Finding Joy and Hope in the Long Wait for Adoption: The Promises of God and His Character
Table of Contents Show
Over the next several weeks, we’ll be doing a series on “Finding.” So much in life happens to us, and it’s easy to feel like things are out of control as we lose our joy, peace, hope, and maybe even faith. But what do we do about it? How do we combat it?
I heard something over a decade ago, and it really stuck with me… I was working at a Christian camp and one of the speakers encouraged us to pray for and cultivate a “whole-hearted passionate pursuit of knowing and loving Jesus.”
So that’s my prayer for us both as we look into doing just that in our “Finding Series.”
Has heartbreak and waiting for adoption made you cynical?
Have you wondered if there’s any hope for excitement and joy again?
We’ve been hoping to adopt for a while, and the wait has been long and wearisome.
I’ve tried to calm the pain by telling myself it’ll be worth it in the end. All the hard work and waiting in adoption will be worth it once I hold my child in my arms.
But is that the best thing to focus on?
Holding your child will make all the pain and heartache totally worth it. But it will also be totally worth it even if that never happens.
There is some joy in anticipating a child joining your family. This joy is natural and good. But did you know there’s a deeper joy available? This deeper joy is found in seeing the promises of God being fulfilled in your life through trial.
Perhaps, like me, you’ve had your heart broken deeply from hope several times.
Maybe you had 9 months of blissful anticipation only to hold your baby as he’s passing away after a short NICU stay. Maybe you’ve had years of waiting month after month, test after test only to see another negative. Perhaps the doctor has even told you you’re healthy so you should be able to get pregnant, and yet nothing. Maybe you’ve had months or years of waiting for adoption, your profile being shown, and the other family being chosen.
Are you afraid to hope again? Are you, like me, afraid to invest a piece of your heart in a possibility?
If this sounds familiar, then perhaps this cynical thought won’t seem so outlandish. I don’t have a promise that our adoption journey will end with us receiving the gift of a child, so I can no longer get excited about that. It hurts too much.
I know that’s heavy. I know that’s painful. Is this you too? If we don’t see how raw the pain is then we won’t see how glorious the balm is that heals it.
God has put in each of us a desire to find joy and get excited. But it’s important to make sure this joy and excitement are grounded in truth and not possibility. So what can I find joy and excitement in for the long, hard wait of adoption? The character of God and His promises.
Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
One promise that has given me hope and joy during this time of waiting is this -- God is at work. We can get excited because we know that God is working in the adoption process for His glory and my ultimate good.
Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son...”
That’s something to get excited about! So even if what you hope will happen doesn’t happen, joy can still be found in God working.
God’s character and promises are often found together in verses because they are inextricably linked together. The promises of God are based in His character, and God’s character is evidence that He’ll keep His promises.
Can you spot God’s character and promises in the verses below? Which ones are your favorite? (If certain ones get a lot of love, they may turn into verse art for the shop! 🥰)
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19 ESV
“Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord!” Psalm 31:24 AMPC
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 42:11 ESV
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust [AMPC - hope, confidence] is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV
“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope…. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:4,13 ESV
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; out your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 ESV
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.” Psalm 28:7-8 ESV
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26 ESV
In conclusion, heartbreak and waiting for adoption can make us cynical, but it's important to find joy and excitement in God's promises and character.
Even if our hopes are not fulfilled, we can trust that God is at work and all things work together for good for those who love Him.
So let us hold onto the promises of God, which are rooted in His unchanging and faithful character, and find joy in His work in our lives.
Remember, the pain may be raw, but the balm that heals it is glorious.
Which verse encourages you in your wait?
Please share below!
If you found this helpful, please share!
As a mom who’s suffered the loss of my baby, I know deep heart pain.
I tried to run from God, but he convinced me of his love and comforted my heart with hope and healing in Jesus.
Now, it’s my mission to share this same comfort with others who’ve experienced the pain of miscarriage and infant loss.
