Dad Story, Part 6: How is God moving?

Disclaimer:  I'm writing a tale of our journey to adopt our third daughter who is our fifth child.  Yes, we're crazy.  No, I haven't won the argument to get an Armored Personnel Carrier to carry all these people.  And yes, I'm writing it from a dad's perspective.  I hope it helps some dad out there who wonders what in the world God has put on his plate.

The Queen consistently says that the place she sees God move the most is in the realm of adoption and orphan care.  We have a library of stories from our own family that would provide the veracity.  Here’s another one.

Late in December I had a friend call me. He is a now-retired business man who has made more money and lost more money than anyone I personally know.  And when he’s worth millions, he’s the exact same guy as when he is down to his house and his clothes.  He cares so little about money but is so generous with it that God has blessed him immensely.  For me, he epitomizes what Paul told Timothy about instructing those rich in this world to be rich in good deeds, generous and ready to share (1 Tim 6).  My friend is that guy.

My friend called me in late December and said, “Hey, the wife and I want to give some money.  What’s going on these days?”  I sent him a list of some things the church could do with $1000, $5000, $10,000, and $25,000 depending on what he wanted to give.  If you think that’s weird, send me an email and I’ll explain why I keep an updated list like that laying around.

He called back two days later and said he and his wife had prayed and they heard God say they were supposed to send some money to our family specifically.  Two days later, I got a note from him telling me that he loved me and was proud of us, that as always there were no strings attached to that love.  Contained in the note was a check.  My eyes about fell out of my head:  $5000.  Two days after that, we had a payment due for…wait for it…$5000.  I called him and told him what God had orchestrated - because he had NO IDEA we were adopting - and he laughed this laugh that I imagine echoes in the hallways of sacred spaces when Jesus shows off like that.

Hebrews 11 says that without faith it’s impossible to please God.  We had taken a step of faith.  My friend and his wife had done the same.  

But that’s not the end of the story.  We told a couple of close friends about how Jesus was moving and doing what He does for the orphan.  One went home to tell her spiritually struggling teenage son about it.  He flipped out:  “What do you mean, mom?  How can God know exactly what people need?  How can He tell others and then just do that for people?  I mean, c’mon mom, that is amazing!”  

Not only did my friend's obedience bless us, the ripples went farther than any of us imagined.  So I called him back and told him about it.  He and his wife were on speaker and didn’t laugh.  They wept at how Jesus had used their willingness in ways they couldn’t have known or seen.  In the hallways of sacred spaces, I imagine their weeping echoing too.