Every kind of professional told us we’d probably never have children of our own.

After years of enduring painful tests that revealed nothing and taking pills that produced no results, we were willing to pay a well-known fertility specialist to help us. Our chances of conceiving were so slim, even he encouraged us to keep our money.

I was infertile. Reason: unknown.

That’s how the official report described me, but I was anything but unknown.

 

…Anyone who loves God is known by God.

~ 1 Corinthians 8:3

 

I began to accept the medical opinion that I was unable to bear children, and I was comforted by one of my doctor’s encouragement to consider adoption. But slowly, I unfurled my fingers and let the dream of being a mother slip away.

Until I stumbled on a verse in Psalms that changed everything.

 

He settles the barren woman in her home as the happy mother of children. Hallelujah!

~ Psalm 113:9

 

Hallelujah….?

Hallelujah!!!

Somehow, by Jesus’ mercy, I believed those words. They weren’t some ambiguous stretch written to an army general that I was claiming for myself—I fit the bill exactly, what, with my barrenness, womanness, and wantingness to have children and all. That was me, and hope was rising…

A very long time went by, but after many more failed treatments and wavering faith, it finally happened… We were going to have Selah. God was even kind enough to tell us her name.

We were overjoyed when she arrived, as you can imagine, but we still wanted to have two children…

Again, it just wasn’t happening.

The money was gone and we were tired of trying, so we rested in our absolute gratefulness for Selah. We had nothing to be disappointed about, so we gave up and moved on.

I went back to college.

Then one day I found I suddenly couldn’t tolerate the smell of disinfectant in the university restroom…Out of the blue, I realized I was pregnant again—We were shocked!

With our first pregnancy, we didn’t have quite the same element of surprise…but now, we were completely surprised by God and we got to experience the crazy joy of surprising our family and friends.

One night as I sat up late thumbing through my Bible, round and pondering these things in my heart, I went back to the verse that started it all…and my eyes filled with big old pregnant tears as I realized something I hadn’t noticed before…The verse says children, not just child.

God is faithful to His Word, even when we don’t fully understand just how awesome it is.

Hallelujah.