Be to Me a Rock of Refuge

This morning I was reading through Psalm 71 and the words echoed strongly in my heart:

1     In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
       let me never be put to shame!
2     In your righteousness 
       deliver me and rescue me;
       incline your ear to me, and save me!
3     Be to me a rock of refuge,
       to which I may continually come;
       you have given the command to save me,
       for you are my rock and my fortress.

I know that many of you have been waiting on an update on our adoption (you can read some past blog entries for more context). It has been well over a month since we let you know that we had a hearing that did not go well and that we were still waiting for a verdict. Last week, we had that hearing and we received that verdict.

Just as a recap, earlier this year we had a hearing that was a huge win for us, seeming as if it was a 99.9% chance that these kids that we’ve been praying over for over two years would be coming home with us. It left us with what we thought was a small, simple step for DSS and us in order to get the kids home. It still, however, required going to another judge for another hearing.

What we thought would be a sure thing with no complications ended up incredibly complicated. In the end, we received a no on the kids coming to us now, and the future of the case is all but shut down. There are so many details that go into all of this, but the result of it is that the kids will likely stay in permanent foster care until they age out.

Emily and I are heartbroken over this. It makes no sense considering the goal of foster care in South Carolina is to either return kids to their parents or have them adopted into a permanent home. Nevertheless, this is where we are. We have no answers. We’ve been praying for them, and I know the Lord will reveal them to us in time.

For now, this prayer is what we have: Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come.

Last Sunday, I had the honor to preach on the death and resurrection of Jesus from 1 Corinthians 15. It was a highly emotional experience for me with everything going on, but it was clear that God gave that passage to me for one reason.

Paul says in verse one: ‘Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you STAND.’

God knew that in that moment, we needed to be reminded of the gospel. We needed to be reminded that our sure foundation wasn’t our emotions. It wasn’t in any hope that we had in this world. It wasn’t in our hopes for these kids in our home.

Our sure foundation is the good news of Jesus Christ, and it’s in that hope that we stand.

We may be sad, and we are. We may experience anger, and we do. But those things don’t make us who we are. Jesus makes us who we are.

Here’s what we ask of you: Pray. Pray for these kids that God would work His good news out in their lives. Pray that they would be safe and well loved. And pray that each of us remembers what our hope is in: Christ alone.