It's Sunday and, for any new readers, this is the day I do something called Sunday Dinner. The idea behind it is here. Every Sunday I post a scripture and "dessert" of song for the week. When I've walked through my valleys, music has brought such comfort. I hope my playlist will give others a place to find songs that will encourage them, too.
By the way, the song I posted last week (Leeland's "Carried to the Table") disappeared mid-week. When I looked for it on Playlist.com, it was no longer in the listings. Hmmmm. I hope Leeland didn't hear that some crazy lady posted it as a "dessert" and pulled it from Playlist.com. Anyway, if you missed hearing it, it's worth checking out on iTunes.
I've got two scriptures for dinner this week, that I know bring such comfort to many in times of trouble:
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
John 14:18, NIV
" . . . God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. ' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ' "
Hebrews 13:5-6, NIV
In the two and a half years it took us to get Daniel home, we visited him in Guatemala 16 different times (sometimes our whole family, sometimes just me, other times just Brad). Each good-bye was heartbreaking. We would tell him that we would never forget him. We promised we would come back. We assured him that we would not leave him to remain an orphan. Still, each good-bye ended in tears--his and ours.
Now, praise God, he is home. But some days he still needs reassuring. When Brad goes on a business trip, Daniel wants to know exactly when he'll be back. When I run an errand by myself, he wants to know down to the minute when I'll return. Fear of abandonment runs deep. I know how he feels.
There have been times that I've felt like a little kid in a store, when he looks around and realizes he is lost. Not one familiar set of knee caps in the bunch. I've cried out to God asking where He is and the reply is always, "I'm here. I won't leave you alone like an abandoned orphan. I am your Heavenly Father and will never leave you or forsake you." What a wonderful Father.
The dessert of song for this week is "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman. We have a special story behind it. Our church began singing it on Sunday mornings when I was living in Guatemala in late November/early December. I came home and two days later Brad went to Guatemala to try to finish our adoption and bring Daniel home before Christmas.
One ridiculous thing after another happened with our case and it just didn't look like Brad and Daniel would be home in time for Christmas. Because everything shuts down over the holidays, it looked like they would not only miss Christmas, they wouldn't be home till mid-January.
So many people were praying. We needed to do about 4 weeks worth of adoption in only 4 days. But we saw mountains move just as we were about to lose hope. The morning that Brad finally got Daniel's new birth certificate--making it possible to be home by Christmas, Brad and Daniel left that government office just overwhelmed by God's goodness and mercy. (Daniel actually got the LAST Visa out before Christmas and came home Christmas Eve.)
They were walking to get lunch in a little village, Chimaltenango, and walked past a row of stores. There's no air conditioning in these little buildings and they keep their doors open. And Brad walked past a store with praise music playing in Spanish. He heard a tune that sounded familiar. As it played in his head, he finally remembered the English lyrics--"Oh, no, you never let go, through the calm and through the storm. . . ."
It was that song that he had sung at church. And it just happened to be playing a world away in Guatemala. He got choked up when he called that night to tell me about the miracle of getting Daniel's birth certificate and the song that was playing that was such a beautiful reminder that God would never forsake us.
We sung that beautiful song this morning at church and I can't tell you what joy it was to have my whole family standing together belting out those wonderful words of truth.
This week, may you remember that our God will never let go of His children's hands. He will never leave us or forsake us.
More Than Lots,
Kathie
8 comments:
I LOVE this song and I LOVE LOVE LOVE your story that goes with it. I am so glad that He will NEVER let go! THERE WILL BE AN END...to these troubles! Those Lyrics give me so much hope!
God is so good,so very very good. I thought, as I read your story, that this should be an "Memorial Box Monday" post as well. God was so obviously present and working. Thank you for the wonderful beginning to my "Oscar the Grouch" day (didn't get much sleep and was feeling like my head might start spinning around soon). :) Hugs and thank yous!
Dear Kathie~ I just stopped in for the first time and I was so blessed by your blog. This post has touched me to the core, and I will be playing this song over and over. Thank you! I know you were a "God-send" to me right now. Your story is a beautiful reminder of how God will never leave us alone...that He will never let go! Oh Praise Him for HIs unfailing love and goodness!!! <>< I leave hear with even more hope for our own situation. God is good!
I'm becoming a follower and SO glad to 'meet' you. I can't wait to peruse through your blog even more. Have a nice week and God bless!
~Tanya
No, Faithful and True will never leave us nor forsake us. We have His word on that. Great song! Great story!
Lisa
What a neat story. That song had big significance for us, too. We first heard it at VBS about a month after Cupcake came home. In her fear, she would rage for hours and hours, and I would hold her with the therapeutic hold, (Basically I was a straight-jacket, holding her arms crossed across her chest and her legs with my feet.) We were both living on the very edge of sanity.
Anyway, as we heard that song, it brought both of us to a good place. Cupcake, even though she only understood limited English, really grasped the meaning of the song. I was not holding her in a punitive way. I was not letting go because I loved her. And for me, I just filled up with the hope and the knowledge that God was not going to leave me - no matter how bad this storm was.
So, that's why that song is near and dear to my heart.
Blessings to you,
Juile
I loved reading Julie's comment about this song, too. Music is such a gift from God, and I love how He uses it to speak to us in both good times and bad. He truly never lets go...PTL!!! <><
Thank you so much for your kind words on our blog and your generous contribution to our fund. That was such an unexpected blessing to see this morning! I pray that God richly blesses you in return for your giving heart!! It's neat to share such a love for the orphans and SN in particular. There was a time I probably would not have considered SN adoption...mostly out of ignorance and fear of the unknown. But God had different plans, and now I can't imagine where we would be if we hadn't opened up our hearts and answered the call... We are SO grateful that He has trusted us and given us the privilege of becoming Khloe's parents, and we can't wait to bring our precious daughter home. The story of your son is so encouraging, and I can't wait to see where God leads your family next! <><
Blessings and Hugs,
~ Tanya
What a beautiful song! And delighted to meet you. I hope you don't mind if I splash around a bit. This looks like a refreshing place to splash in God's goodness.
Splashing for his glory,
Sara
Thanks for your Sunday dinner words to chew on, (although I didn't make it here till Tuesday), it still means alot. Kare
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