"In every genre of biblical literature and every stage of biblical history, God is seen pouring out his grace on his people for the sake of his glory among all peoples."
"God blessed his people in a miraculous way so that his salvation would be made known among all peoples."
"God really is in the business of blessing his people in unusual ways so his goodness and greatness will be declared among all peoples."
- David Platt, in his book Radical.
"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name...Then the nations will know that I am the Lord..."
- Ezekial 36
The Lord has taught me so much this past year, and one of the things I am learning now is that He blesses his people not for our own sake, but for his glory's sake, so that His name will be proclaimed and people will come to salvation. Keep this in mind as I tell you a story.
We joined our small group a little over a year ago. We had just suffered our first miscarriage and were still pretty shook up, but we didn't really talk about it much. As I shared in
my miscarriage story, our group was wonderful and a huge source of encouragement to me, especially around the time of my due date. After my second miscarriage in March, our vulnerability really showed through and we grieved openly with our group. It was during this grieving time that two other couples shared that they were struggling with infertility. We all grieved together, and I really feel like I have a special bond with those two girls because our hearts all longed for the same thing. I remember one night, after a pretty intense small group meeting filled with tears and crying out to God, our small group leader put all six of us (the three couples) in the middle and the rest of the group laid hands on us and prayed over us. I think about that night all the time.
Miraculously, graciously, and in HIS timing, the Lord has laid his hand on all three of us, and we are all three pregnant, due back to back, in February, March, and April. I asked the girls if I could briefly share this story and both of them said, of course! And I know its because they feel the same way that I do, that we just want God to be glorified in this blessing, because it is not for our own sake that He has chosen to bless us with children, but for HIS name's sake, that he may receive glory and that somehow, someone who hears this might come to know Him personally.
So I guess this is my big pregnancy announcement. I didn't want it to be centered around us, because it's not. The Lord has carried me through my first trimester, which at times were filled with fear and doubt. But the fear is slowly turning into excitement. Thank you to everyone who has ever prayed for us. The prayers were and still are felt, and I am so grateful. I am due March 27. It is with great joy and and humility that we embrace this new blessing.
