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Our 'Hope' "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield" (Psalm 33:20). We were driven to our knees time and again as we prayed and waited in hope for the Lord to deliver a healthy Hope, our first granddaughter, from a high-risk pregnancy. The most prayed over baby on the family tree arrived three weeks early, after a few dry runs to the hospital, just before midnight on July 24, 2002. Her father was 900 miles away but tuned in via telephone in one of those modern, family-friendly birthing suites in Richmond, Virginia. Grandmother was present as ad hoc live-in caregiver, photographer and family driver. That amazing lady gave up a night’s sleep to be there for her daughter-in-law and baby and then put heart-melting pictures of beautiful, heaven-sent-Hope on the computers of her son and husband (only 500 miles away), Hope’s dad and granddad, before the break of day. Granddad raced nearly the length of the Blue Ridge Mountains in fog and rain and dad flew back in the night from southwest Florida to greet her at her joyous homecoming two days later. Two real men cried real tears of happiness. It was about eight months ago that Hope made her existence known to this family, just three weeks before Christmas and one week after her dad lost his job in the recession-ridden tech sector of America's economy. It was just five months ago, still fighting despair in the depths of unemployment, that fetal tests revealed a single umbilical artery, with a dreadful list of possible imperfections, and a positive though not foolproof indication of Downs Syndrome. It was then that her prostrate parents called on their only hope and proclaimed this tenuous life would be a testament to their faith in her merciful Creator. Her name would be Hope. It was just three weeks prior to her arrival that her father finally went back to work in a great new job in Florida—a major miracle in its own right—but was forced to leave his expectant wife, Hope in utero and two-year-old son, Logan, behind with the medical specialists in Virginia. Yet in God’s perfect plan it was the best job he had looked at and applied for in the whole high-stress half-year of unemployment. The Ichthus he observed on the company logo at corporate headquarters when he arrived for his interview was like a rainbow in the midst of the storm—a sign that our promise-keeping God is still in charge and a soothing dose of the peace that passes all understanding at such a crucial point. Our gracious God has a way of keeping his chosen ones mindful of his providential care. In his mercy he sanctifies his elect, often in foreordained hardship that works for their good, and so it has been. Hope’s father’s faith has been burnished to a bright glow in this crucible of adversity. Hope’s mother has learned the miracle making power of prayer and the awesome might of legions of intercessory prayer warriors. Hope’s 21-month-old big brother, heretofore getting by with that special non-verbal communication between mother and child, was inspired to begin talking in real words by a loving grandma who moved in and didn’t know his unique language. That same grandmother, who sings God’s praises for miracles in her own life, was called to experience the blessing of mentoring like Naomi and selflessly, cheerfully gave up an open-ended period of her idyllic semi-retirement life in the mountains to work hard for her family in a difficult time. And Hope’s grandfather….well…he was called to be lonesome for a while, the better to ponder undeserved blessings. He wrestled mightily with words long into the night trying to express the inexpressible goodness of their almighty God. He learned that standing by and being a prayer warrior for his progeny is harder than being an air warrior, and he marveled in gratitude beyond words at God’s great gift of family, the divinely designed nuclear unit modeled after the unsurpassed love within the triune God. Such was the amazing accomplishment of one unborn baby used by God to bless those she would come to know and love. The whole family felt a merciful LORD’s unfailing love resting upon them as they put their Hope in his hands and their hope in him (Ps. 33:22), and we give him all the praise and honor and glory.
Blessed are those who are called to glorify God with less than our perfect
Hope.
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