Praying for Miracles: Good Gifts from a Good Father

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him! – Matthew 7:11

As many of you know, my family is praying for a miracle. We have been waiting for about 4 weeks for a judge in Hong Kong to sign a paper, giving us legal custody of our son, Jack. When the paper is signed, we can book a flight and go get him. The miracle we need, is all about the timing. Since last January we have prayed to have Jack by his birthday. God has knitted our hearts to his, and the thought of not being with him on this day is gut wrenching. We have known, all these months, that this would take a move of God. The time table we were given showed that this would be improbable if not impossible. Which is why we have prayed so hard; as a family in our living room, in the van on the way to church, at the altar and around the table. And we have involved many of you in those prayers – through email, blogs, texts and fundraisers – many of you have lifted up your voices to the Father on our behalf. Even as we have entered this week, a critical week for us if we are going to receive this blessing, we have had people let us know they were praying, even fasting on our behalf. Thank You!! The time table for this part of this process is 8 to 10 weeks. We are 4 weeks in. The problem is that his birthday is before then. Very soon. Thus, the miracle.

As we have prayed for these many months, I have reflected on different verses – including this one above from Matthew 7. The verse is intriguing to me, because essentially Jesus tells parents that they can learn about their relationship with God the Father, by thinking about the relationship they have with their own children. In other words, yes we love our kids! And we know how to give good gifts out of our love for them. But we are fallen and fallible and prone to error. So as good as we can be to our kids, how much greater is the perfect, infallible Father that we have in Heaven? Meditating on this today, I thought of 3 ‘good gifts’ that I give my kids:

1) I plan and guide their lives.

My kids are all young (under 12) and right now I plan and guide their days and nights. No, they are no robots. I do not dictate to them every decision they make. They can choose to do good things, and receive rewards and blessings. They can choose to do bad things, and receive discipline and troubled circumstances. But still, as their father, I stand as the guiding force in their lives. I make plans for them – plans that will benefit them, plans that will train them, plans that will bring them good and enjoyment – and I see to it that those plans come to fruition. They don’t have to ask me to do this – I just do it; because I love them and they are mine. So – how much more does the Father do this for Hischildren?

2) I sometimes tell them no.

My kids ask me for a lot of things. Many of their requests, I grant; I grant them because I love them and I delight in giving them the desires of their heart. If they didn’t ask, they might not get it. But because they ask – I answer. But sometimes, I do tell them no. Sometimes what they ask for is not the best, it is not for their ultimate good; although it might seem best to them, I understand it is not. And when I tell them no, my hope is that they trust me; that they love me and that they know they can be confident that I am seeking their ultimate good. So – how much more does the Father do this for His children?

3) I sometimes hide gifts from my kids, and bring delays, so at the right time I can surprise them.

I love giving my kids gifts. I delight in the delight I see in them when they receive from me a good gift. Sometimes I get them a gift, but I delay in giving it right then. I save it, hidden away. And I do that so at just the right moment I can spring it on them. Sometimes I literally mold their circumstances, so that when I give the gift, it has the greatest impact on their hearts. My purpose is not to be mean – I do it to maximize their joy. So – how much more does the Father do this for His children?

We are continuing to pursue our miracle through prayer. Thank you if you are willing to pray on our behalf. This week is critical for us.We rest in the words of Jesus, even at this late hour, that ‘All things are possible for those who believe’. It is my personal hope that our good Father has been molding our circumstances, allowing delays, in order to give us this gift at this time, right on time, for our maximum joy and His deserving glory. Many of you are also pursuing a miracle. As you do, meditate on the goodness of your Father – who knows exactly when and how to give you good gifts.