Sunday April 20

Last summer, our church decided to have our Sunday night services in the gym.  It was real informal.  The services were short & we spent some time each week in prayer as a group for different topics.  One week, a lady brought her daughter to the front for prayer.  The daughter was in her early 20s & was recently out of the drug/alcohol/trouble lifestyle.  She was visiting her mom from out of town.  The daughter was about 10-11 weeks pregnant at the time & had just found out a few days prior that the baby was dead.  The doctor suggested that if she did not pass the baby naturally, they would have to do a D&C.  The mom brought her forward to be prayed for---that her body would do this on its own and that she would not need the procedure.  The church prayed for her.  Many prayed for the natural miscarriage, some prayed for peace & comfort for the lady and her mother.  The very next day the girl went to the hospital here in Tyler while still visiting her mother because she was having cramps and (seemingly) beginning to naturally miscarry the baby.  However, what they found at the hospital was the big surprise....the baby was ALIVE!

Now, initially my response (and I'm sure that of soooo many others) was that maybe the original ultrasound was incorrect or maybe they misunderstood or whatever.  I mean...dead babies don't just come back to life, right?

That little girl was born in January.  Larry drove to Dallas to see her when she was born.  This morning, her parents came to our church from Ft. Worth to dedicate the baby to the Lord. 

Before they came on the stage, the pastor showed the whole church the ultrasound reports & had a nurse from the clinic where the lady was treated come up & interpret them to the congregation.  The reports said the amniotic sac was not formed, that the cord was detached from the baby already, that there was no heartbeat...in full, fetal demise.  That same nurse confirmed that this was NOT a 2nd pregnancy --this was not a 2nd baby that was born, but indeed the same baby...the dates from the original ultrasound (when the baby was declared dead) verify that this is the same child.  The little girl was born full term within 10 days of the date on the first ultrasound given as the due date.

Praise the Lord!  What an exciting baby dedication!!!

And yet, through all the joy of the morning, I wondered how many moms sat in the congregation, hands on their bellies, wondering why they too weren't given a miracle.  How many ladies sat in silent tears watching the excitement in the eyes of this young couple on stage while mourning the fact that their baby was declared dead--and they miscarried or had a D&C?  How many more are living a life after abortion, grieving the choice they made and the life that was lost so long ago?  God is indeed sovereign & knows the joy of that family on stage and the heartache of those in the audience who lost a child.  He knows the intensity of that pain and the intensity of the other family's happiness.

I challenge you to let down your guard....be transparent to all of those around you.  Allow them to see the deepest part of your soul, the place where joy or grief resides.  It is in those places and in those moments that we are the greatest ministers to one another.  Have you experienced that pain & sorrow?  Have you seen God's hands at work, handing you miracle after miracle in your life?

I think a man at church tonight summed it up best.  Preachers want to do lengthy sermons on living from "victory to victory", but you must remember that living that way means also going through "battle after battle".  You can't have a victory without a battle.  Allow the soldiers of the Lord fight that battle with you, let them celebrate your victory with you when the war is over.  And be ever mindful that the next battle is just around the corner.  Don't get complacent about your relationship with the Lord.