Day 78: Help is on the Way

“I will go before you and level the uneven places; I will shatter the bronze doors and cut the iron bars in two.I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord.I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.” Isaiah 45:2–3

As you have probably figured out by now, many years ago, my sad-eyed, emaciated, almost-always coughing, daughter-to-be Missy was languishing in a Haitian orphanage, completely ignored by caregivers who were afraid of “catching” her HIV.

But today? Today my brave, almost-always laughing girl has more stamps in her passport than most adults. She’s body surfed at Bondi Beach in Australia, gobbled fresh fish and chips in a London pub, hiked a snowy peak in New Zealand, watched a male lion slowly strut past on a South African safari, been baptized at the very same spot in the Jordan River where Scripture depicts Johnny B baptizing Jesus, and rolled her eyes in Edinburgh while I recited what was to her rather boring information about church history!

In little more than the blink of an eye, Melissa Price Harper transformed from ignored to adored, from barely surviving to thriving, from starving to satiated, from trapped to world traveler. And her vibrant transformation is solely due to our Savior’s extravagant grace and mercy—His Spirit opened doors and closed gaps and provided protection and granted favor throughout our adoption journey. God alone made what man said was impossible, possible. Pretty much every time I gaze at my little girl, I’m reminded in a tangible, visceral way that nothing is too difficult for Him!

If you feel like you’re at the end of your rope this season and wonder how in the world you’re going to survive the difficult days still looming, I’m so sorry . . . I know what that feels like. But I’m delighted to report that Jesus really is a Waymaker and there will surely be miracles on the other side of this river of tears you’re currently wading through. I don’t know how He will answer, or if it will look the way you expected. Truth is, it probably won’t! But I know this—it will look just like He planned it to look because His hands are always up to something good. So please hang on, cling to that knot at the end of your rope and don’t you dare let Living Hope slip through your fingers because help is on the way!

• What figurate “bronze doors” or “iron bars” in your past—that you once despaired might be too big for even God to breach or break—did He shatter so that you could walk into the redemptive transformation He had for you?
• What obstacles in your life currently appear insurmountable?
• Think on God’s past ability to make a way for you. In what ways does this memory give you the strength you need to believe He will do it again?