Paying {Praying}: Hannah's Heart

During my struggles conceiving Lu, I was part of a support group of women called Sisters of Sarah. This group was integral in my healing process, prayer and support. To share those intimate details of loss and anger, to receive prayer and to know that I was not alone made the unbearable bearable. They were truly my sisters in Christ, knowing and sharing in the deepest emptiness that a woman can know.

This past summer, when I really started noticing that those desires (for more babies) had returned, God planted a seed in my heart to begin a similar ministry at our new church for women with dealing with infertility and pregnancy loss.

And just like God does, when he plants a mustard seed, he rolls out the red carpet too. When I mentioned this to our new friends at church, they said, “yeah, that sounds great, matches up with our adoption ministry.” Then a week later a couple approached them about an infertility ministry. Then about 3 weeks after that our Connections pastor received a phone call from a woman looking to establish a support group for women with infertility. Just like that, God revealed a need in His church and began to lay the foundation for Hannah’s Heart.

In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. ¹¹ And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” (1 Sam 1:10)

Isn’t it amazing how God puts all the stones of our paths perfectly in the direction we need them? Yes, sometimes, we have to wait (and wait and wait) for him to lay the next stone down. Sometimes when we get the stone and it might be just a tad to small to stand on or He might just lay down a boulder that we have to climb over. Sometimes, the stone will be the perfect size, round and smooth. But yet He knows, he knows exactly what is needed, if we are just patient and wait.

So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.” (1 Sam 1:20)

This past Sunday our first “announcement” for Hannah’s Heart went out in our weekly bulletin. My co-leader and I will be running a support group for women like us who have experienced primary, secondary infertility and pregnancy loss. It is a blessing to be able to minister to these women during their walk in faith. I am excited to see how God will work through us and the favor that we will be granted.

Are you currently waiting for God to lay down a stone for you? To set your path?

Comments

jrkg1719 says

February 19, 2011 at 5:22 pm

Came across your blog and Im not following. Im from Ohio too. Northeast are 🙂 Are you still doing the buckeye blog hop?

http://www.cupofserenity.blogspot.com
Jacqueline says

February 23, 2011 at 2:47 pm

Wow, I am trying to conceive a baby at 40 and it is really hard and there is no support for me so I was really happy to read this post! Thanks so much for writing this.