His photo was taped to my computer monitor at work and to the refrigerator door at home—a three-year-old boy with olive skin, black hair, deep brown eyes, and a dimple above each cheek. He was a child of God with no earthly mama or baba to call his own, and I wanted so badly for him to be ours.
I’ve said that adoption feels as miraculous as childbirth, a million little pieces that must fall perfectly into place for that blessed homecoming to occur. It seemed all but impossible in the beginning—too much paperwork, too much money, too many unknowns. And then there was his heart. This image-bearer was created by God with a very special heart, one that somehow managed to channel blood throughout his small frame despite missing some very important vessels. He’s been a miracle from the start.
Somewhere in those early days of wondering if this beautiful, brokenhearted boy could be our son, I read a passage from Isaiah 41 that made my own heart beat loud and fast.
“I am the LORD, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them…
I will open rivers on the barren heights, and springs in the middle of the plains.
I will turn the desert into a pool and dry land into springs…
So that all may see and know, consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it” (Isaiah 41:17–18,20).
I taped those words to my computer monitor, right next to that dimpled smile. It was a promise from God to His people, and it became my prayer in the joy and hope and helplessness of the days and months ahead.
Lord, do what we cannot. Be who we cannot. Create vessels where there are none, and a road home for this boy of ours, if indeed he’s ours. Create what only you can create, as only You can. May all who see it know that You and You alone bring life and hope.
Psalm 119:89 says that God’s Word is forever, “firmly fixed in heaven.” But the concept of an unbreakable thing is difficult to understand when you yourself are broken. The idea that something lasts forever feels like fiction when the world we live in is filled with people, places, and promises that fade. But God’s Word is both unbreakable and everlasting. Tethering my heart to it changes the way I walk through this wounded, temporary world. So, I grabbed hold of that Isaiah passage, and I still haven’t let it go.
Our son did come home, despite all the obstacles. And after his first heart catheterization here, the surgeon showed us images we’d prayed for, but never dreamed we’d see: vessels where there once were none, tangible hope created from nothing. But would God have been good if that catheterization had found nothing new, no surgical path forward? A resounding, Yes. Because our hope is not in healed hearts or an oasis planted in the desert; our hope is in the One who speaks arteries and myrtle trees into existence, whose Word never fades or fails, even when our bodies most certainly will.
Those verses I stared at day after day in that season—the same ones I clung to by his hospital bed in the year that followed—do not guarantee an outcome. They guarantee God’s goodness. He is bigger than outcomes, even when our circumstances shift and our hearts ache. We can trust the God who makes all things new.
Leave a Reply
76 thoughts on "Your Word Is Forever"
Thank you lord for everything every day for I don’t have to be here.
Amen!
That’s so beautiful. I only hope to develop that maturity in my faith someday.
Amen ❤️
Exactly what I needed today ❤️
This was such water to my heart! His Word! His Promise! Is forever settled in Heaven! Forever! It can not be altered or changed! Thank you, Lord for sealing your word. So good! So good!
My soul needed this today! This past week has been very emotionally and physically challenging for me. I just moved back to college in the midst of COVID and was recently rejected from my school’s nursing program. I have been feeling lost and out of control. I have been praying that God opens new doors for me filled with new people and opportunities that allow me to grow. Isaiah 41:17-18 provided me with comfort; “I am the LORD, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them…I will open rivers on the barren heights, and springs in the middle of the plains…” This is my reassurance that God will always be by my side and that he does have a better plan for my life.
Praise God who never changes and stays fixed so that, no matter how we wander, we can always find our way to him. Beautiful reading today.
Amen!!
Amen
Thank you Amy G and Lauren G for sharing the tribulations that your loved ones are facing in relation to the Navy. I also have a close loved one who I struggling with mental health and is currently deployed. After loosing a fellow comrade a couple weeks ago, he is is a dark place and seems to only look forward to the isolation he can immerse himself in when his deployment is over. He is not religious but has reached out to me in attempts to understand more about why I cling to the lord and why he is my lifeline. I pray that God strengthens his tether to Him and draws him closer so that he may know his heart and learn of his promises. I pray continuously that the Lord will speak through me and that I may be an obedient vessel in this time of change.
My soul definitely needed this today! With everything happening around the world, we know God is with us and he leaves no one behind.
The verses from Isaiah 41 are a beautiful reminder of what God can do. I’m praying these verses over COVID-19 – Praying that He will take this virus away and bring healing for our land “so that all may see and know, consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this.” Just like the devotional said though, “these verses don’t guarantee an outcome. They guarantee God’s goodness.” I’m praying that God brings healing. But even if He chooses to wait, He is still good.
Amen
This was so good. Thank you.
I’m reading this and in awe of God… how timely He used your words to soothe my heart. We are pursuing adoption right now of a boy with the same features as your son… the pandemic has put a halt to our adoption, he has medical needs and my heart aches for him to be home. Some days are painful because we don’t know the end, and if he’ll be okay. I so need daily to be reminded that God ultimately is my shelter and strength and only His word do I put my hope and trust.
This reading is so timely for me and my family…I love the devotional thought by Amanda and the sincerity in it. Thank you for these touching words of encouragement.
So much of this resonates this morning. Thank you for pointing me to the passage in Isaiah. I have written my own prayer from it for my marriage. Lifting all the prayer requests up today!
This was so good for my soul today
God works in all things. He can redeem and make beautiful even the most painful or unexpected outcomes…..
Thank you for this lovely reflection Amanda
Bigger than outcomes! Amen!
Loved this today. I am currently in heart surgery recovery and it just rested so perfectly with me.
I can think of one guaranteed outcome – salvation!!!
“Because our hope is not in healed hearts or an oasis planted in the desert; our hope is in the One who speaks arteries and myrtle trees into existence, whose Word never fades or fails, even when our bodies most certainly will.”. Yes, yes, and YES! I cannot express how deeply those words touched me today. Sometimes we get so caught up in the outcome of our prayers being evidence of God’s goodness or of him hearing us, but we lose sight of his goodness regardless of the outcome.
❤️
I think this is my favorite day so far. So many good pointers! So many times in my life I’ve clung to Gods word thinking it’ll bring promises of good things to come, not focusing on the fact that whatever the outcome, God is the one who is consistently good. I especially loved the prayer – create a road home for this child if he’s ours. My husband and I want to adopt from foster care. My husband was adopted that way and it’s on our hearts to do the same. Once I’m done with school we will hopefully have kids but even if we can’t adopt for whatever reason, God is GOOD! All the time.
May D, the same resonated with me. The Word doesn’t guarantee an outcome, it guarantees God’s goodness!! I needed that reassurance more than I ever realized today.
Psalm 51:10. He is our hope,
“The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst.I will answer them.I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them.”Isaiah 41:17
Absolutely Beautifully Spoken, God’s Word is Forever & Ever more! Oh how I love Him❣️
Lauren G, I can definitely relate. When my husband returned from deployment with the navy at the beginning of the year, I knew something was off but figured it was just the initial transition of it all. I had no idea he’d still be battling the mental stress to this day. His rate is a demanding one, and I’d hoped deployment would allow for his faith to be strengthened but instead it’s deteriorated. I feel like until he gets his mind right, he won’t be able to heal spiritually from the depression and mind-numbing behaviors he’s exhibited off and on as a result. While it’s still a struggle for him (and us), we’re learning to manage it better. Unfortunately I can’t imagine having to manage while raising children and working. I’m a nurse but am currently unemployed. This is a difficult time because getting back to normal isn’t really an option right now. Know that you’re not alone in what you’re facing though. Many of the wives I’ve befriended whose husbands have come home from deployment have shared very similar concerns. It’s a process and one that only God can see through. I’m just trying to do my part in all of it by recognizing that’s it’s not about me and seeking to love him well even when it’s hard. Prayers for you.
❤️
Churchmouse I add my prayer to yours for Lauren G. It is a beautiful prayer. I grew up a Naval officer’s daughter, married one too. Lauren, I hope you don’t mind I passed your prayer request to my husband as well. We love and honor you, your husband and family. It was hard enough in our day…I can’t I imagine how much more difficult it is right now.
Amen Churchmouse.
LAUREN: My heart goes out to you and your husband in this spiritual battle connected to his military service. I pray the Lord will guide you to a biblical helps that is full of grace and truth. Perhaps you are already aware of this organization, but I thought in case you aren’t, I’d alert you to them. I heard about FALLEN SOLDIERS MARCH through the Biblical Counseling Coalition. Curtis Solomon who leads the BCC, I believe, is a former soldier, so he has a special place in his heart for you all. He has done interviews and there have been articles written about this organization on the BCC website. Here is the web address for Fallen Soldiers March: http://www.fallensoldiersmarch.com/. I pray the Lord will bring to you springs of water in the midst of your wilderness, the Living Water of Jesus Christ!
Lauren G,
Praying for you and your family. My heart is tender towards military families because of the selfless sacrifices you all make for our collective benefit. Praying for comfort and peace for your husband and that the resources he needs become quickly available. Praying for strength for you and that others would rally around you to be Jesus with skin on. Praying protection for all of your family – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. May you feel God’s presence and may the Holy Spirit empower you to persevere. May there be daily times of rest and moments of joy to encourage you. Praying sweet laughter returns to your home. Hugs and many many prayers from here to where you are.
Yes and amen!
❤️
I am reminded in Isaiah that this life, my life, will fade away. Only the Word of the Lord will remain forever, firmly fixed. I am taken back to the day I realized that all along the Bible has been about God and who He is. He is the creator and will be the victor. He is the beginning and end. The Alpha and Omega. When the miracle isn’t happening, and the circumstances are unchanging, Lord remind me of the Kingdom view. You will make all things new.
Loved the passage from Isaiah. It really spoke to me right now as I’m waiting to hear back from a grad school interview, hoping I get in! I’ve been praying for god to open the right doors, and I think these verses would be great to pray in addition to that. I’m also hoping if it doesn’t work out, that god will gently comfort me and remind me that he is still good even when my circumstances shift and my heart aches. I can trust the god who makes all things new!!
“He is bigger than outcomes, even when our circumstances shift and our hearts ache. We can trust the God who makes all things new.”
I love this so much! Thank you for your words this morning Amanda!
We can trust the God that makes all things new!
Amen!!
This really spoke to me today. Without getting into all the details, it’s been a really tough year. My husband just returned from deployment with the Navy and is in a mental health crisis. It’s harder to manage than when he was gone- I’m managing 2 small kids, trying to normalize this for them while I’m breaking inside, manAging a very busy job as a healthcare worker, and now all his unpredictability. I love him and have compassion for what he is going through, but it’s wearing me down. The mental health resources that need to be there aren’t. It feels like there is no path forward, and Covid is really limiting our normal outlets.
But God promises that he will make water flow in the desert! He will stay true to his promises, even when it feels hopeless
Lauren, I will keep you and your family in my prayers.
Lauren G I will be praying for your husbands peace, and for your wisdom and strength. This is a powerful message today. Tape those verse all over your home! God will bring you water in the deserts of life.
I was in tears reading this Amanda! So thankful that God chose your family to be this little boys mommy and daddy. God is so good! And in one of your podcast I remember hearing about one of his trips to the hospital. Such a testimony to all of us that God is in control!  I love how you ended our devotional this morning such truth. YES, He is bigger then our outcomes, even when our circumstances shift and her heart aches. Yes Amanda, we trust the God Who makes all things new! I am so moved by this. Thank you.
“Yes. Because our hope is not in healed hearts or an oasis planted in the desert; our hope is in the One who speaks arteries and myrtle trees into existence, whose Word never fades or fails, even when our bodies most certainly will” What good words Amanda. So thankful for God’s provision for your little boy. He is faithful and so good even when we don’t see the answers we hope for He is working in it all for our good. Angie thank you for sharing praying for your 3 little heart loved grandsons in Tanzania and your son who longed to have them in his family. Our hope does not change because He does not change. Thank you Tina for your words too. I have learned to trust Him more and I know if my heart and mind remember He is the Way I do not have to dwell in what I believe should happen but can turn to see what Jesus is doing. His streams in my dessert and feeding/loving of my soul. Praise God who brings His peace in our trials and light for our path. Thankful.
KELLI KAIN – you and your husband are in my prayers. Twice in my marriage (now of 37 years) things were difficult enough that I wanted to give up. My husband was the strong one – an instance where stubbornness was very good. I am so thankful. We had mature, godly mentors who helped us battle against the evil that was attacking our marriage and not against each other. I am praying for God to bring His guidance near to both of you and for the tenacity you both need to honor Him. Every situation is different. There are no pat answers except that, God is good and we can trust Him. He loves you.
ASHLEY WHITE – That desire to draw closer to God was put in your heart by Him! He is drawing you! He loves you beyond measure. Isn’t that just so assuring and amazing! The passion, the desire, starts with Him!
RACHEL BRASINGTON – May the giver of life prepare you mentally and physically for the birth of your child at home. May He go before, be with you during, and continue as your little family adjusts to another family member. Blessings.
STACEY WILSON – Thank you for your work for Christ. May He Spirit fill you and may He provide His people to hold up your arms during this time.
LEHUA – There is so much fear that surrounds the fringes of this illness. I remember trusting…with an underlying sense of anxiety as we waited for results. I remember the elation when my results came first and were negative. The knowing (because he was really sick)…and confirmation when my husband’s result was positive. Hour by hour, minute by minute dependency on God to guide and protect. He was-He is faithful. My strength did not fight the battle nor my husband’s – it was through Jesus Christ our Lord alone. Praying for your minute by minute peace and provision from our Father.
JANE, ANGELA, LIZZIE, ASHLEY, ALL MY FELLOW TEACHERS AND SCHOOL STAFF – I pray…God, go before us. God be our strength and shield. It seems overwhelming. Calm our fears. Renew our spirits. Father, we trust you. May the glory, honor, and praise be yours alone! It feels overwhelming ladies but, we are not alone. God’s got this! God’s got this! God’s got this! When I am afraid…I will trust in Him, in God whose Word I trust!
Needed this reminder today – God’s Word is firmly fixed forever! We don’t need to fear, God is still in control and will be forever!
Verse 92!! Gracious! How many times would I have given up if not for God’s word anchoring me in my purpose and my call.
God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
God states he will not abandon us. I believe him and I trust him. My girls are waiting and hoping to see how this school year will look. God is good and he will not abandon us and no matter what this year looks like God will be in each day that he creates for us and he is Good. My Hope is that My girls, Husband, and I will not just look at the school year but look to each day knowing he hasn’t abandon us and he is in this with us.
I pray that “all may see and know, consider, and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy one of Israel has created”(Isaiah 41:20) what he sees to create in this Uncertain Season.
God IS GOOD!
❤️
Amen❤️
Such refreshing words for the soul to start this week. I’ve really been lacking in my daily devotions, and I have seen its effects on my general wellbeing. Last week I didn’t do a single devotion and I felt so sad and burdened all week. This morning I woke up to a beautiful sunrise, worked out with my best friend, and now here I am back at SRT. So thankful for this sacred space. I prayed last night that God would fill me with a desire to seek His word out and this is exactly what I needed to start my week. Praying that I continue to “tether my heart” to His word, His promises, and His goodness <3
When I read the verses in Isaiah, I also thought immediately about 3 little boys who own a place in my heart. These 3 little boys were to be my grandchildren. Faithfully, fervently we prayed. We did everything. The waiting is long. The emotions, a roller-coaster. I never held them but, I love them. My son did hold them. He did/does love them. I am so thankful for the verses in Isaiah. Because when the adoption doesn’t happen, it is only the foundation of Who God is and His heart that offers hope. It is the truth that He will not abandon-He will provide and turn the desert into a pools, and the dry ground into springs-He will give life where there was only death. The wounds are deep. The scars, still visible. God’s word promises, “Heal me and I will be healed, save me and I will be saved, for You are my praise.” We trust His healing. We trust His saving.
What if we had never opened our hearts? There certainly would have been less pain, and less depth. Except…, what if because we did love, because of the wounds, because of the scars, because of the prayers, 3 little boys, (and maybe even their biological daddy), will one day learn to know Jesus as LORD and Savior? We don’t know the what-ifs, no can we. We do know…there are 3 little boys, in the country of Tanzania, who have an adopted grandmother’s heart in the states who loves them and prays for Jesus to take care of them and draw them to Him as His own. The wounds and scars have had a rippling effect, they are deep. But I trust God’s Word is true. It is where the hope lives. He is faithful. He is trustworthy. He is dependable. He loves.
I am so very thankful for stories like Amanda’s where the adoption happened. So very thankful for little lives that are saved both physically and brought into families that will teach them about the kingdom of God. At the same time, I am desperately holding on to the confidence in my God and Father’s love for 3 special boys across the ocean, my son and daughter-in-law, and even me.
Amen!!! This is so good! May we all hold on through tears and heartache, but hold on still.
So beautifully said, even through the pain. Thank you for sharing
I am weary of the commentators, those who share opinions over reporting facts. News programs shouldn’t be called “the news.” They should be called “our interpretation of the news.” So much of what we’re told is slanted toward an ideology or spun so as to produce a desired outcome, regardless of the truth. I smile when I read in today’s verses that “I have more insight than all my teachers” and “I understand more than the elders.” God’s Word is Truth and meditation on it brings insight. Obedience to the Word brings understanding. I can discern the false from the true. The Word alone is “firmly fixed in heaven.” It alone is trustworthy. It is timeless and established for all generations. It is not fickle or subject to the whims of this world. Who needs a commentator when I have the very One who is all Truth?
Great comment.
Yes, I cannot even watch the national/cable news. It is like propaganda not news. Satan is alive and in plain sight, too many do not see.
Wonderful powerful encouraging words for a fearful time….not abandoned!
Being reminded that people are like grass and will fade, yet the word of the Lord will stand, is powerful. I don’t like being faced with my weakness, yet it is reality. There is nothing else apart from God and His Word that is a sure foundation. All will pass away. May I turn to this sure foundation, Lord, rather than lesser things!
Yes, amen!! I pray the same!! May we hold onto the word even more than the way we hold on to our lives! He is true and steadfast and as sure as the ground itself.
For Dorothy, I want to encourage you about your carpal tunnel surgery. I had both hands done a few years ago, 4 weeks apart, my dominant hand last. It was enough time between. Was worth it! I will be praying for quick healing and a spirit of peace to surround you.
Thank you for sharing, Tina! God uses you ladies to encourage my heart just as much from the comments as from the day’s reading. But God!
I loved the first verse today….firmly fixed. What a comfort it has been to open God’s word during this time and know the words are firmly fixed truths from our God. So much….or all…of what we watch and listen to is slanted and bias to make us think or feel a certain way
Amen! Wonderful words and insight.
Amen!!!!
Amen. Thank You, Father. ❤
As I sit here humbled with a full heart, all I could say and feel is Amen. Thank you Lord.
Yes! Amen.
All I can say is amen Amanda and amen Tina, I need say no more.
Amanda, this is beautiful! And full of truth, and so faith filled, hope-filled and so God honouring, Thank you..
I hear you, I feel you, and I know through my different experience of God and how so true His Word and promises are forever..
It so is ALL about Him, the creator God, who, loves us so much that He leaves no stone unturned, even when we physically can not see it, who makes a way when all we can see is thick fog and woods, a Father God whose heart is for us, not only when ours is breaking, but also in our joys and all manner of state of our hearts.
But God..
Dear Wonderful Loving God..
As I am reminded of the words from Daniel’s three friends as they faced the inferno that was so so hot that it took out the guards who were standing nearby,
“If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will. But even if he doesn’t, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.”
Daniel 3:17-18 GNT
If I could highlight my favourite part of these verses it would be .”..BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN’T..”
You know, as I approach the autumn of my life, I have come to realise it truly isn’t what God can do for me, so much as Who God is to me..
I know He loves me, I know that He covers me in ALL things , I know I am His through and through even when.., i know He will never leave me nor abandon me, i know deep in my heart that ,If Hes done it then, He will do it again… when..
I know my God ( though He knows me better)
I trust my God, there are moments of doubt and tantrums, i will not lie, But God..
I have Hope in my God and His Word, they truly and absolutely will never fail me.
His Word, His truth sustains me whatever the road.
Stop babbling Tina, just say.. God, has been speaking since the beginning of time.. He still speaks today in our hearts, in our lives, from the Bible.. and He will tomorrow, to the next generation and the next generation…
His Word is forever..
I just remembered this “His Word, my hope secures, He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.. (from the hymn Amazing Grace).
Amen.
Happy Monday everyone!❤
I love this, Tina. You say it so perfectly…life has taught us all that God alone is our constant. In all the hills and valleys He walks with us, carries us, and never, ever leaves us. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. ❤️