Daniel 3 has brought us much peace through this.

This is something I wrote on July 27th and I wanted to share it here too.

This continues to be a very difficult day for our family. I think most of us are just confused as to why God has chosen, as far as what it looks like right now, to not place this baby in our family, especially when the options of where he is going or will end up are not very promising situations.

I wish I had a concrete answer, but I do believe Daniel 3 speaks to this situation very well. And, in times like this, it is ONLY in the Word of God that we can find peace.

Daniel 3 is about King Nebuchadnezzar who had made an image of gold that was ninety feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up and then everyone was commanded to fall down and worship this image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Verse 6 tells us that “Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

Verse 7, everyone is falling down in worship to this image, and in verse 12 it is brought to the King’s attention that there are some Jews - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - who are paying no attention to this command to worship this golden image.

Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the 3 men were brought before the King. In verse 14, the King says to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold that I have set up?” The next verse, they are directly warned that if they choose to not worship, they will be thrown into a blazing fire.

It is their response that grabbed my attention.

Daniel 3:17-18, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

What tremendous faith in the face of adversary!

We’ve been in a “blazing furnace” over the past week. We have all prayed and prayed and prayed - many of you have even told me how you have weeped before the Lord on behalf of this child - that God would rescue this situation and place this baby in our arms. We have believed that He can do it.

The next six words are so incredibly powerful: But even if he does not.

But even if God did not rescue them from the fiery furnace Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego told the King that they will STILL worship God and not the king’s false god that he had created out of gold.

At this time, it appears that God is NOT going to place this baby with us. We’ve all been waiting for that moment where I get a phone call and Charlene tells me that by a miracle of God she just showed up at the office and wanted to sign. But, that is not the direction it looks like God is moving in at this time, even though we all know He still could (and many of you have told me you are still praying to that end).

But even if God does not place this child in my arms, I cannot turn away from God and feel abandoned or forgotten or even worse…feel like there is no God.

I must rise above it all and know that God is still God and even though I do not understand what He is doing at this time, He is good and He will reveal His plan for our family in His time.

God is still worthy to be praised and glorified and the best way I can do that today in my grief is to, once again, surrender my life, my current circumstances, my broken heart AND this child that I so desperately wanted to love and by my son, to Him.

It’s all too big for me to handle on my own and I don’t have to handle it on my own. Knowing this child is out there, alive and living and not with me is a hard pill to swallow but ultimately I have rest in the knowledge that God created this child and loves this child more than I ever possibly could.

The waters surrounding me today are turbulent and deep, but I am not sinking. I am firmly anchored to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The waves can crash around me and on me, but I will stand firm in the promises found in His Word.

To walk away from God for not acting in the way that we thought and prayed He would, is pointless. Even though today hurts very badly and I wish God had spared our family from these circumstances, we have hope tonight.

Our hope is in the Lord. We live in a fallen world full of sin and darkness. It is everywhere we look. But my God offers hope to anyone who is ready to receive it. I hope every single person that has been following this and praying for this situation KNOWS the God of Hope I am speaking about right now. If you do not, I would be glad to tell you all about Him. Just call, text or message me!

I would love to bypass the grieving phase and move right on in to what God has next for us. We both firmly believe our family is not complete, but at this time, we have no clue where God is going to take us next.

God’s got this…we just don’t know what that looks like yet. 

- Elaine