WAITING ON GOD - For Children
from A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming
"Every child comes from God and ought to live for God's purposes. Sarah, Hannah, Rebekah, Elizabeth, Samson's mother -- each of these women was initially barren. They waited and waited to conceive a child. Since failure to bear a child in their culture was often considered a curse, they experienced torment and ridicule. All of them endured a painful wait. Two of them - Sarah and Elizabeth- reached old age before conceiving.
Was it really necessary for these women to experience a long wait? Yes, there was a purpose.
God had something special in mind. He wanted to give each of these mothers a special child- a child with a specific purpose - and He wanted to receive the glory. Everyone must know that God did it. The awe and wonder of conception is often lost on us, since almost anyone can conceive. We can easily forget the part God plays in every birth.
Unless a sense of wonder accompanies parenthood, we may either take our responsibility too lightly or else cling too tightly to our children. God knows that withholding children often produces a different mentality in a waiting mother- or father-to-be.
I wonder if Abraham could have laid his son Isaac on the altar if the long wait had not prepared his heart. Would Hannah have given her beloved young Samuel to God's service if he had come much earlier? Did the wait produce a conviction that Samuel came from God and should live for God's purposes, a conviction she otherwise might not have experienced?
Perhaps another reason God allowed these mothers to endure a long wait was to lay a groundwork of prayer. They knew that these children were children of purpose and promise, and undoubtedly each of them was much prayed for. "
This section of the book spoke so clearly to me. Certainly Joy has been much prayed for and in that we rejoice! In praying and supporting us in this process, many people have also bonded to our beautiful daughter even before having met her! We know that God has a special purpose for her life and we commit her to Him.