Praying for a Yes

The other night I was sitting between a dear friend and her daughter as we were eating Yummilicious yogurt.   Even though I have known this friend for years, I just met her 14 year old daughter this week. In March, they had adopted this dear child from the Ukraine. For months, our family had been watching our friends’ story unfold and pray that God would work in their adoption.  During the adoption process, the child will meet his or her prospective family and then the child needs to write a letter that they want to be adopted by this family.   The child has a choice on whether he or she wants to be adopted by the prospective family.  He or she has to say yes.   I told my friend’s daughter how I had prayed that she would say yes to my friend and  her family.  She smiled and then looked at her mom and asked what they would have done if she had said no.  My friend replied that they would have waited and asked again until she said yes.  The daughter asked, “Really.”  And my friend replied, “Really.  We knew God wanted you to be our daughter.”

Isn’t that a picture of Jesus?  In Rev. 3:20, it talks about how Jesus is outside the door knocking and wanting us to let him in.  He wants us to say yes.  He is not forcing us to believe in him but waiting for us to choose him.  Just as I prayed for my friend’s daughter to say yes, I need to pray for people I interact with daily to say Yes to the knock on their door.  I am reminded of my need to daily bring them to God in prayer.  I am praying that they will choose to say yes and believe in the one who loves them more than they could ever imagine.

God, You are our salvation.  You are the way, the truth and the life.  I know you are knocking on the door of many of the people I interact with daily in Central Asia.  Work in their lives.  Draw them near to you.  May they say “Yes!!”  May you be glorified in the process.  In your Son’s name, Amen