Our Father in Heaven asked us to follow Him and we obeyed. He said that He would go before us, and we willingly followed. He promised to pave the way for this adoption and He kept His promise. Our God is a Father to the fatherless. And just as He lovingly adopted us into His family, He has allowed us to demonstrate that same love here on earth. And through the power of the risen King, we were made witnesses of His love for the unwanted.
As we prepared for court this morning, Isaiah 41:10 would not leave my mind.
"Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
I held on tight to John 16:33, "Take heart, for I have overcome the world."
And I repeated again and again Phillipians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guide your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
I must mention that due to my nerves, breakfast did not stay down this morning. Court was scheduled to begin at 11:00, but didn't actually begin until 1:00. I was hungry by the time we arrived at the court, but I prayed and asked the Lord to quiet my stomach until the hearing was over. He answered my prayer. I asked that He fill me with a peace that I did not feel. And He again answered my prayer. I asked that He remind me that this is His battle, not my own, that He has fought and already won. And He once more answered my prayer.
One hour and thirty minutes after our hearing began the judge entered the room and declared that we be named the parents of Zebadiah Lee Wooddell.
And the emotions were the same as if I had just been given my newborn baby.
So now, I would like to leave you with one more scripture:
Psalm 98:1-6
"O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him. The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn, Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord."
Thank you Lord Jesus for allowing us this opportunity to share your love here on earth. We thank you for the blessing of adding Zebadiah to our family. We truly feel that his name is perfect for him as he is a "gift from God".
15 comments:
I woke up at 3:15 a.m. - I had anticipated this would happen - and rushed to the computer to check your blog. No post! I was beside myself. I sent you that email that said "I'm up!!!" and "PLEASE POST!!!". Then Sue and I emailed back and forth because she's up, too (of course!) and she tried to console me that the court session might have been long. I didn't consider the two hour delay getting started! Then you F-I-N-A-L-L-Y came online and we Skyped and you mean thing, you told me to read your blog! AARGH! Then I said, "JUST TELL ME!" and you announced that I'm going to be a grandmother again! I'm retelling the story so I can remember my reaction and my friends can know I couldn't stop crying - still crying now - and rejoicing with you! I am the happiest Nealy on earth and I can't wait to share the news with your four kiddos when they awake this morning. There will be a huge celebration in this house I can tell you for sure! Thank you, God, for this most precious gift - Zebadiah is coming home!!!
Congrats!!! I am so excited for your family. Praying for comfort to you on your flight back home.
Juli
Congratulations! It is so awesome to see God work!
Yahoo!! What a glorious way to wake up and see God's work in this world! Thank you for sharing the beginning of your journey here. Praying for a safe and comfortable journey bringing your little one HOME. Praying for the journey and adventures to come. Getting teary and loving you much. So, so happy for you all!!
PRAISE GOD!! I GOT SOME MAJOR TEARS RUNNING DOWN MY CHEEKS... ONE LESS ORPHAN TO FEED INTO THE MENTAL INSTITUTE SYSTEM IN THAT COUNTRY!! PRAISE GOD!!
WOW! Way to give all the glory to God! He is a father to the fatherless; He places the lonely in families. Psalm 68
God is sovereign; His plans cannot be thwarted.
So, so happy for you all! What a blessing! Can't wait to meet our new nephew!
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!! So happy for you all. :)
~Amy
Congratulations to all of you! God is Good!
Praise the Lord! What great news to wake up to! Did they waive the ten day waiting period?
Yay!!!! How long do you now wait to come home?
Congratulations on your newest blessing! What a beautiful little guy.
Praising God for this blessing. Congrats
Love this news! He is faithful!
Congrats! I first saw the sweet face last fall, he captured my heart. I was on my knees begging God to find this love a family. I rejoiced the first time I saw your new commitment page. Now I am shouting praises that sweet Zab has a forever family!! Much love to your family!!
THANK YOU LORD!!! We sat in the airport just waiting for Marina's phone to ring!!!! Finally she said "its over, its good!!!" I just started bawling again!lol sooooo happy for ya'll. now get to feeling better and love on that boy for me. can't wait to get he and Gabe together. talk to you soon. love and blessings to you and yours.
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