Thy Will Be Done

A friend sent me a song called "Thy Will," by Hillary Scott & the Scott family. It immediately resonated with me and has been a source of comfort over the last few weeks.  I read that Hillary wrote the song after experiencing a miscarriage. While it hits very close to home for me, carrying Baby Pyper, I believe the words "Thy will be done" can be applied to everything in our lives.

In Matthew 26, Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And that must be our prayer! While our circumstances cannot be compared to those of Jesus, he sets an example for us in his response to his own pain, suffering, and death.

I was listening to a radio segment on the Revive Our Hearts website about the life of George Mueller, a famous pastor in the 1800's. A man of intense prayer, he housed and cared for thousands of orphans in England. Although he endured a tough life, including the deaths of his children and later his wife, he held fast to his faith in Jesus Christ. He said the goal of his life was to glorify God in showing others that trusting God is never in vain. He can be taken at His Word.

The last verse he read to his wife before her death was Psalm 84:11, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." At his wife's funeral he said, "If it is really good for me, my darling wife will be raised up again. Sick as she is, God will restore her again. But if she is not restored again, then it would not be a good thing for me. And so my heart was at rest. I was satisfied with God. All this springs as I have often said before from taking God at His word, believing what He says."

He trusted what God said. It seems so simple. I pray God gives me the strength to keep doing just that. I've struggled with fears about the future in the last few weeks. How amazing to realize God is doing what is good, what is best for us, and for our baby.

At our last appointment, we found out Baby Pyper is growing fast and is almost above the average for weight at 28 weeks. That made us smile! We were told our baby was the average size a few weeks ago, but would eventually fall off the growth curve and end up underweight. I guess that's not happening yet! We praise God for his blessings.

As the weeks keep flying by, I am keeping four words very close to my heart. "Thy will be done."

You Are Not Alone

It has already been a week since our last appointment. The doctor looked at the ultrasound and sighed. He reminded us of the harsh reality that our baby is neurologically normal, with a fully functioning heart. Our baby moves around and has normal reflexes. But the kidneys aren't filtering, so the fluid is too low... and that's where we are.

After the doctor, Josh and I had the opportunity to meet with a friend who has already experienced infant loss. At one point, she looked across the table at me and said, "I want you to know that you are not alone." Her past experiences and our baby's diagnosis had us all in tears, but her joy was not gone, her hope not diminished. She wisely stated that sin's entrance into the world had left a mark on everything. But Jesus is in the business of redeeming all things. How true!

Ever since we found out the news about Baby Pyper, so many women in my life have shared with me their stories, their hurt, their loss. I feel honored that they would talk about these things with me. God is using them to whisper to me, "You are not alone." And there's been countless others who tell me they can't imagine what we are going through, but they are standing with us in prayer and supporting us, and we feel it. This week I have received cards, books, and maternity clothes in the mail!

Yesterday, our pastor continued his preaching through the book of Hebrews. His sermons have been speaking very specifically to our situation. Yesterday the passage included Hebrews 12:1-2.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Right before these verses, Hebrews 11 lists acts of faith of the Old Testament saints. Sometimes, their faith produced miraculous displays of God's power. Other times, their faith gave them the strength to endure pain and torture. The above passage refers to being surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, encouraging us in perseverance, urging us to endure. And yet again, I hear it. "You are not alone." 

So, let me encourage you with this. Whatever situation you find yourself in, whatever hurt you are experiencing, whatever you are going through: You are not alone. There will be times you feel like you just can't do it, but God sees you, he hears you, he provides comfort through His Word, and he brings people into our lives that have been there. What a blessing!