Grant and I just moved into our apartment on the ranch (YES my Christmas tree is up and YES there are presents already under it!)! I asked Grant to unpack all the books and line them up on the bookshelf a few nights ago (Amen to wonderful men of God who help their wives unpack. Grant Dew ROCKS!). After he unpacked the books we each grabbed one from our small collection that we want to read.
Last night I began reading my book. I've read bits and pieces of this book before, but for some reason it's even more powerful now: Prayers that avail much. The author of this book has taken all kinds of topics and written prayers for each one. The best part is that each prayer is written by scripture. Everything I read is literally God's Word. I was SOOOOO excited to see that there was a section about ADOPTION!!
Here's my breakdown of what I've been reading:
1. Prayer! I'll be honest, this is something I do on a regular basis, but not to the extent that I should. The mere title of this book has set a new passion for prayer inside of me. Lets take the word AVAIL. We don't really use that word in everyday language, so I looked it up. Webster's Dictionary defines AVAIL as: "to use or take advantage of (an opportunity or available resource)." This is such a powerful definition (Lord ignite this fire in me to pray like never before. Forgive me for not praying as I should)! Why haven't I been "taking advantage of" prayer?! This a an "available resource" the Lord wants His children to use. Prayer is the opportunity to talk to God directly. When I "take advantage of" this opportunity, just imagine how things would be different, imagine how my view of everyday- life would change (yes i've grown up in church, yes i've been taught the importance of prayer, but am I the only one who allows life to get so busy that prayer gets put on the back burner?). Lord thank you for the opportunity to pray to YOU! Thank you that you hear me always! Thank you that this is an "available resource" that you want me to use to not only share my thoughts and concerns, but to also glorify you and in return strengthen our relationship!
2. Here's pieces of what the book has to say about adoption (reminder: this book is ultimately a reflection of God's Word as it helps craft a prayer using scripture). I am going to take the scripture and guidance from the book to create my own prayer:
1. Hebrews 4:16: Lord I am approaching your throne boldly that I may receive grace and mercy in our time of need.
2. Psalm 37:4: I am going to delight myself in you God and I know you will give me the desires of my heart.
3. Psalm 37:5: I also commit myself to you Lord. I trust in you and believe this desire to adopt is from you and it will come to pass according to your purpose and plan.
4. James 1:5: Lord, I ask that you give Grant and I discernment when it comes to who and where to place our trust and finances. Lord for the lawyers, court officials, and agencies we come in contact with I pray you grant them wisdom in our adoption case.
5. Proverbs 22:6: Wherever Baby Dew is, we commit him/her to you. We promise to raise him/her according to Your Word.
6. Matthew 9:37-38: Thank you Lord for the people and ministries that work in the adoption field. Thank you for placing this call on their lives to make an impact on these birth moms, babies, and adopting families. We pray that many more will answer this call. I lift up the birth mom to our baby. If she doesn't know You, I pray that she will come in contact with the Gospel, accepting You as her Lord and Savior.
7. Luke 1:38: God, Grant and I have faith in this process. We have heard Your call, accepted Your call, and await for the fulfillment of Your promise. AMEN.
Thank you for bearing with me on that. Spending the time to attach scripture to your circumstance can seem very labor intensive but soooo worth it! The reason we should pray God's word is because often times we ask God to change our situation rather than our change US. It's easy to tell God all the things going wrong around us instead of dealing with the wrongful responses within ourselves. Praying according to scripture takes our selfishness out of the equation and forces us into alignment with Him. Ultimately, it gives Godly wisdom and discernment to cope with what life throws our way.
I'm no writer, just someone wanting to share what God has placed on my heart. Thank you for all the support throughout this adoption adventure!
Ashlee
Last night I began reading my book. I've read bits and pieces of this book before, but for some reason it's even more powerful now: Prayers that avail much. The author of this book has taken all kinds of topics and written prayers for each one. The best part is that each prayer is written by scripture. Everything I read is literally God's Word. I was SOOOOO excited to see that there was a section about ADOPTION!!
Here's my breakdown of what I've been reading:
1. Prayer! I'll be honest, this is something I do on a regular basis, but not to the extent that I should. The mere title of this book has set a new passion for prayer inside of me. Lets take the word AVAIL. We don't really use that word in everyday language, so I looked it up. Webster's Dictionary defines AVAIL as: "to use or take advantage of (an opportunity or available resource)." This is such a powerful definition (Lord ignite this fire in me to pray like never before. Forgive me for not praying as I should)! Why haven't I been "taking advantage of" prayer?! This a an "available resource" the Lord wants His children to use. Prayer is the opportunity to talk to God directly. When I "take advantage of" this opportunity, just imagine how things would be different, imagine how my view of everyday- life would change (yes i've grown up in church, yes i've been taught the importance of prayer, but am I the only one who allows life to get so busy that prayer gets put on the back burner?). Lord thank you for the opportunity to pray to YOU! Thank you that you hear me always! Thank you that this is an "available resource" that you want me to use to not only share my thoughts and concerns, but to also glorify you and in return strengthen our relationship!
2. Here's pieces of what the book has to say about adoption (reminder: this book is ultimately a reflection of God's Word as it helps craft a prayer using scripture). I am going to take the scripture and guidance from the book to create my own prayer:
1. Hebrews 4:16: Lord I am approaching your throne boldly that I may receive grace and mercy in our time of need.
2. Psalm 37:4: I am going to delight myself in you God and I know you will give me the desires of my heart.
3. Psalm 37:5: I also commit myself to you Lord. I trust in you and believe this desire to adopt is from you and it will come to pass according to your purpose and plan.
4. James 1:5: Lord, I ask that you give Grant and I discernment when it comes to who and where to place our trust and finances. Lord for the lawyers, court officials, and agencies we come in contact with I pray you grant them wisdom in our adoption case.
5. Proverbs 22:6: Wherever Baby Dew is, we commit him/her to you. We promise to raise him/her according to Your Word.
6. Matthew 9:37-38: Thank you Lord for the people and ministries that work in the adoption field. Thank you for placing this call on their lives to make an impact on these birth moms, babies, and adopting families. We pray that many more will answer this call. I lift up the birth mom to our baby. If she doesn't know You, I pray that she will come in contact with the Gospel, accepting You as her Lord and Savior.
7. Luke 1:38: God, Grant and I have faith in this process. We have heard Your call, accepted Your call, and await for the fulfillment of Your promise. AMEN.
Thank you for bearing with me on that. Spending the time to attach scripture to your circumstance can seem very labor intensive but soooo worth it! The reason we should pray God's word is because often times we ask God to change our situation rather than our change US. It's easy to tell God all the things going wrong around us instead of dealing with the wrongful responses within ourselves. Praying according to scripture takes our selfishness out of the equation and forces us into alignment with Him. Ultimately, it gives Godly wisdom and discernment to cope with what life throws our way.
I'm no writer, just someone wanting to share what God has placed on my heart. Thank you for all the support throughout this adoption adventure!
Ashlee