Prayer Night
As December seems to fly by, I am finally getting a chance to write about the beautiful night that we spent in prayer with our sweet friends and family this Wednesday evening!
We are so incredibly thankful for each person that was present to speak words of adoration and thanksgiving to the Lord, and petition Him, on our knees, to display mighty works in our lives and in the life of Maddox. What a beautiful, biblical way it was led as we all gathered to share the great love and hope we have in Jesus Christ. We trust that He was present. We trust that He was honored through that sacred time. We have complete confidence that He knows each of the hearts that were present and praying along side of us... and we are so blessed to know that He is using His people to bless our family in this time of trial.
As we began, Psalm 46 was read, "... 'Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold." What a fitting way to start the hour- the Lord reminding us that we are to be still. We are to come to Him and He will be exalted. We are to come to Him as a body of believers, praising and worshipping Him in the good times and the bad.
We were then led in a time of praise music. We chose "Mighty to Save" and "You are my All in All"... what a beautiful way to prepare my heart for thanksgiving AND direct petitioning of the Lord. As we are instructed in the Bible to make our requests know to the Lord, Dusty then discussed what our biggest prayer requests are for this moment:
1. That the Lord will bless our choice of doctors and the staff that will be surrounding us.
2. That He will give us guidance in the decision-making and planning between now and delivery.
3. That the Lord will remove major decisions from our hands and make His will evident.
4. That the delivery room/recovery will be peaceful and free from stress, anxiety, worry and fear.
5. That Maddox will make it through delivery alive.
6. That Deacon will have a chance to hold him.
7. That Maddox's spinal column will be covered with skin or a membrane at birth.
8. That the Lord will give us overwhelming peace, strength and unity in any circumstance~ now and in the future.
9. That we will be willing to be used by the Lord to witness to others and bring glory to Him.
10. That the Lord will grant protection for Deacon's heart and mind.
I have to mention what a wonderful job Dusty did giving an update to our current situation, and describing each prayer request in context. I am so proud of the way that he has been strong for our family, the way that he can hold it together when there is no way I can, and the way that he has encouraged me in my faith! He spent about 15 minutes to share, and then we proceeded in prayer. I honestly don't know if I was prepared to be so overwhelmed at the Lord's presence among us and the constant bombardment of prayer at Heaven's gates...
As a group of 40-50 people on our knees, we sent praise and adoration to our God. We told Him all that He is to us... the Creator of the World, the Giver of Life, the Great Physician, our Abba Father, the Protector of our Hearts, the Ultimate Sacrifice... as love and adoration flowed from all of the hearts in the room, I suddenly realized that I was in the presence of great faith! All of these people, dear sweet friends we have known for years, other precious people we have known but only a few months~ they were all there for one purpose... to thank the Lord for His living presence in each of our lives and ask directly for His hand to move in the life and health of our unborn son. Each person in that room trusted that He heard our cries to Him. Each person knew that as believers we are called to pray individually and corporately! They were all there for us... how incredibly amazing!
As we moved from praise and adoration to great thanksgiving, the words of confirmation and faith that our Lord is the only necessary provision continued. We thanked him for children, for peace, for joy, for friends, for faith, for those that have walked a similar road before us, for the promise of Heaven, for giving us everlasting life, for those supporting us, for our marriages, for our time with Him... for this little life granted to our care. We are so unbelievably thankful!
As the prayer time progressed, we then moved to direct supplication to the Lord. We asked specifically for Him to grant us time, peace, understanding, a witness, greater faith, protection, love... so many things that we asked of Him and so little to offer to Him. All we have to offer is our life~ to surrender that to the One who created us. And surrender we did- at least for that hour of praise and prayer. It is something that we constantly have to do, that we consistently need to be reminded of~ surrender. But when we do it, with an open heart and bowed head, what a life-changing experience it can be.
As the evening was closed in prayer, words were spoken that have remained on my heart and given me great comfort. One of our pastors spoke about the promise of instant healing, as soon as we presented our requests before the Lord. He talked about the guarantee of a healed body, hopefully here on Earth for some time, but definitively in Heaven in the presence of God. He then went on to say something I haven't yet heard on this journey... That life begins at conception. That the Lord created this child inside of me and although we don't know our child's immediate destination, we know that He doesn't make mistakes. That each and every child created, whether lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death, was created in God's image to be brought into the presence of the Holy One. In God's perfect creation, this wouldn't be happening... but we live in a fallen world, full of sin and evil. And still, God has His hand upon us. He has ordained each child conceived in a mother's womb to have an everlasting life with Him. If for no other reason then to have an eternal presence with the Lord, our Maddox was created for a life and a purpose. Our only job is to honor that life given.
I don't think I can ever express in words how surrounded we feel right now... how loved we feel. How prayerful each of you are for our family is astounding. It is something beyond my understanding, and yet I know that it is all the Lord's work through each of you. Thank you for blessing us, for sharing this journey, for not forgetting this daily struggle we walk. But please know also, that it isn't all about us... that we know so many are hurting right now, struggling, in pain... and you aren't forgotten either. We love you and stand in complete amazement!
"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
We are so incredibly thankful for each person that was present to speak words of adoration and thanksgiving to the Lord, and petition Him, on our knees, to display mighty works in our lives and in the life of Maddox. What a beautiful, biblical way it was led as we all gathered to share the great love and hope we have in Jesus Christ. We trust that He was present. We trust that He was honored through that sacred time. We have complete confidence that He knows each of the hearts that were present and praying along side of us... and we are so blessed to know that He is using His people to bless our family in this time of trial.
As we began, Psalm 46 was read, "... 'Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold." What a fitting way to start the hour- the Lord reminding us that we are to be still. We are to come to Him and He will be exalted. We are to come to Him as a body of believers, praising and worshipping Him in the good times and the bad.
We were then led in a time of praise music. We chose "Mighty to Save" and "You are my All in All"... what a beautiful way to prepare my heart for thanksgiving AND direct petitioning of the Lord. As we are instructed in the Bible to make our requests know to the Lord, Dusty then discussed what our biggest prayer requests are for this moment:
1. That the Lord will bless our choice of doctors and the staff that will be surrounding us.
2. That He will give us guidance in the decision-making and planning between now and delivery.
3. That the Lord will remove major decisions from our hands and make His will evident.
4. That the delivery room/recovery will be peaceful and free from stress, anxiety, worry and fear.
5. That Maddox will make it through delivery alive.
6. That Deacon will have a chance to hold him.
7. That Maddox's spinal column will be covered with skin or a membrane at birth.
8. That the Lord will give us overwhelming peace, strength and unity in any circumstance~ now and in the future.
9. That we will be willing to be used by the Lord to witness to others and bring glory to Him.
10. That the Lord will grant protection for Deacon's heart and mind.
I have to mention what a wonderful job Dusty did giving an update to our current situation, and describing each prayer request in context. I am so proud of the way that he has been strong for our family, the way that he can hold it together when there is no way I can, and the way that he has encouraged me in my faith! He spent about 15 minutes to share, and then we proceeded in prayer. I honestly don't know if I was prepared to be so overwhelmed at the Lord's presence among us and the constant bombardment of prayer at Heaven's gates...
As a group of 40-50 people on our knees, we sent praise and adoration to our God. We told Him all that He is to us... the Creator of the World, the Giver of Life, the Great Physician, our Abba Father, the Protector of our Hearts, the Ultimate Sacrifice... as love and adoration flowed from all of the hearts in the room, I suddenly realized that I was in the presence of great faith! All of these people, dear sweet friends we have known for years, other precious people we have known but only a few months~ they were all there for one purpose... to thank the Lord for His living presence in each of our lives and ask directly for His hand to move in the life and health of our unborn son. Each person in that room trusted that He heard our cries to Him. Each person knew that as believers we are called to pray individually and corporately! They were all there for us... how incredibly amazing!
As we moved from praise and adoration to great thanksgiving, the words of confirmation and faith that our Lord is the only necessary provision continued. We thanked him for children, for peace, for joy, for friends, for faith, for those that have walked a similar road before us, for the promise of Heaven, for giving us everlasting life, for those supporting us, for our marriages, for our time with Him... for this little life granted to our care. We are so unbelievably thankful!
As the prayer time progressed, we then moved to direct supplication to the Lord. We asked specifically for Him to grant us time, peace, understanding, a witness, greater faith, protection, love... so many things that we asked of Him and so little to offer to Him. All we have to offer is our life~ to surrender that to the One who created us. And surrender we did- at least for that hour of praise and prayer. It is something that we constantly have to do, that we consistently need to be reminded of~ surrender. But when we do it, with an open heart and bowed head, what a life-changing experience it can be.
As the evening was closed in prayer, words were spoken that have remained on my heart and given me great comfort. One of our pastors spoke about the promise of instant healing, as soon as we presented our requests before the Lord. He talked about the guarantee of a healed body, hopefully here on Earth for some time, but definitively in Heaven in the presence of God. He then went on to say something I haven't yet heard on this journey... That life begins at conception. That the Lord created this child inside of me and although we don't know our child's immediate destination, we know that He doesn't make mistakes. That each and every child created, whether lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death, was created in God's image to be brought into the presence of the Holy One. In God's perfect creation, this wouldn't be happening... but we live in a fallen world, full of sin and evil. And still, God has His hand upon us. He has ordained each child conceived in a mother's womb to have an everlasting life with Him. If for no other reason then to have an eternal presence with the Lord, our Maddox was created for a life and a purpose. Our only job is to honor that life given.
I don't think I can ever express in words how surrounded we feel right now... how loved we feel. How prayerful each of you are for our family is astounding. It is something beyond my understanding, and yet I know that it is all the Lord's work through each of you. Thank you for blessing us, for sharing this journey, for not forgetting this daily struggle we walk. But please know also, that it isn't all about us... that we know so many are hurting right now, struggling, in pain... and you aren't forgotten either. We love you and stand in complete amazement!
"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
Comments
Laurie in Ca.
I can't think of anything more honoring to God than what you described with your prayer time. Coming together as the body of Christ to praise Jesus and lift each other up is so beautiful because it is exactly what God intended for us to do while we are here. Experiencing so fully what it is like to be loved, prayed for, and supported by other Christians was without doubt one of the greatest things about walking this path. I never would have seen first-hand how amazing it is unless we had walked through this valley.
I can't tell you how glad it makes me to know that such an incredible group of believers is standing behind you, praying you through this. I am just one more of those who is committed to praying over the weeks and months ahead.
kara
sahm22boys.blogspot.com
What a beautiful description of that powerful night! Brian and I were SO blessed & honored to be a part of intercession to our Heavenly Father with you all!! Know that we are lifting you all up to Him daily!!
Love,
Jen
Thank you for sharing your beautiful night. I have printed out your specific requests and will pray over them as well. What a wonderful family of God you have around you. What a blessing! What your pastor said about every baby is so wonderfully worded, in fact I have printed that out to read over as well. It's something I know but have never heard it put so beautifully and I want to remind myself of that every day.
Peace that comes with prayer and the prayer warriors you have around you is immeasurable.
I will continue to lift you and your prayer requests up to the Lord. May the peace you had that night continue to blanket you!!
With love,
Kim
Oh, how the Lord speaks through you! I was gazing at our Christmas card recently, with the image of the four of us kissing Miller Grace, and thought how simple it really is. She was our baby. She was part of our family. When all the ifs, ands, and buts are set aside, that's all that matters. She was a life created by God and now she is with Him. In Heaven, none of this will matter. Our family will be together and she will be just as present as any of us. Wow. It was a grand realization and made so much suffering make so much sense. I haven't found a way to word it and share this good news, so when I read your words, I nearly said aloud, "That's it! You're right!! Isn't that AMAZING NEWS?!" :)
Hold on to those verses in Philippians 4, too. They were my saving grace in the hard, doubtful days of pregnancy before we met our girl. Read them one word at a time and elaborate to God... there's power there.
I love you and I AM lifting you up. God brings you to mind so often. I went to type in a web address just moments ago and had typed "Maddox" before I realized it. Obviously, that got me nowhere and I had to redirect my thoughts (and fingers) but you get the idea. :)
God's doing a work in you and I'm honored to watch!
Thank you for sharing what that night was like. I can only imagine what a blessing it was to feel God's presence in such a powerful way.
I am so thankful you have so many who love you and pray with you! Your online family of faith is probably as large!
Again, you have blessed my life and faith with your beautiful, loved filled words.
I can only pray this Advent season fills you with anticipation and faith in the miracle birth of your son. I often wondered if Mary knew Jesus was being born - to die. If so, how she 'coped' with that. You are a mirror of Mary's love and faith in God. And we KNOW you know what the outcome will be.
I pray you too will experience plenty of time to hold and love Maddox, as Tristan is being held and loved. God willing, I pray He allows you to celebrate Easter and the miracle of the resurrection with Maddox.
Thank you for the greatest gift I could receive this Christmas. Your words of love and faith that strengthen me in a journey so much easier than yours, but mine, as God knows I need. (Not sure if that makes sense- just that we all have a 'cross to bare'. I have no doubt my strength could not compare to yours if I were in your shoes, so God gives me an easier journey. It shames me to know how weak my faith must be when measured with yours) Your words give me strength and trust in His love.
Thank you!
Love and prayers with you often, every day. Also to others who share your journey and faith.
Cathie in Colorado