heart was broken this week as I realized that he was, once again, without a family.

    But God!

    I am honored to follow your journey to Davids and Peters and will be praying you through!!

    Love in Christ,
    Christie

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  13. just wanted to stop by and say how much I envy you . That God would use you to bless Him so. Everyone is watching. Let that light shine. Thi s is just a beautiful site to sit back and watch all this unfold. Wow

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  14. You are soooo blessed! Praying for you all and so excited to see these boys come!

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  15. hi there! davids' story touched me like it did many others. i've been praying for him & his family and am so glad to "meet" you! may God bless your family as you step out in faith for your 2 sons. What a blessing you have been to many more than you will ever know as we watch how He blesses those who step out to obey His calling for their life & how each of our little contribution adds to something BIG!
    blessings!

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  16. We spent some time with Davids over the summer while his host family had a child in the hospital. He is very smart and lots of fun. one time when I took him on a picnic with my kids I was busy fixing everyone their plates and had forgotten to make one for myself. Davids quickly realized this and told me to sit as he hopped up to fix me my lunch! What a sweet boy you are opening your homes to. Our family is so happy you have taken this leap of faith and opened your hearts to him as well as Peter! I have a few pictures of Davids if you would like some more just email me. Heather
    hotwheelclover@yahoo.com

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  17. Penny, I feel so blessed to be able to watch the beautiful love story God wrote for Davids' before He foundation of the world. I can't wait to follow your journey!

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  18. When we heard about Davids' need for a family we immediately began sharing it with everyone we knew and prayed fervently for the Lord to move his family, whoever they were! What joy it gives my heart to see that you are bringing him home! Praise God and may He bless every step of your journey to your sons!

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  19. i read lisas blog. i am so excited that Davids gets to be in your family. You Seem to be the perfect match for him. congrats

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  20. So excited that Davids is coming home to your family! I know that God placed him for such a time as this! Janet

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  21. Please update! Do you have Davids yet?

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