The Lord is Exalted as Head Over All

“Praise be to you, LORD,
the God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name."- 1 Chron 29:10-13

I am so grateful that our mighty God is Head over all and that EVERYTHING IN HEAVEN AND EARTH IS HIS...even the recent proposed changes to Ethiopian adoptions. Our God sees and knows. As I wrestled with the reality of what these changes could mean for our adoptions this week, I believe He transformed my heart of despair to a heart of hope and expectation of what He wants to do and accomplish in Ethiopia.

What if the Lord was able to transform this situation that looks dire for thousands of orphans currently in institutionalized care and instead correct and perfect a system that the enemy would want to destroy? What if Ethiopia intentionally worked through and was able to stop the unethical practices that are occurring and became a model for how to ethically and transparently handle international adoption? What if thousands, if not millions, more orphaned and vulnerable children were able to find permanent, loving homes? What if in thousands of those homes, children were loved by families who were living lives radically submitted to the Lord? What if these children were raised to love the country of their birth and choose in adulthood to return to Ethiopia and use their gifts and talents to further the kingdom in their native land? What could God do?

I don't know, but as the children of Israel did after David prayed the above prayer, I must bless the Lord, bow my head and prostrate myself before the LORD and the King. (1 Chronicles 29:20) Lord, this is my prayer. That you would raise up your people for such a time as this, to humble themselves in prayer before you, asking for Your Highest and Best. Lord, You are the defender of the fatherless, your heart beats for the weak and the vulnerable. Lord, give us hearts that would desire to intercede for those who have no voice and cannot speak for themselves. Psalm 10:18 says, that "But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless." You are their Father (Psalms 68:5). 

Lord, we ask you to work. Give us clean hands and pure hearts that we might approach your throne of grace with confidence and believe that the prayers of a righteous man our powerful and effective! We love you Holy Father. We praise you and thank you for rescuing us from the kingdom of darkness and setting us in the kingdom of light. Give us hearts that would seek you and ask you to do the same in the lives of orphans and vulnerable children living in Ethiopia. We love you and praise you. Amen