Big, Big Prayer Request

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, December 21.

By Andrew McChesney

W

hen you pray to God, do you ever ask for something that is very, very big? Do you ever ask for something that is so big that it seems impossible to get?

Someone prayed for a sick relative.

Someone prayed for a personal problem.

Then Joy, who was leading the prayer meeting, said she had a big, big prayer request.

The request was from a mother who had one child and was expecting a second. But the mother wouldn’t be able to care for the new baby.

“She is asking for prayers to find a father and mother who would be willing to adopt the baby after he is born,” Joy said.

Two people at the prayer meeting immediately looked at each other.

Those same two people immediately said, “Joy, we need to talk to you after the prayer meeting.”

Those two people were a married couple named Frank and Robin. They didn’t have any children of their own, and they had longed to have a child for a very long time.

After the prayer meeting, Frank and Robin talked with Joy.

“We are interested in adopting the child,” Robin said.

“Yes, we are,” Frank agreed.

Joy promised that she would give Frank and Robin’s contact information to the mother. She cautioned, however, that one or two other sets of parents also were interested in adopting the baby.

Frank and Robin prayed. Joy prayed. The people from the church prayer meeting prayed.

Joy told the mother about Frank and Robin and, a day or two later, the mother called them on the phone.

After talking, the mother decided that she would like to meet Frank and Robin in person.

That evening, they met at a restaurant and talked some more.

Frank and Robin prayed. Joy prayed. The people from the church prayer meeting prayed.

The next day, the mother called. She said she wanted a certain kind of parents for her baby. She wanted the parents to be married, she wanted both of the parents to have jobs, and she wanted the parents not to have any other children.

Frank and Robin were married, both Frank and Robin had jobs as nurses, and Frank and Robin didn’t have any other children. In fact, they didn’t have any children at all.

The mother said she had decided that Frank and Robin would be the best parents for her baby.

Frank and Robin were so happy! It looked like God was answering their big, big prayer.

The final step was the hardest. The mother was an Alaska Native, and Native leaders had to agree to the adoption. In Alaska, the law says Alaska Native children can only be adopted by other Alaska Native families.

But Frank and Robin were not Alaska Natives. In fact, when they had first moved to Bethel to work as nurses, they had thought about adopting a child. But when they had learned about the law, they had given up hope.

Now, however, they could adopt the baby if the Alaska Native leaders agreed. Frank and Robin prayed. Joy prayed. The people from the church prayer meeting prayed.

When the mother told the Alaska Native leaders about her desire for Frank and Robin to be the parents of her baby, they agreed immediately.

“If that is what you want, we will honor your desire,” they said.

Frank and Robin were thrilled! The big, big prayer request had been answered.

Robin was in the delivery room when little Caleb was born, and she took him home from the hospital.

When Caleb was 5 months old, the adoption was finalized. Frank officially became Caleb’s father, and Robin officially became his mother.

Today, Caleb is an energetic 9-year-old boy. He loves his parents, he loves God, and he loves going to the church where God heard the big, big prayer request.

Part of your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter that will help share God’s love through Caleb’s church in Bethel, Alaska. Thank you for planning a generous offering next Sabbath.