I literally couldn’t be more thrilled about this needed edition of the Bible! So I’m leaning in with Evie Polsley, a member of the Bible team at Tyndale House Publishers, where she helps provide resources to people of all ages who want to better understand the Bible and apply it to their lives. Though Evie adores those who are genetically similar to her, her love of family stretches far beyond the limits of bloodlines, as she loves getting to know brothers and sisters around the world who are all part of the family of God. It’s a wild delight to welcome Evie to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Evie Polsley

So, we have a 15-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old daughter—and lots of heartbreak in between. After our oldest daughter was born, we struggled silently with infertility. After several miscarriages, we surrendered our dreams to God and became content with the family God had generously blessed us with. When the miraculous gift of our younger daughter came, I thought all the pain would vanish—but it was there, waiting under the surface.

We limit the beauty of family when we think of it as an unrealistic ideal.

It is rare when I talk about our family not to have someone comment on their age differences. At first when I heard the words, all the pain of loss would flood over me. I would fake smile and make a funny comment while inside I was filled with grief and wondered “why can’t we just be a normal family?”

Looking back, I realize those thoughts were my pain, my loss trying to find an escape.

Do I feel a little frustration every time I need to explain the difference in the girls’ ages?

Yes, but now instead of hiding all that we went through, I explain our loss. It took me several years, but I now understand the picturesque ideal of a “normal family” is an illusion. We limit the beauty of family when we think of it as an unrealistic ideal.

Every family is different, and every family can be beautiful if we are rooted in God’s love.

Throughout the Bible, there are families that look very different from our westernized standard. Look at Abram. He was called by God to leave his more traditional family and take his jumbled up one into an unknown land.

“So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.” Genesis 12:4-6, NLT

When we ground our family relationships—the good, the bad, and the ugly—in prayer, God can make something beautiful.

This was not an ideal family. Throughout the story of Abram, later Abraham, his family mix brings heartbreak, lying, betrayal, hatred, and violence. Lot’s wife is even turned to salt. Despite all the pain and loss, Abraham continues to cry out to God on behalf of his family. For me, one of the most poignant relationships in the Bible is between Abraham and Lot. Though Lot has selfishly parted from his uncle, Abraham never stops interceding for him.

“But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.” Genesis 19:29, NLT.

Making lots of mistakes but rooted in prayer, this mixed-up family group was setting the stage for the creation of the greatest family of all: the family of God.

When we intercede for our families, offering them—whatever they look like—to God, He can take what is broken and imperfect and use it to bring us closer to Him.

When we ground our family relationships—the good, the bad, and the ugly—in prayer, God can make something beautiful. It might not be the beautiful we expect or want to see, but we can find peace in knowing that God is at work.

Family isn’t always what we expect. We don’t even have to be genetically related to be family. What did Jesus say about his family?

“When we pray with those we love, we experience a special form of communication with one another that knits our souls together and unifies us in objective truth that transcends our lesser differences.”

“Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, ‘Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.’ Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ Then he looked at those around him and said, ‘Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’” Mark 3:31-35, NLT.

When God told Abram that all the families on earth would be blessed through him, He was talking about something much bigger than family lineage. God’s idea of family doesn’t have genetic boundaries.

Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are all offered a place at the family table. Our earthly family heritage takes a back seat to being the child of the creator of the universe. And those He has given us to be members of our family—blood-related or not—we are called to pray for and to show our Abba Father’s love.

God values family, but what family looks like is as unique as the people in them.

As we look at our families—those we have been birthed into and those we have gained through the saving power of Jesus’ blood—we can be a family that prays with and for each other. Prayer is a powerful binder that builds a bond connecting us to God and one another.

“When we pray with those we love, we experience a special form of communication with one another that knits our souls together and unifies us in objective truth that transcends our lesser differences,” as Jim Daly writes.

And as one year gently winds down, a new year rises on the horizon… this possibility rises too:

Of being a family that prays together, to see a new day rising and a more fulfilling way of being together.

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[ Our humble thanks to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotional. ]