Plunder!!!!

March 5, 2008
Sunday was a great day! The weather was beautiful, we were actually ON time for church, and Jeff preached an incredible sermon (again). It was titled "Binding the Strong Man". The main points were :
1. our enemy (Satan) is real...he is a personal enemy to me and those who are loved by God and wants to destroy both.
2. our enemy exercises great power/influence in the world. He is at work through industries, music, movies, businesses, and individually. We are at war!
3. (but here's where the good news starts...) our enemy has been bound! (I John 3:8, Col. 2:13-15, Hebrews 2:14)
4. (this is the best part...) our enemy now is being plundered!!!! What he tries to take and destroy, God returns and blesses (even more than we imagined!)

2 years ago I experienced heartbreak like I had never known. For years Abby had been praying for a baby. Scott and I joined her in prayer when she was 5. After a year and a half of "trying", we finally found out we were pregnant! It was March, 2006. At the same time we were trying to sell our house (another miracle story for another day) and found out that it had sold!!! So in the same week 2 huge prayers were answered and I was on "Glory" cloud nine! Scott and I decided we would tell Abby about the baby on Easter Sunday (what better day right?). It was not to be. On Thursday (before Easter) I miscarried. We were living with my mother (our house had sold and we moved out quickly) and in a bathroom that wasn't mine- I experienced an unbearable loss. I was already scheduled for a DNC on Friday (I had a final sonar on Tuesday and there was no heartbeat), but I just wasn't ready for the "sudden" end to it all. On top of the pain, confusion, etc. we were trying to "hide" all this from Abby. (She still doesn't know about the miscarriage. God has not given us a peace about sharing this with her yet. I know the day will come-but for now (and then) we kept it to ourselves. That made hearing her prayers every night even HARDER!) We moved to our new house (ANOTHER miracle story), met wonderful new neighbors, and ended up joining a new church (a blessing of wonderful new friends).....but the loss was still indescribable. For years Scott and I were content with just Abby and thought our family was complete. Only when GOD (through many people, scriptures, and events) changed our hearts did we begin praying that His will would be done in our family. We really thought we would get pregnant "right away". It didn't happen. We both got "tested" ....completely normal. That's when the questions and doubt began. "God, did I misunderstand you?" "Where are you in this?" "Why is EVERYONE getting pregnant but me?" "Why would I finally get pregnant, only to lose the baby?" ....Hard questions! Many tears! Many days, weeks, months, and years of praying for a "peace that passes all understanding". That peace FINALLY came after so many people (including many of you readers) prayed for me and with me. I learned more about God and is faithfulness, sovereignty, and goodness through this trial than anything else in my life. I FINALLY surrended. We "assumed" that our family was complete...and that Abby would have her sibling in heaven. In December, I reluctantly took a pregnancy test. Let me say VERY RELUCTANTLY. It was positive. All I could do was cry. I didn't know why He had finally answered our prayers, but I do know His timing is always perfect. We were so scared and nervous. Would everything be ok? The first and second sonar were such vivid reminders of our previous lost, but such promises of great joy when we saw that little baby developing, heard the heartbeat, saw the arms and legs moving......
On Thursday (as you've all read in the previous post) we found out it was a girl! (85% ha ha)
This was to our entire family's delight! She was moving around so much that Scott said, "I can't believe you can't feel that!".....and then Sunday came.
Sitting there listening to Jeff preach about "plundering the enemy", I felt a little "bubble"...and then another, and another, and then a KICK! Let me just tell my fellow Presbyterians that I nearly jumped out of my pew and shouted Hallelujah (but I restrained myself...ha ha) I motioned to Scott that I felt her kick and he just reached over and patted my belly and grinned from ear to ear. Talk about plunder! How gracious is our God to walk with us, tenderly wipe away our tears, let us throw temper tantrums and then hold us close, and give us the "desires of our hearts."
Plunder indeed!
(Maybe now you all will know why we are so over the moon about this pregnancy, acting like no one has ever been pregnant before, downright giddy....it's because of the plunder!) :)

Psalm 40