God's Call to "Maintain Justice"

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

only a day for a man to humble himself?

Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed

and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the LORD ?
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

when you see the naked, to clothe him,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness [a] will go before you,

and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness

and your night will become like the noonday.

Isaiah 58:5-10

The reasons for adopting are numerous and difficult to include in just one post. The reasons listed in this post go far deeper than simply wanting a larger family because I think they are more fun. It goes to the heart...my heart and also Barry's. It is a yearning to know and understand the heart and love of God and do something that doesn't come easy for me: to love another. I know God loves me and I have to continually preach that to myself throughout the day and life in general, but I certainly do not understand "how high, or deep, or long or wide His love is for me." I wish I did. If I did understand, life would definitely be different and my reaction to life would be different too!

God loved us even when we were not His own. By that I mean of the chosen Israelite heritage. He adopted us in and made us His. In Hosea, God says, "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one.."

In a sense, we are calling Melina "our own" and "our loved one" though she is not "ours".

And so, we desire to "loose the chains of injustice, to feed her, to clothe her, to shelter her, and to love her" .

I long that through this adoption of "Melina" that God would fill our family's heart with such a deep love for her, though she is not flesh of my flesh, and that we would all be nearer to God, and the understanding of His great love for us. Also, by doing so, we are bringing in one who was "outside" into our covenant family, into the wonderful covenant blessings that will also belong to her. I pray that she would grow up to know and understand also how great the Father's love is for her and desire to serve Him.

Do you hear the change in tone or see the light getting brighter as you read the above passage at verse 8. It is so hopeful and exciting and I love it. God has used this passage more than any other to encourage me in our process. When I have wondered through this long wait if I am doing the "right thing", I read this and say, "Yes! This is the heart of God and I long to know it!"