When God Shows Up: Real Stories of FaithНамуна

Marin*

“...The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” Exodus 15:2, NLT

Marin entered foster care when she was 4 years old. Before aging out, she had 64 placements in foster homes and shelters. Marin learned to be comfortable only in chaos. Each failed foster care placement confirmed her belief that no home and no people were permanent.

Until she turned 15. She was pregnant with her first child and placed in a therapeutic foster home. These foster parents brought her to church. When she got in trouble, she was grounded but she wasn’t kicked out. They were the first people to buy her new clothes and bring her along on family vacations. She still considers them her mom and dad. When times were good and when times were bad, Marin remembers her foster mom saying, “In everything, give God praise.”

Marin spent twelve years of her life in prison. Most of those years were marked with profound grief and anger. “Even when I hated God the most,” Marin says, “I kept saying ‘Give him praise.’ After about a year, my praises were real.”

This is the power of praising God. Moses and Miriam’s songs of praise to God follow the parting of the Red Sea, but proceed 40 years in the desert before coming to the promised land. Words of praise sustain our souls even when we don’t exactly feel like saying them. Marin’s faith was made strong through praise. Years later, because of God’s movement in Marin’s life, her brother and her son are coming to know Jesus as well.

Consider memorizing a portion, or all, of the song of Moses in Exodus 15. When you don’t have the words for praise, use the words of Moses.

*Name changed to protect privacy