“We’ve been talking about adopting…” her words made my heart happy thinking about the love a child would be surrounded by in this family.

“But we aren’t sure if we should foster, or adopt internationally, or domestically… how did you guys navigate that?” My friend waited for my response…

I took a deep breath in and began our story.

The Lord gave us a heart for orphaned children but didn’t give us details at first. One day when I made a new prayer list, I wrote the word “adoption” close to the bottom of the list. For years, we prayed and asked the Lord if He wanted our family to adopt one day, that He would show us. We prayed for orphans. We prayed for other families adopting and watched the beauty of the lives and family transformed by adoption.

Then, one day, years later when I was making a new prayer list in a new prayer journal, I realized that I had an urgency to write “adoption” close to the top. Right after my husband, son, and daughter’s name, was the word “adoption.” I prayed almost daily, asking the Lord to lead us to the child He wanted us to welcome into our family. And step by step, whisper by whisper, He showed us each step to take and led us to Uganda in 2014 to welcome home our daughter Sharon.

The Lord’s voice was so clear each step.

“Just ask the Lord to guide you guys, and He will,” I told my friend.

The short response I was able to give my friend above the joy of the loud music at the wedding reception we were attending just scratched the surface of our story of navigating our call to adopt. Years in the prayer closet and hours I had spent typing our story out on keyboards could, indeed, be summarized into “Just ask the Lord.” But in true girl nature, I have thousands of words to share more detail about how to follow God’s voice in adoption or just in general. This verse sums up how to follow Him:

Ask. Seek. Knock.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will
find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks,
receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be
opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NLT

1) Ask
Put it on the Prayer List

“Adoption” was just a word on my prayer list for years. It was a word I wrote on there
after my husband and I heard stories of babies in Chinese orphanages who just didn’t cry
anymore because when they did, nobody came to soothe them. So I wrote it. And I
prayed about it, everyday, for years.

Sometimes we just wait in the holding room of prayer until he tells us it’s time to get
moving. Just like an earthly Father makes preparations for a trip, Our Father is getting
you ready for the journey ahead of time through prayer. Prayer prepares us for what’s on
the path before us. We can converse with The One who knows every curve in the journey
before it begins. Prayer moves our hearts as we wait for Papa to say, “move your feet.”

2) Seek
Hear his direction

“God’s Word is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword.”
Hebrews 4:12

Since God’s Word is alive, it will speak to you. Your Father God will speak to you
through his word as you seek His guidance there. Whether you are trucking through a
Bible reading plan or Bible Study, start conversing with your Father by asking Him for
direction in the area you are waiting to be led in. Just ask him!

This is what I did next as the word “adoption” sat on my prayer list.
I asked God to show us the details of the first step in our adoption process.
I wrote down verses I came across as we prayed about adoption, talked about adoption,
read the word, and kept our ears and eyes peeled open at church and around our family of
faith.

We already had two biological kids, and we started talking about what we would name
the little boy we would adopt one day (yeah, boy, we were way off!).
We decided we loved the name “Fisher, “for this verse:
“And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
Even with this, we were still in the prayer waiting room. All we had was a dream, and a
name.

But, hey! We had a powerful bible verse to hold onto as we kept waiting, praying, and
listening.

One important thing we did was wrote the verse down, proclaiming it as the verse God
had given us with the name in my prayer journal. I prayed and told Our Father that we
wanted to adopt Fisher, and teach him about how much Jesus loved him, so he would
follow Jesus and become a fisher of men who told even more people (maybe even more
orphans) about how much Jesus loved them, to make even more followers of Jesus.

Yep, I had it all. Planned. Out. I bet you never do that, do you friend?

A few weeks later, Father God was about to give me a big “giddy up,” it’s time to go sign
at church. There was a guest speaker, a missionary from Asia who had come home to
share what The Lord was doing in their ministry. He was talking about one young man in particular that they had been ministering to, and how God had transformed his life. What happened next was the moment I’d been waiting for…he looked right at me and said,
He was an orphan, but he became a fisher of men! This was one of those heel to toe moments where I felt the breath of God right up next to my ear as the words from the speaker filtered through the sound system. My fingers couldn’t scribble the details of the moment down in my journal fast enough. Somehow, I
made them legible.

His hand was held out. Father God was leading. He was leading through His Spirit, just
as he said he would. His word had been a lamp to our feet and a light to our path to show
us it was time to take the first step. We had been just waiting and praying, not seeing a
path at all yet to take. And now he was confirming it was time to stand up, lace up our
shoes and start knocking.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 37:23

3) Knock
We had sought him for the “go ahead.” When we got it from him that day in church, we
started knocking. We knew we wanted to adopt from the country of Uganda, so we
started looking up adoption agencies that had a partnership with that country. Out of all
the ones I could find, only two were taking applications for this small east African
country. One was in our hometown. Our hometown! That just felt right, ya know? It
didn’t take much knocking. Father God opened the door very quickly this time. We made
our first consultation, called the babysitter, and wrote the appointment on the calendar,
scared to death, but following The One we knew was leading us, like a Father leads a
child, like a daddy leads a daughter.

When you are knocking, fellow daughter, be prepared to walk through the door your
Father opens. As you knock, speak trust in His power to unlock. He’ll unlock room in
your heart to trust Him deeper as you wait for the door to open. Go ahead and ask
yourself, do I trust Him like a little girl who just walks right through a door she’s never
been through; just because she’s holding her daddy’s hand? If the answer is yes, you are
ready! If He has opened a door and you are afraid to put your hand in his and walk
forward, just be honest with him. Journal out your fears to him, or whisper them to him in
a prayer. He will be faithful to give you courage to take the first step over the threshold
with him. You’ve been praying for this direction, remember? The one who has called you
is faithful.

If you are considering adoption, reach out to me and I’ll join you in prayer for you to hear His guidance!

If you’d like to speak with an adoption specialist for a free consultation, click here!

It’s National Adoption Month! If you have a group you’d like me to come speak to and share about the need and beauty of adoption, visit my Speaking Page!

I’d love to come encourage you to fulfill the mandate from the Lord in James 1:27.

“And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.”‭‭Mark‬ ‭16:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It’s the last day, day sixteen of “Mark, one chapter a day for Easter.” here at Refocused Bible Study. If you missed the details of the study, you can find them here. If you missed out, you can scroll through all my previous posts while le you study on your own.

Today we are reading in chapter sixteen.  and I was mostly drawn to verses 1-8, focusing on verse six. I’m sharing today following the quiet time pattern below. Try it or something similar in your own personal study and see if it helps you find focus and structure to help His Word come alive in your life! See the image here:

My verse: “And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.”‭‭Mark‬ ‭16:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬
Application: Live like He’s ALIVE and like you’re ALIVE in Him. Don’t live so temporarily. I needed this reminder. I get caught up in today, this week, month, and year. I forget that God has conquered death. But if I keep my  eyes fixed on Jesus, and the truth that he is alive, my heart and priorities are going to be set on things that are lasting. 

Review: Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, and Salome went with burial spices to Jesus’ tomb. It was open! The stone was rolled away! An angel was on the right side inside the tomb. He told them not to be alarmed, that Jesus had risen!

Kneel in prayer: Almighty Jesus, we praise you for your power that raised you from the dead. Thank you for giving us the same resurrection power (Romans 8:11). Resurrect dead, locked up parts of our souls and lives that need new life and hope in you. Help us continue to spread your message in love and power. Make us women of your Word, filled with truth and strength from you. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

That’s the end of Mark! What did God show you through this book? I’ll be announcing tomorrow what’s next!

“And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”‭‭

Mark‬ ‭15:38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s day fifteen of “Mark, one chapter a day for Easter.” here at Refocused Bible Study. If you missed the details of the study, you can find them here. We’d love for you to join us! Tomorrow is the last day of the study!!!

Today we are reading in chapter fifteen and I was mostly drawn to verses 33-41. I’m sharing today following the quiet time pattern below. Try it in your own personal study and see if it helps you find focus and structure to help His Word come alive in your life! See the image here:
My verse: “And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”‭‭Mark‬ ‭15:38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Application: Enter into the Holy of Holies (the inner sanctuary) into the presence of God, because of what Jesus has done.

“Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.”  Ephesians 3:12

Are we taking full advantage of the intimacy with Christ which he died to give us? There’s no way. We can always, always, go deeper into the inner sanctuary because of what Christ has done. Because of who he is, we can always keep asking him to take us into deeper intimacy with him. Let’s take the opportunity he died to give us seriously. Ask him to help you keep walking further into the Holy of Holies with him. There is no end to him. We can’t know him enough.

Review: When Jesus died, the curtain separating us from his presence was ripped open. We can now boldly approach the throne of God.

Kneel in prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for the high price you paid to give us open access to our Creator. We can intimately know the One who knows how many hairs are on our head, how many days we have left on this earth, and who counts all of our tears. Thank you for going ahead of us to prepare our eternal home. Thank you for dying for us. We praise you, Jesus. Amen.

What did the Lord speak to you today? Only one day to go!

Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Mark 14:36

It’s day fourteen of “Mark, one chapter a day for Easter.” here at Refocused Bible Study. If you missed the details of the study, you can find them here. We’d love for you to join us!

Today we are reading in chapter fourteen and I was mostly drawn to verses 32-36. I’m sharing today following the quiet time pattern below. Try it in your own personal study and see if it helps you find focus and structure to help His Word come alive in your life! See the image here:

My verse: “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Mark 14:36

Application: Take time right now to worship Jesus for his deep obedience through suffering. As we come before him on Good Friday, let us just sit in awe of him for taking the pain and torture he went through that day in history. Don’t try and make yourself better. Don’t try and think of ways to apply this verse and want his will in your life instead of your own. Just sit. close your eyes, and think about what he really endured for you.

This is what I heard in my spirit today as I read: Forgive yourself and others.  Don’t just say you’re forgiven and that you forgive. LIVE IN FORGIVENESS.  Think all day about how he took the punishment for every sin I have ever committed or will commit. Further, to meditate on and search my heart for any feelings of contempt I may have for anyone else. The blows he took were for their forgiveness, too. I can’t hold anything against myself or anyone else, or Jesus took all of that in vain.

Spend some quiet moments right now worshipping Jesus for the  moment in history- where he fell face down in anguish in the garden.

Review: Though Jesus knew the Father had power to do anything, he accepted the Father’s plan and chose to follow it through to suffering and death.  Thank you, Jesus.

Kneel in prayer: Lord Jesus, we sit in awe of you. They blindfolded you, hit you in the face with their fists, and then continued to attack you, and you took it all for us. Please help us all to walk in the freedom of forgiveness for ourselves and all others, remembering Good Friday as a day that wasn’t good for you at all. Today, it is good. We can see your smile as we remember you today. We can see your smile as we walk in the freedom of forgiveness today. As we sing and dance and have new beginnings because you became our Passover Lamb.

Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

“The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return.”‭‭Mark‬ ‭13:34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s day thirteen of “Mark, one chapter a day for Easter.” here at Refocused Bible Study. If you missed the details of the study, you can find them here. We’d love for you to join us!

Today we are reading in chapter thirteen and I was mostly drawn to verses 32-37. I’m sharing today following the quiet time pattern below. Try it in your own personal study and see if it helps you find focus and structure to help His Word come alive in your life! See the image here: 
My verse:  “It’s like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch.” Mark 13:34 MSG

Application: Sometimes life can get complicated and our “assigned tasks” can get blurry. When it’s hard to know what to focus on, we can always revert back to the greatest commandment, to love the Lord and love others. The Lord also reminded me of the great commission to “go and make disciples.” Take time to ask the Lord if you are doing the good work he prepared for you in advance in Ephesians 2:10.

Review: Jesus is coming back. He has left us with purpose and anticipation; this wonderful hope that cannot be taken from us – that he is returning! The sun swill be darkened, the moon will give no light, the starts will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then, JESUS will come, on the clouds with great POWER and glory.

Kneel in prayer: Lord, we praise you, our Creator, Savior, and Master. Here we are, looking for your return with sweet anticipation Please help us all to stay focused on the work you’ve given us to do through your power. Help us keep our eyes and heart set on that moment, when you return in all your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

What was your verse today? Easter is only a few days away! Let us continue to remember the reason we celebrate. ❤