[stextbox id=”or”]This week’s encouraging guest post is by Chris Foster who is the Lead Pastor of New Life Church, Lancaster PA . Foster has been preaching the Gospel and seeing lives transformed by the power of God for over 18 years. He and his wife, Amy (who is the worship pastor in the church), met while they were at a Bible College. Together they pursue with passion the call that God has placed on their lives. They have been married since 1995 and adopted their first son, Dominic, in 2009 and their daughter Nevaeh recently.[/stextbox]
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.(Galatians 6:9 NIV)
My wife Amy and I had been married for about 3 years when we heard the disappointing news that it would be next to impossible for us to have kids. We are a family of faith and we viewed the doctor’s prognosis as a set up for a miracle. We serve a God who still does amazing miracles.
Fast forward to 13 years of marriage and our miracle faith was still in tack but a little shaken. Over that same period of time we lost count on how many prophetic words that Amy would get pregnant or already was pregnant. One man declared that my wife was pregnant with a boy and that she carried a pregnant glow about her. Some of the battle was just wading through the disappointment of inaccurate “words” from God. I do not believe that these well intentioned people meant any harm. In fact I think they were motivated by love for us. I would love to tell you that Amy and I never doubted or questioned what was going on in our lives. Every family member or friend that announced to their joy and ours that they were pregnant it only reminded us that we were still waiting on our miracle.
Dominic and Nevaeh
During that time adoption opportunities began to arise but every door that opened seemed to slam in our faces almost as quickly as they opened. Here is one of the big lessons we learned. Sometimes there is distance and time between the promise given and the promise received. Just remember a promise delayed does not mean a promise denied. Hang on to the promise and anchor it in the Word of God. (ClicktoTweet)
In 2008, we were introduced to our adopted son Dominic but only through a picture. We fell in love with him instantaneously. We tried really hard to be level headed because we had been in this same position before. There was something different this time. I personally had a quiet confidence that God was in this and when we finally held Dominic in our arms God put it in my heart that this was final. We faced many obstacles through this process and at times it felt like the devil himself had unleashed an all out attack on us. This brings be to lesson number two. The level of spiritual attack is almost always in proportion to the size of the blessing you are going to receive.(ClicktoTweet) This would be the biggest blessing of our married life thus far. Our church family agreed with us in prayer and 7 months after first holding Dominic, he legally became our son. We have such a love relationship with our son. God is so GOOD!
Here is the third lesson. God’s plan and his timing are always better than our plan and timing. We went through many disappointments and many discouraging times but each one built a greater faith in us. It also made the realization of the promise so much sweeter. Some well meaning people have asked if we are still waiting for a “real son”. What they are really asking is whether we are still believing for a biological child. Amy and I are at peace with His plan for us. By the way our children are handpicked by God for us. He loves us so much, but what if this is more about our children than about how we feel. I believe Dominic and Nevaeh (our recently adopted daughter) have destiny all over them. They are Kingdom kids and we have accepted the responsibility to show them the ways of God. One of the greatest lessons that I am still learning as a dad who is a pastor is God’s will for my children is way more important than my desires for them. God has an eternal purpose on them. I am still filled with awe over what God has done. If you are still waiting on your miracle I am confident that you will reap. Just stick with his promises. Blessings!
How has this post encouraged you to hold on as you wait to see your promise unfold? Share with us below: