Pregnancy Dream

Last week I dreamt I was suddenly about six months pregnant. Not sure how that happened but the weird part was that my belly was transparent and I could see my baby clearly. The remarkable part of the dream was the emotions I experienced. I was ecstatic. I was SO happy to learn of a baby growing inside that all I could do was hold my belly and smile and talk to my baby. I was so hopeful and happy but with an apparent tinge of worry that all would remain healthy and well until delivery. Then it occured to me that I only have a few months to decide where I would give birth and who would be my attendant.

I'm still holding out for this miracle someday while at the same time greatly anticipating the arrival of our adopted children. Recently I decided I would be like the persistent widow in the parable told by Jesus that illustrated to his disciples that they should always pray and not give up. In the story, a widow kept going to the house of a judge with a plea that he grant her justice against her adversary. The judge did not respect or honor God nor did he care what others thought so for a while he kept turning the widow away. Finally, only because the widow had become so bothersome the judge decided to give her what she asked for so that she would just leave him alone.

Jesus used this as an illustration to demonstrate that if an unjust judge grants justice why would God not bring justice to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? He will not keep putting them off. He will make sure they get what they ask for.

At the end of this parable Jesus says, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" Everytime I read this parable I felt this last line was out of place because I couldn't see how it applied to the story. However recently I realized that it must be there for a reason and so I feel I may have discovered why he said that. I realize that we demonstrate our faith in God when we ask him for things that seem impossible to us and to the world and culture in which we live. I believe he wants us to ask and to keep asking because it shows Him that we really believe Him; that we take him at his word; that we believe he not only can do what we ask but he actually wants to and will if we choose to trust him for it. As soon as we turn to other means and other ways, thereby putting our hope in other things, we are saying to God that we don't think he can or will do it.

So I've decided to continually cry out to God for this. Believing that he is able to do what he promised. Just like Abraham did: "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, 'So shall our offspring be.' Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about a hundred years old - and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that Go had power to do what he had promised."