Friday, July 4, 2008

e*p*t Positive

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate." - Psalm 127:3-5
Sorry folks. I've been out of touch here for a while now. A little bit has been going on in our family as of late. As you can already guess, June and I just found out that the Lord has blessed us with another pregnancy. Another newcomer to our family, still in the womb, will arrive, God willing, around the end of February 2009.

At first, we were shocked at the news and a little overwhelmed. We had not been trying to get pregnant, and, in fact, had actually been actively trying not to get pregnant (because we thought that we knew better). But God must have had other plans. This caused some distress on our part, wondering how we would be able to effectively raise four children all 5 years and under. But we realized that this kind of thinking was not trust in our God, but, rather, worldly anxiety. The kind of anxiety that the Lord tells us to cast upon Him (Philippians 4:6). The kind of attitude that does not trust in God for his providence in every situation. God is sovereign and in control of all that happens to us. He is the one who forms us (Psalm 139:13-14). He is the one who establishes our steps (Proverbs 16:9). He is the one who accomplishes all of His purposes (Isaiah 46:9-10). We need to be of steadfast mind, trusting in Him alone (Isaiah 26:3).

We have come to the place where we continue to trust in God for this new birth. We are going to trust Him continually in the raising of our children, however difficult that may be at times. It is only through this trust that we will find His peace lavished on us. And, this trust gives us an exciting anticipation for what He has in store for our family. We are excited for this new birth in our family and are excited to see how God will bless us yet again with a new member of our family.

The verse above (Psalm 127:3-5) reminds me that our children are arrows that we will be using to send out against the enemy. Arrows that we can use to send out to accomplish the purpose of God. Throughout the Bible, God uses the arrow imagery to depict those whom He sends out for his purpose. It's exciting to read these passages about Joash (2 Kings 13:14-19) and about the Messiah (Isaiah 49:1-3), where God used the arrow imagery to show how he would save Israel from their enemies and from themselves for His glory. Maybe, someday, my children will be arrows that I can shoot out against the enemy to accomplish God's purpose as well.

"Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.'" - Isaiah 49:1-3
P.S. I plan on completing the series on Boasting in my next post. Sorry for the tardiness.

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