Faith Is…
Romans 4:17 TPT That’s what the Scripture means when it says: “I have made you the father of many nations.” He is our example and father, for in God’s Presence he (Abraham) believed that God can raise the dead and call into being things that don’t even exist yet.
My husband, Stephen, in his years in college, received a burden to build a children’s home. We had assumed God was calling us to pastor, and that would be our life’s calling and ministry. Stephen didn’t share this with me at the beginning of when the Holy Spirit began to talk to him about a children’s home. He did though, begin to start cutting out and scrapbooking pictures of orphans that would move his heart. I saw this scrapbook upon occasion and wondered what was going on. Then one night, in the middle of the night, as we lay in our bed in Grampa’s old farmhouse apartment, he supposing I was asleep, was laying there softly crying, sobbing and muttering what sounded to me like heartfelt prayer. Disturbed at his distress, I had to find out what was going on. I rolled over toward him and asked, “What is it? What’s going on with you?” He replied, “I’m embarrassed to tell you. You’ll probably laugh at me.” I assured him that was not going to happen. Then hesitatingly he blurted out, “God is telling me that someday we’re going to build an orphanage for children.” There it was, out in the open. I was stunned, yet a sense of the Presence of God filled me with an excitement and joy that I had never experienced. Wow, God! What an amazing plan!
Years passed and we never saw a door open or receive a directive from God to begin that leg of the journey for us, until the day we were dedicating our newly built church to the Lord. As Dr. Pier, the president of our Bible college, was giving the dedicatory address, he suddenly stopped and pointed to us. He prophesied out of the blue, “Pastor, you will now build a children’s home!” We were stunned! There it was, what God had so miraculously said to us over twenty years previously!
At this present time, we have been in Kenya directing our Children’s Home (which we built), for more than twenty years. Like Abraham, Stephen has become the father in another nation. We love our children as our own, and we are so proud of each and everyone of them. Along with these precious ones in our lives, the Lord has drawn us to the nations and our church has become a House of worship. We have many nations gather together at our House of worship whom we call family. We truly have a prelude of heaven on earth. We are rich and highly favored and blessed with the rich beauty of His Presence as we worship together even as Scripture tells us it will be in heaven, “of every nation, tribe, and tongue around the Throne of God.”
For you, dear one, God also has a marvelous plan and journey for your life. I heard it once said, “Faith is the hinge that opens the door to opportunity, blessing, and change for you personally and for others who follow you.”
What about you? Are you listening for His voice, day by day? Are you moving forward with the stirring of His Spirit in your inner being, even as Stephen did for many years? Can you believe Father to bring you into the fullness of His great purposes for you? Believe Him today. Release your faith for God’s absolute best and don’t ever settle for anything less. We serve the Almighty God, Ruler of His Universe.
