Moving Mountains
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
I used to have a magnet on my fridge that said “ your will may get you to the mountain, but God’s strength gets you to the top”. It reminded me that God and I were on this journey together, and that while I needed to do my part, I also needed to know my role.
God would guide, I needed to walk alongside, with faith that He could and would be faithful. God knew my heart’s desire. I reminded myself to wait on the Lord and his timing, but it was easy to fall into worry. I would quickly quote scripture “ Do not worry about anything, instead pray about everything.” However; it is not a quick fix.
I had faith. I believed God could answer my prayer, my concern was would he. People’s plans don’t always align with God’s will, and what ifs were hard to fathom. What if his will for my life didn’t include my hearts desire of being a mom?
Giving our Dreams to God
The dictionary definition of entrust is to put something into someone’s care or protection. When we entrust our dreams to God, we are in essence laying them down before him, knowing they are in good hands. It feels like we are giving them up, in surrender, and when we want something so bad, this is hard! However; we are giving up the control that we never really had, and turning to the God who can. Safely in his care, he can guide and direct the outcome in his timing.
A Father Gives Good Gifts
We serve a good God, who longs to give us what we want, just as we give to our kids. Matthew 7:9-11 puts our desires in perspective. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 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.”
Woman with infertility in the Bible
Infertility is a common struggle, and many woman in the Bible faced the heart ache of an empty womb. Sarah (Isaac’s mom), Hannah (Samuel’s mom), and Elizabeth (John the Baptist’s mom) all were 60-90 years of age when God blessed them with a child.
1 Samuel 1:10-11 shows the despair Hannah felt over not being able to conceive. “Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made a vow: ‘Oh Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you.”
While the waiting was long, each woman received the longing of her heart. In Hannah’s struggle, she turned to God, and He gave her the desire of her heart. Genesis 21:6, Sarah said “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me”. In 1 Samuel 1:20, Hannah names her child Samuel, meaning “I asked God for Him”, and in Luke 1:13 Gabriel tells Zechariah “God has heard your prayers”.
Not only did all three woman have children (at the time God determined—Ephesians 2:10), they were all special men, who God used in mighty ways to fulfill His purpose.
It is hard to wait, and entrust our dreams to God when we can’t see the end result. The longer the wait, the more doubt can creep in, or a belief that it isn’t going to happen. God’s word tells us to ask and we shall receive. “For nothing will be impossible with God”.
My waiting ended two days after my seventh wedding anniversary. Our Hannah was the blessing we had longed for, and a reminder that God hears our cries, and he is worth entrusting our dreams to.
Don’t give up hope. He has a plan. There is purpose in the waiting. Let’s practice Romans 12:12 as best we can. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”