This Monday was Matthew and my 8 year anniversary. Matthew loves architecture and so we decided to spend the day walking around and seeing specific tall buildings that have architecture significance (don't ask me what the significance was, he picked them and we walked to them).
Traffic was pretty horrible going in and out (on the way out it took us 2 hours to go about 2 miles). But thankfully we'd brought a book on prayer we had been reading and spent our time reading and praying. In conjunction with our prayer book we decided to pray for our daughter to come home soon as we walked through New York City.
We picked 8 specific buildings we wanted to see and knew we'd see others as well as we walked to those. We prayed specifically for our daughter to come home soon at each of the eight buildings.
I'm an introvert and I don't like to draw attention to myself but to pray for my daughter was important. So we'd stop by or in these buildings and pray. Right there with crowds bustling around us. We prayed and God listened. I know He did. I could feel that joy and presence. His happiness in our prayers.
Reading our prayer book and praying through New York City enriched our anniversary on a deep level. To pray so earnestly and lovingly together with Matthew for our daughter created a deeper bond between us. I cannot tell you the peace I felt because of praying all throughout our anniversary together.
Sometimes I want to do something "for myself." But what I have found is that when I make a purposeful effort to center the activity around God or make Him an intricate part, that it becomes much more than I could have anticipated. Those memories are the ones I treasure the most.
I already feel that this anniversary will be a special one to remember and I am eager to see what God has done and will do in answer to those prayers for our daughter.
I challenge you to think of how to creatively include God in a special activity or just a daily activity. I think you will find that it will do something incredible. It may not be what you think "incredible" will be, but it might be peace or joy or that calm glow in your spirit that says, Emmanuel: God with us.
From my Established in Grace blog post
______________________________
The song is nine minutes long. The longest part of the song says these words over and over and over again.
Six times:
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
This describes what I have been learning through our adoption. This is a journey, and I know that I am only at the beginning of this journey, but it is one that constantly calling on me to trust God without borders.
These lyrics really speak to my heart. Trust is hard. And to trust without borders is…unfathomable. I have trust issues. I guard my heart and who I am because my trust has been broken more times than I wanted and I created a border to keep myself from being hurt. But God is asking me to trust without borders.
Adoption is painful on many levels — levels I am not even aware of yet. But God is asking me to trust without borders. To walk upon the waters wherever He would call me. The crazy thing about trusting without borders is that amazing, miraculous, beautiful things can happen. Like adoption. Like_________ You fill in the blank. Adoption is messy and painful and beautiful beyond words. I imagine that there are things in your life that are scary and terrifying and yet beautiful and breathtaking. Is God calling you to walk upon the waters wherever He may call you?
In this walking on water, this deep ocean of trust and fear my faith is being made strong in the presence of my Savior. I can feel my faith being stretched and grown. It isn’t painless to be certain, but what growth is painless? Yet, I want to have faith that walks on water as I am in the presence of Jesus. I don’t know what God is calling you to do as He calls you to trust Him without borders but it doesn’t mean that it will be easy but He does promise His presence.
The song, Oceans by Hillsong United ends this way:
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine
May your soul rest in Jesus’ embrace. You are His and He is yours. Trust without borders and go wherever He may lead you. Your faith will be made stronger in the presence of the One who loves you and will lead you to walk upon the waters.
I am resting in Jesus’ embrace through our adoption. I pray you will rest in His embrace in whatever He made lead you to.
