"Well..."

I fondly recall the voice of my grandfather, his mind grasped tightly by the clenched iron fist of Alzheimer's disease. Often, he would scratch his bald head as he prepared to recount for us what his tone of voice promised to be some very profound thoughts. So, here are mine - profound thoughts, that is...

I got my answer.

It is refreshing when you hear God speak and you KNOW that you heard Him speak. He is always very specific in His answers, leaving no room for doubt.

I have been going back through my old Experiencing God study and asking Him to show me if it is time for us to move forward with adopting a child. If you haven't noticed yet... I am a very cautious person, and I wanted to be certain that I was not putting my will above His. Honestly, times of waiting can seem eerily silent, and the temptation can be great to journey out on your own. So, over the last few months - weeks - and days, as we have inched forward in our pursuit of parenthood, I have continually asked God to confirm His plan for us - through His WORD, and not JUST our circumstances... that NOW is the time and that THIS is the path. Time can almost seem to stand still when you are waiting for an answer. In reality, though, the answer came rather quickly... and I was amazed at how precisely He was able to unravel my tightly wound thoughts.

In the book of Exodus, the account of the Israelites journey out of slavery and into freedom is told. At the beginning of chapter 14, the LORD instructs Moses to have the people set up camp along the shore of the Red Sea. HE explains that Phaaroh's heart will be hardened, the Egyptians will chase after the Israelites, and God will get all the glory. Simple, right? And the Israelites were - - thrilled??? NOT!!! Like any human being with breath in their lungs and a brain in their head, they began to PANIC! Oh, not at first - they did what the LORD said, but as the Egyptians approached and reality set in - they were scared. Why did they listen to Moses? What was he thinking? Things were better when they were slaves. At least they were alive. Reasonable thought pattern, right? Then Moses chimes in and offers an incredible display of brilliance (sense my sarcasm here)...

13 But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid.

Just stand where you are and watch the LORD rescue you.

The Egyptians that you see today will never be seen again.

14 The LORD himself will fight for you.
You won't have to lift a finger in your defense!"

- - - so that sounded like an instant replay of my thoughts. I shouldn't fear not being a parent. After all, God promised me a child. I can just stand here, and I will never see infertility again. The LORD himself will give me a child. He will drop them out of the sky, and I won't have to lift a finger to make the plan work. OK - OK, so I am exaggerating a little. I didn't really think God would literally drop a child from the sky, but I didn't want to make an "Abraham" mistake and jump ahead of God's plan. Then, what was God's response to Moses' (and my) line of thinking?

15 Then the LORD said to Moses,

"Why are you crying out to me?

Tell the people to get moving!

So, what now? Do you remember the question I asked in my last post? "Will my feet be dry by the time I get to the other side?" My reason for asking that question was that I knew the evidence of God's presence in this journey would be His power holding back the "walls of water" and that my feet would be dry on the other side. And God was faithful to CONFIRM that too. "So the people of Israel walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!" And the result? "When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had displayed against the Egyptians, they feared the LORD and put their faith in him and his servant Moses."

My prayer as we get moving in this journey is that we will continue to fear the LORD, put our faith in Him, and that others will see the mighty power that HE displays. Not I, but CHRIST!