Has God ever made you laugh? Sometimes laughter can come from a lack of faith. We think, "there's no way God can do that". At other times His challenges become laughable because we are so used to being uncomfortable. His next request is just humerus. The Shunemite woman experienced this.
2 Kings 4:11- 17 "One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest. 12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared, 13 Elisha
said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have
shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to
the king or to the commander of the army?’” “No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.” 14 Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?”Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”
15 “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, 16 “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!” “No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.” 17 But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said." NLT
'"No my Lord' she cried". You can almost hear both pain and laughter in her voice as she grapples with her own faith. Do I dare to believe for what I have wanted for so long? Can I really see an answer to this great need? Too often we look at our situation and our own ability to meet a need, rather than looking to the one who has all power and the ability to answer any prayer or perform any miracle.
My wife and I are laughing at this point in our lives. I have just assumed the role of Lead Pastor at my home church, having served on staff for 14 years. Building staff and sharing my vision for the future is more than a full-time job. Before any of this came up, we were in the process of adopting a little girl...for all most four years! We brought her home last October, but the finalization is still ahead...hopefully in the very near future.
So with all of this, a new role at church and finalizing our daughters adoption, God shows up yet again. The first time He told us to adopt I wept tears for the hurting child He would lead us to. I have to admit this time I'm laughing. I'm thinking, "you want us to do what? We haven't finalized the first adoption, but You are calling us to do it again?" Joy's adoption has cost us four years and $25,000 (most of which was raised). Now, You are leading us to a place that will only take one year, but will take $35,000 or more. (hear me laughing in the background.) It's not that I wont do it, I will. It's not that God cannot drop $40,000 in our laps, He can. But now Lord, now?
Yet in the midst of my laughing, I know that if the Lord has called us to adopt again, we will. And if we are willing, He will provide.
By the way, my wife has already found a little boy in China and is already picking out names! I told her "if you name him, we'll have to keep him. :)
So I wrongly figured this blog was very soon coming to a close. It may, in actuality, become a integral part of my life again. God always keeps us wondering what's next. That is the excitement of fully relying on Him
In
the end, with my laughing heart and all, I thank God that He has chosen
us for this task and I pray that He is preparing another little heart
to join the ever expanding Lewis clan.
So when God calls you to do the insane...laugh. He understands!
