“I’m sorry, Mr. Clamp. Your son, Grayson, is totally deaf.” My brother, Len, and his wife Nicole sat speechless as they heard the results of the unsuccessful cochlear implant. In Grayson’s first three years of life, he had already faced open heart surgery, blindness in one eye, total deafness, and abandonment.

Len and Nicole took seriously James 1:27, obeyed Jesus, and became foster parents. Grayson was the fifth child they fostered, and he came to them directly from the hospital after undergoing heart surgery. His biological mother gave up parental rights shortly after that, and Len and Nicole were faced with a decision to adopt. They had never planned to adopt, but God has a way of changing plans.

A few months after they received the discouraging news about his hearing, they received an unexpected call from Grayson’s audiologist. He had chosen Grayson to be the first child in the U.S. for an experimental surgery to implant a device directly on the brain that bypassed the ear. It would involve risky brain surgery, but could potentially restore Grayson’s hearing and give him the ability to communicate with the world. Len and Nicole agreed, but after several meetings with the insurance company, the procedure was denied. The risk was too great.

Len and the medical personnel attempted to persuade the insurance company to allow the surgery but were unsuccessful in their attempts. They finally accepted the fact that it was not God’s will for Grayson to hear. They were wrong. God wanted to make it crystal clear that He was the composer of Grayson’s symphony, and that all those involved were simply the instruments.

Len dropped to his knees as he listened to his voicemail. “Mr. Clamp, we’ve changed our minds. Our insurance company is going to cover 100 percent of the cost of the surgery.” In the quietness that followed, the Lord whispered to his heart, “I’ve never once left you or Grayson. Hang on. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

A month after the brain surgery, Len sat in a small sound booth behind Grayson as he played with a toy. The audiologist nodded to indicate that he had turned on the device. Len said, “Grayson, it’s your daddy.” Grayson’s eyes widened and he froze. He slowly lifted his head, and then a big smile came on his face. It would be the first words he ever heard. He signed, “Daddy,” and then turned around to look into the face of his father.

What part will you play in finding a home for every foster child in South Carolina? God’s commands are not burdensome. It is our privilege to partner with Him as He restores and redeems a broken world. If one family from every four Baptist churches in South Carolina adopted a child in foster care, all of them would have a home. Who knows? You may find yourself in the middle of a miracle.

— A news broadcast covering Grayson’s story can be found at http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/healthteam/video/12496308/#/vid12496308.