Note from the Author:
This was one of the first devotionals I wrote back in 2010 in the beginning of my ministry. The Lord spoke to my heart this morning as I reflected on the fact that since I wrote this devotional, I have witnessed His faithfulness over and over again in the lives of three of my friends who have been praying and waiting for their miracle babies for over a decade. They have had their prayers answered by our wonderful, faithful God. In a sequence of miraculous events, one couple adopted their beautiful daughter over a year ago. Another couple is holding their beautiful new born daughter after waiting for many years to conceive. And another friend is delivering her miracle baby in early October. To God be the glory!
God is still doing the impossible, just as He did for Hannah in our Bible passage today. I hope you share this devotional with women around the world who have been praying for their miracle babies. As a matter of fact, I encourage you to share it with all mothers you know. Motherhood can be hard sometimes, and so it is good to remember that each of our children are indeed a miracle from God. Enjoy and have a blessed week!
Biblical Passage:
1 Samuel 1
Memory Verse:
"For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” Jeremiah 29:11 (Amplified Bible)
Babies are
miracles from God.
While all babies are
indeed a miracle, some mothers understand this truth in a deeper
level. I’m talking to women who have faced or are facing
infertility, miscarriages, difficult pregnancies and medically
impossible conceptions.
I don’t pretend to
understand the longings of a woman who cannot conceive. My story
is different. I was told by numerous doctors that I would not be able
to get pregnant due to the existence of an infertility “perfect
storm” inside my body. Between high levels of a certain hormone and
serious endometriosis, my womb was allegedly“not able to hold an
embryo”. That’s what the highly educated told me. My husband and
I were told that before we even got married. So, my doctor could
not explain it when I found myself pregnant soon after my husband and
I decided we were going to try to conceive anyway. For reasons I
will never know, I did not have to walk through the valley that some
of my friends have faced or are currently facing. Although both my
conceptions were “medically impossible”, the God of the universe
knew better and had a different plan. My babies are miracle babies.
Then I ponder my
older sister’s story. She was abandoned as a nine-month old baby in
my mom’s aunt’s house. My mom was only fifteen years-old when she
fell in love with Ana. A love story unfolded as mom promised my
sister that whenever she got married, she would adopt her. So, dad
proposed, knowing that when they came back from their honeymoon, they
would have a nine year-old daughter waiting for them. My sister is a
miracle baby.
I'm also reminded of the
struggle a friend went through with infertility, painful
treatments and miscarriages. She and her husband did not know that
God's plan was for them to adopt a beautiful
little girl from the other side of the country and change her life and
their lives forever. In my friend’s own words, their daughter "could
not be any more perfect". She’s everything they have ever wished for. My friend’s comment on the lesson she learned through
her valley is sobering: “it’s not about pregnancy, it’s about
motherhood”. My friend’s daughter is a miracle baby.
Then there is the
story of another dear friend, who had a horrible pregnancy. During those long nine moths, she
could not eat anything without getting very sick. She lost weight instead
of gaining. We prayed for her and her baby for nine long months.
She wasn’t sure they would make it. And now I see this handsome nine
year-old All Star baseball player, running around our house playing
with our girls. That boy is a miracle baby.
Through the valleys
that so many women face with similar issues and watching the outcome
in every situation, Isaiah 55 becomes personal to each one of us: “As
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than
your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts”. We must remember to
trust God for the outcome of our lives. We must trust God for our
miracle babies in His time. Mostly, we must trust with all our hearts
that God is working all things together for our ultimate good. All
things. (Romans 8:28)
As you wait for your miracle,
Remember Sarah –
and BELIEVE against all odds. God is able!
Remember Hannah – and PRAY
without ceasing. God is listening!
Remember Mary – TRUST
that nothing is too big for God. God is faithful!
And if God so leads
you… remember Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted Moses. EXTEND your hand to change
someone’s destiny.
Reflections for
today:
For Mothers to
be: Regardless of the valley that each of you are going through
regarding motherhood, regardless of how and when God gives you your
miracle baby, regardless of how long you have to wait or how much it
hurts, you must remember that He is molding your character and
increasing your faith through your pain and as you wait. I promise
you will look back and thank God for the wait. Because you will fall
in love with the little person God will give you in His time, whether
he or she comes out of your womb or someone else’s.
Prayer:
Lord, help me
learn how to trust you with all my heart. Help me to see through my
pain and through your eyes as I wait upon you. I thank you God for
the child you will give me. I trust you will direct my thoughts as
you show me the way I should go. Mold me to be more like Jesus as I
prepare and wait for my miracle baby. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For Mothers:
Whenever our children disappoint us or irritate us, I challenge each
one of us to go back to the day they were born and remember the love,
the acceptance and the realization of the miracle that was given to
us. Remember the grace and love that was poured into our lives.
Extend grace, love and acceptance.
Prayer:
Lord, help me be
the mother you have called me to be. Help me remember today that my
children are a gift from you and help me be forgiving, gracious,
patient, joyful. Help me be a mother who will reflect Jesus’
sacrificial love to my children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
