The Lord gives and the Lord takes away...Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Psalm 34:17-19 (ESV)

  The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

  And delivers them out of all their troubles.

  The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

  And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

  Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

  But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

I briefly mentioned in a recent post some details of what has been happening in our lives these past three to four weeks.

Long story short, my husband and I have been trying to adopt for several years.  We got word about four weeks ago that we had been "picked" by a birth mother who was due in three weeks.

As much as I would have loved for this child to be the newest addition to our family, God had another plan - a plan that yielded many tears, yet one we believe and trust has been ordained by His hand and, therefore, for our good. (Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.)  NKJV

God never promised us a pain-free life.  But over and over He states through His Word that He wants to carry our burdens.  He wants us to come to Him in prayer and pour out our hearts.

Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you..." and,

1 Peter 5:7 says, "...casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." (ESV, emphasis added)

Matthew Henry states in his commentary on Psalm 55:22:

"Care is a burden; it makes the heart stoop (Proverbs 12:25); we must cast it upon God by faith and prayer, commit our way and works to Him; let Him do as seemeth Him good, and we will be satisfied.  To cast our burden upon God is to stay ourselves on His providence and promise and to be very easy in the assurance that all shall work for good.  If we do so, it is promised...That He will sustain us, both support and supply us, will Himself carry us in the arms of His power, as the nurse carries the sucking-child, will strengthen our spirits so by His Spirit as that they shall sustain the infirmity.  He has not promised to free us immediately from that trouble which gives rise to our cares and fears; but He will provide that we be not tempted above what we are able, and that we shall be able according as we are tempted."  Henry, Matthew (2010).  Unabridged Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (best Kindle navigation) (Kindle Locations 105983-105989), OSNOVA.  Kindle Edition.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers throughout this whole situation and for kind words of encouragement.  

Most of all, I would like to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for never leaving nor forsaking us, sustaining us through trials, deepening our faith, girding us up these past months with excellent teaching on the providence of God, (Pastor Carl Robbins, Woodruff Road PCA) and countless other specific ways He has been faithful and merciful to my family and me. 

May God be glorified in all things.