Sleep the night before travel....hmmmm

We travel in about 18 hours.  I was thinking about going to bed, but than I saw the packing that was occurring on the bed and realized that sleep, at least on the bed, might still be hours away.  It's possible that my couch might be calling my name soon. And maybe I'll be too excited to fall asleep ( I like to use the word excited instead of anxious).

I continue to be floored by the continued acts of kindness that are shown to us.  I never knew how blessed my family was to have so many people who show us love.  God has truly opened his floodgates on us and He has used so many people to meet us at our point of need every step of the way. 

 I love how David Platt, author of Radical, comments on the story of Jericho found in Joshua 6.  I don't have it memorized, but it goes something like this...  When God gave Joshua His battle plans for the defeat of Jericho, God gave the following instructions:

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.  Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.  When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in." Joshus 6: 2-5

What?  That's our great battle plan? Marching around the city? Blowing horns?  And then the final death blow is a loud shout? But Joshua followed God's instruction and his army was successful.  It begs the question, with so many options to defeat the enemy, why did God choose marching, trumpets and a loud shout? (If this were the key to destruction my house would have been reduced to rubble by my two sons years ago....)

As with many of the stories in the Bible that we find to be hard to believe, it was meant to be that way.  God designs so many of His stories to reflect His glory, not the glory of man.  If the walls of Jericho had tumbled by normal military strength and tactics it would be easy to give the military leaders and the soldiers all the credit.  But when the marching, the trumpeting, and the shouting did it, only God could receive the glory for what had happened.  It is why Jesus was born of a virgin in very humble circumstances...only God should receive the credit.

So what does this have to do with a blog about getting a baby in China?  Well, we are not going to march, trumpet, and shout and miraculously end up in China (although if God wanted to make it happen I'd take it over the hours and hours of flight.  I don't blow a trumpet well, but can you imagine the stairs from the neighbors???? They already think I'm strange.) 

Here is where I see the connection of that story to ours.  When we look at how God has orchestrated this story and made everything happen when it needed to and prompted others to step in and help when it was needed and how each "problem" that has come up has had a quick and easy solution and when, well you get the point.  This five year story that has been in the making for 12 years (and really in the making  since the beginning of time) can only be a story of God. Man could not have accomplished all that has been accomplished.  Just like God brought down the walls of Jericho, He has brought Baby Bo to us....

Alright, that might be a little dramatic, but you get the point. All to the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom...

Prayers

God, we still need you to take care of all of the other prayers already listed on here...
God, give my parents the energy, wisdom, and patience that they need to take care of two boys for 2 weeks...
God, give Nicole's parents the peace that all is well and allow them to return safely from their trip to meet their granddaughter...
God, continue the work that I know that you have begun in Baby Bo's heart so that, when we meet, she will somehow know that we were meant to be her parents just like we believe that she was meant to be our daughter...
God, be with my basketball team and the coaches as they seek to use the talents you have given them to bring glory and honor to you....and help them to victory...you know how hard that was for me today...bless them, please...
God, I'll admit that this is a selfish one, but I ask for not just safe travel, but peaceful travel as well.  I particularly pray for our trip home and, well to be honest, as little crying as possible.  And, if that's not the case, give Nicole and I the peace, patience, and understanding to make our way through it...
God, continue to work in this story so that you are glorified in all that happens...
God, encourage those who have come to us with comments like, "My wife and I have talked about that...." to follow your lead...

Thank you in advance for working all things for good!  We claim the promise of Romans 8:28.

Next time I write it will be from somewhere in China.....I hope.

UPDATE:  4:12 am and been awake since 3:00 or so....answer, no sleep before travel....