Psalm 31

Early this morning I was reading my Bible and praying through part of Psalm 31 when I was struck by some scripture. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. (9) Immediately I thought of Cherie. http://reecesrainbow.org/1633/cherie She has lost vision due to a shunt failure. So has Mary Ellen. http://reecesrainbow.org/68522/mary-ellen Mary Ellen is in distress and her soul and body are grieving. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. I wondered how many years Cherie and Mandy would wait, groaning? http://reecesrainbow.org/9351/mandy4106 Think of the older children waiting, confined to a crib; when will their strength fail? Is Reign's “affliction” cerebral palsy... or is it loneliness? http://reecesrainbow.org/59331/reign We all have heard stories about how years of malnutrition and crib life weaken a child's bones. Cherie is often in a crib or stroller. Are her bones growing weak? How about Denzel? http://reecesrainbow.org/65205/denzel His old picture showed his heartbreakingly skinny legs. Is he getting enough food in his tube? How much time is he allowed to be out of his crib, let alone getting therapy that will help maintain or strengthen his bone density? Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends—those who see me on the street flee from me. (11) I have heard stories of children with craniofacial differences who are adopted. When they are adopted, their own people avoid their new families. I know one family was advised to stay in their hotel room because bias against their daughters caused some sort of complaint against them. I have heard that children have been spit at, and I've heard that they are considered cursed by their own parents. Is that what people in their country think about Cherie and Mandy? Is Keagan treated like he is a curse? http://reecesrainbow.org/81957/keagan I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. (12) Have Cherie and Mandy been forgotten? How about Clarice? http://reecesrainbow.org/32799/clarice She is so much more than a broken dish. A broken and forgotten human being is still the image of the Father. For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life. (13) Imagine being an orphan in a time of war. Ernie was formerly located in a region where there was unrest, but now he is available again because he was relocated. http://reecesrainbow.org/44061/ernie God has not forgotten him. This is his miraculous second chance to find a family. Now his family needs to act. I kept reading to look at the rest of the psalm, to see the path that God might set before Cherie, Mandy and others if He rescues them as he did David (the psalmist): But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” (14) I need to trust in God and His timing for when my family can adopt. I need to trust in Him to find a family for Cherie and for Mandy. I don't know if Trudy and Tristan know to trust Him, but I do know that the Lord is their God as well. http://reecesrainbow.org/54397/trudy http://reecesrainbow.org/54394/tristan I know that he is their hope of rescue and salvation. So is the family that He will call to be His hands and feet, to go to them, to rescue them, to free them, to bring him home. My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. (15) He has a plan for Cherie and for Mandy. He has a plan for Abram, too. I do not know how much time Abram has.... http://reecesrainbow.org/79598/abram-2 I do know that his Father holds that time in His hands; I do not know who will be the Father's hands and feet and become an earthly father and mother to a fragile little boy who needs to learn the love that they and his heavenly Father have for him. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. (16) God wants to save Cherie and Mandy. He wants to save them all. His face shines on Rachel. http://reecesrainbow.org/83258/rachel His face shines on Dewey. http://reecesrainbow.org/79470/dewey He wants them all to come home. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. (24)