“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. ‘Test me in this’, says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10 NIV 

It has been an eventful few weeks in our house. First, our daughter’s boyfriend sent me a simple text asking me to lunch. It occurred to me he was either asking me to help paint his house or talk to me about Aly. What resulted was one of the best conversations I have ever had. 

It was two weeks from the day we had lunch until the time he proposed. During that time, my wife and I would randomly break into either tear of joy or laughter. The best way to describe it was that there was no more room for joy inside us that some had to escape once in a while so we would not explode. God threw open the floodgates. Joy is powerful. 

What Logan asked for that day was my permission to marry her. He showed up with his heart in his hand with a simple request. Logan did not realize that he had permission and our blessing, encouragement, support, and any help they may ever need from us. It has been evident that he loves our daughter for a while. You can see it in her eyes.  

My opinion of Aly is no doubt clouded by her being ours, but in my opinion, she is one of the best people I have ever met. She has found a way to use her gifts and experience. She has a personality that makes me smile. She has chosen to pursue teaching and has a pure fire in her heart for it. She loves as completely as anyone I know. How could he not love her? Honestly, we feel the same way about Logan. She loves him completely. You can see it in his eyes. They both hit the jackpot.   

Afterward, I pulled out an old prayer journal. Around 15 years ago, on a page with Aly’s name on the top of it, I wrote, “Peace. Worries. Understanding. Friendships. Relationship with Korbin. Use of her gifts and her personality. For her spouse to know You, for him to be able to love her through worries and anxieties, that he is funny and handsome”.  

It is amazing. When you pray for someone that long and have him walk in and introduce himself, it is evident that God had a plan. Marriage has been a conversation for a while, but permission was not ours to give. She gave herself; her family agrees.   

I realized in this process that I often make requests of God, thinking too small. Usually, I think I hold up a thimble to hold His response while forgetting that He has Niagara Falls at His disposal. I am not vain enough to believe that Logan showed up due to me – or Mary and Aly – praying. I think God had a plan better than we could fathom all along. God used His measure, which is beyond anything we can understand despite our attempts to do so.  

I think we somehow think that if our faith is perfect, God will be better able to respond. The problem with this is that it makes us an essential part of the equation when we are not; God is. Faith is essential, but none of our biblical examples showed “perfect” faith aside from Jesus. God used them despite themselves.