A Praying Child

We have now been a family of five for six weeks. Our foster agency tells you to just make it through the first month, and we have! Trials and tribulations have definitely occurred, and I'm sure they will continue to occur, but we are so blessed to be able to love on these girls.

Despite all the difficulties, one of the best things we have witnessed in the past six weeks is the girls' relationship with Jesus. I absolutely love how they have fallen in love with God. There are times when I think they know more about how to just love Jesus than I do, and I think they've really only ever known about Him starting six weeks ago.

One way I see this is in their prayer life. When we first got the girls we made it a point to pray with them every night. The first couple of weeks they didn't want to pray. I don't think it was because they didn't want to pray, but I think it was more the fact they didn't know how to pray. Now they seem as though they are prayer experts. And because of their prayers now, our little, just turned 2  year old even prays!
I love it. I love when they pray. Their prayers are usually short, simple, and sweet, "Dear Jesus, I pray we don't have any nightmares tonight. Amen!"

Other times their prayers seem to be never-ending: "Dear Jesus, I pray we don't have any nightmares tonight. Thank you that I got to have special time with Nanny today. I pray sissy gets to have special time with her soon too. I pray that Abby sleeps through the night so mommy gets more sleep. I thank you for sissies. I thank you for mommy and daddy. I thank you for nanny and pa. I thank you for Mimi. I thank you for Auntie Beth, Jo Jo, Micah, Ella . . . " And the list continues for awhile. Yes, it's bed time and I need them to sleep, but how can I cut them off from talking to God?! Their Father who has loved them since before they were born?!

(Abby's prayers seem to go something like this, "Pray no nightmares, Pray no nightmares, Pray no nightmares. Amen!" They are elaborated if her sisters prompt her with something else to pray about)

Our Elementary Pastor has been encouraging the kids at church to find quiet time with God, and as I went to wake up our 7 year old, she said "I was talking to God just now." Melted my heart. She loves it. She loves talking to her Daddy, and I love her talking to her Daddy too.

Mark 10:14-16 says this, "Jesus said to His disciples, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them."

Our girls came to us with horrible nightmares. We began praying over them immediately, and now they too, ask God to give them peaceful sleep. I think it has been over a week since they have had a nightmare, and even before that they only seemed to be having them intermittently. God hears the cries of these girls, of His children, and answers them; He blesses them. It is one of the most beautiful things to be a part of.

Our prayer now is that their love for talking to God and experiencing Him grows tenfold as the days go on.

There truly have been many difficulties in the past couple weeks, but I know the focus needs to be on the successes these girls are making. And this, I believe, is one of the greatest successes yet.

Start Small, See Him Move Big

This will be a short and simple, but a very powerful post. Only powerful in the fact because it's all about God's power.

I am amazed everyday I chose to let God be the ruler over my life. He never fails to reveal Himself to me.

Today's amazement started over a month ago, when we bought our miracle van. I really wanted to sell our other car before we bought the van, but that's not how it ended up happening. Do I think I could've walked in God's sovereignty better at that point? Yes. But did God's will still reign supreme? YES. And He used that faltering to show me His power even greater today.

We still hadn't sold our other car and we had our first payment on our van this past Wednesday. I was discouraged that God still hadn't sold our van (cause it's all God's fault right???) :-(  I thought it was His fault, but now I know He wanted to show us His power again.

So, finally, I decided to put our situation in His hands again. All last year we saw God move mountains in our lives through fasting and prayer, so I decided to fast and pray on Friday (PS. I don't say this to say I'm righteous, because I am so corrupted and evil and need God so much~that's why I fast, to have God change me to be more and more like Him). I listed our car again on Craigslist Friday evening and got a call 20 minutes later. They wanted to come see it Saturday morning. I was so excited. Our car was listed on Craigslist for over a month and the only calls we got were all spams. This was finally a legit call! They had cash, and they seemed ready to buy.

They came, and decided not to buy it. But before they even came we got another call about the car. And then another. They both came to look at it, and we were starting to get a little discouraged, because like the first guy, the second offer was discouragingly low. But God knew what He was doing, and by the time the third family came around, they made us the offer we'd been praying for!

Goodbye trusty car. You were a great blessing from God for the time being.

I don't know why I don't learn my lesson every time. I always chose to walk in my own will rather than in His. Not only does His sovereignty amaze me everyday I chose to let His sovereignty reign, it's His love that amazes me even more. He lets me continue to walk in my way, but takes me back to His every time I ask.

I would encourage any of you who feel you're in between a rock and a hard place to put your life in His hands. Honestly, I have seen God do so much when we fast and pray.

Start small, and see Him move big.