Glory to God for Answered Prayers Beyond What We Could Ask or Think

Two days ago God’s grace enabled me to count my many blessings on this blog, even on a day that was very hard for me coming home on a long journey without my son, and could have been quite depressing if my focus had been elsewhere. I thought I would list a few things I was thankful for and ended up with a list of 30 categories of thankfulness! I think I understand a little bit more experientially how Philippians 4:8 relates to v. 4 and v. 6 (“with thanksgiving”), and how deep is God’s peace (v. 7) and contentment (v. 12) through Christ’s strength (v. 13) and sufficiency for all our needs (v. 19-20).

Picking up on the glory of God in v. 20, I hope today’s post will further strengthen and encourage your hearts in our sufficient and sweet Savior I want to magnify and glorify. I don’t want anyone to get the impression that I am some strong person in writing these things – I have experienced many weak moments the last 3 weeks and can easily spiral into bad thinking like anyone else. That’s the reason I’m sharing this today, in hopes that the God who is helping me might help others as I stumble through and find strength from outside myself. It’s a good exercise for our soul to recount and even write down things we are thankful for, and it is also a good exercise to write down how God has answered prayer, so that our souls praise the Lord and forget not what He’s done (Psalm 103:2).

On one of my early blogs I wrote: ‘I hope you will open your Bible and read Ephesians 3:14-21 and pray for us in light of that passage. There will be more new mercies tomorrow morning (and every morning) from our God of immeasurable love who strengthens the inner man and “is able to do exceedingly immeasurably beyond all we ask or think, to Him be the glory.”’

I can tell many have been praying in light of that passage, and I want to thank you and praise our big God for how He has answered those prayers in bigger ways than we prayed. This could easily be an equally long list, but let me just highlight a few ways I want to give glory to God for “answered prayers beyond what we could ask or think”:

On 8/25 (the day I heard my son had died), my wife and I wrote: “For those who have asked how you can help or pray, here is the update for now: 1. Thank God with us for His mercy in so many things, that we want to remember, rehearse to our hearts and our children, and recount for others for the glory of Christ …”

That prayer has been answered already in numerous personal conversations, and in my 9/11 blog, and is happening even as some of you read this, in ways “far beyond what I [could] ask or think” when I first shared that request.

The 2nd prayer request that day: “Pray for God’s manifold grace and purposes in my son’s funeral/burial I will get to be a part of in the Congo next week.”

God’s manifold grace could not have seemed any closer that day than if Jesus Himself in the flesh had His hand on my shoulder. His goodness and mercy were surely following me as I walked through the valley of death. I did not fear, for He was with me, and even the pain from the rod and staff brought comfort, and He not only filled my cup with grace but it overflowed. His purposes (I intentionally used the plural rather than singular in my request) in this process He has been kind enough to reveal some of to me, some of which I was able to record in the 9/10 post below, all of which were “far beyond what I could ask or think.”

The 3rd prayer request: “Pray that I would be of great encouragement to Pastor Didier, his wife Annie, and his family, in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, 7, 11, 15, 2:4, 8, 3:5, 4:7-10, 15-18, 5:7-9, that they would not lose heart in doing good and that God would heal them in every way from the trauma and tragedy of witnessing the loss of one who was a son to them as well … that I would be a good ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20) and to comfort the depressed with my coming (7:6, 8:6-12), that even with the language barrier the love of Christ would come across”

Everyone of those verses were answered in ways beyond what I hoped, beyond what I could ask or think. I had asked elsewhere you to pray for Didier’s health. By God’s grace he said before we left he felt completely healed of malaria, typhoid, and stomach ulcers, and better than he had felt in weeks. In God’s providence, Gabe is a medical professional who was able to administer injections in ways that helped Didier beyond his experiences with local doctors. The even greater spiritual healing I saw in Didier and Annie from the tragic loss of little Mark was worth the trip itself, as I saw hurt replaced with hope and even grief replaced with true joy. Even the “language barrier” itself was a part of the joy as I made them laugh repeatedly at my very bad attempts at French!

My main prayer requests and reasons I came had to do with being at the funeral of my son, to encourage Didier’s family and ministry and to help the adoption of friends … but as Cowper’s hymn says, the clouds were “BIG with mercy and would break with blessings on my head.” We thought we were coming for our reasons but God’s bigger reasons included us having profitable providential meetings with significant people – all of which were not part of our plan but were part of God’s greater one and for the good of many future adoptions.

One of the things I didn’t ask for prayer (or even think to) on this trip, but that Jaime and I still had a desire for, was to adopt another child from the DRC, if God would will and provide the resources and logistics to do so. I knew it was a long-shot that another child would be referred to Didier while I was here for 9 days, much less an adoptable one. Plus being so busy with the Wilmarth’s adoption there probably wouldn’t be time, but I began to pray anyways, while guarding my heart as time was running out with only 2 full days left here. I later found out others were praying as well beyond what I initially could ask or think. In God’s mysterious ways of providence, God opened doors for the possibility of seeing another adoptable boy while in country. I literally sobbed at the thought. My heart broke further when 2 of the leads ended up not working out, and I wasn’t sure how much of the emotional roller coaster I could handle. Within 48 hours of our departure date, God’s providence allowed me to meet a young boy in one of the rare scenarios where he can become adoptable right away!

-his new name is still under negotiations between Phil and Jaime and we are contemplating getting legal representation to help settle the dispute as to what we will call the little fella ;)
-he is 19 months old and incredibly sweet and smart
-he has never known a father before and has lived in extreme poverty
-I got to hold him for about 6 hours the first day, another several hours Wednesday, and when our flight was delayed Thursday, I was happy to spend several more hours bonding with him
-he is already receiving love and care as never before
-We are praying earnestly he will be able to become a part of our family in the months ahead, something beyond what I thought to ask or think for this trip (Eph. 3:20-21) even just a few days earlier. We waited to tell you till we had told our parents and kids, but Jaime and I are pursuing first legal steps to adopt this precious little guy. We treasure your prayers that God would provide in every way this to happen if it is His will and that God would guard our hearts and this whole process, in the merciful providence that we have come to know in deeper and sweeter ways in these days.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way, His Wonders to Perform
He Plants His footsteps on the sea, and rides upon the storm
Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs and works His sovereign will
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face [alternate: faith sees His smiling face]
His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.

It was bitter-sweet leaving last week but I have a renewed vision of the smiling face of God behind the clouds and frowns of life who has worked in His purposes and providence to do amazingly exceedingly “far beyond what I could ask or think, to Him be the glory” (Eph. 3:20-21). I don’t know much more about what the future holds at this point or what the timeline may be, but I know I will “trust Him for His grace.”

He cried when I left last Friday morning and was told he later asked “where’s Papa Phil?” I think Papa Phil cried harder, but this time, tears of joy.