Barren Woman, the Mother of Children

"He gives the barren woman a home, and makes her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!" Psalm 113:9

My promised one is coming.
I want to shout it from the rooftops!
This child is the one God has promised me for some time now.

I will never forget the moment I felt the Holy Spirit speak through a complete stranger, who said to me, "Do you have children?" And I said "No, not yet."

You see, just moments before, I had been faced with the conversation of possible adoption if I was never able to have children of my own. I was driving in the car to a ferry to take to the Aran Islands with my two sisters, visiting from America. We were separated on the ferry and the Lord placed me next to a man and his wife. Little did I know that He was working to put my heart as ease. Little did I know He was about to speak to me through this man. You see, I had been having an inner conversation with God just moments before this...I was in turmoil.

"But God, you spoke to me about a baby, about a child flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone, about being a mother...about the promises and purposes that you have for a little life that I would raise...but if you want me to adopt, then I will be willing to do that as well and I will be content in that, and trust you will make the way." Yet my heart was shattered.

But the Lord had other plans, and He sent a man, to speak to me on His behalf, to put my mind at ease.
"Not yet," Said this stranger next to me who would become a great friend and supporter. "Not yet, but you will have children".

Children.
Not just one, but more than one.
My heart leap for joy, and faith took over.
I knew that this was what the Lord had in store, and only time and prayer and patience would be able to set the future on course.

And today, 14 weeks pregnant with this promised one, has me reminiscing about a time where I wondered if I would ever carry a child in my womb, or if I would ever have a baby to call my own.
And today, I have the hope of not just one that I have held and am raising, but a promise of another little baba to hold and call my own.

Truly, I praise the Lord.
He is good. He is faithful, and I don't deserve any good thing He gives me. Yet, He gives it freely, and without reproach. And I will gladly serve Him all the days of my life, and raise my little ones to live a life fully devoted to this active, ever loving, ever living God that I call Saviour.

To Him be the glory forever and ever.
Amen.