Recall His Provision. Stand on His Promises.

We are in the home stretch…counting down the days until we meet our firstborn son, baby Gabriel…

These final days have been filled with so many emotions…excitement and exhaustion–anticipation and anxiety for what is to come.

And as I try as hard as I can to foresee into the future, the Lord continues to remind me to be still in this moment, and to recall his provision, and rest on his promises.

I am thankful. I had a truly supernatural pregnancy. Today was the last of my weekly checkins with my doctor (which by the way, if you are in the metro Detroit area, and need a good one, I have one of the best in the US! He made this pregnancy so peaceful for us, and works with most of our friends and families we trust)…and even our doctor said “you guys this was the closest you could get to a perfect pregnancy!”….it went without a hitch. But that didn’t surprise me–we believed for that. We prayed for that daily. And still my mind skips ahead to the labor/delivery/recovery…

Quickly my type A logical mind tends to stray away from all of the things that went well, and tries to quickly jump ahead to all of the things that “could” happen…”How will labor be?” “How quickly will I heal?” and “How in the world will this child eat every two hours?” and “Will I ever sleep again?” And each time that I tend to sway this way, I am reminded that Christ uses our “unknowns” to create a complete dependency on him, so we may KNOW HIM more.

2 Corinthians 12:9 says: ““My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.”Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.”

When we are weak, He is made strong in us…

 

One day, as I found myself frantically fearing the unknown (don’t judge…LOL…I was overly exhausted that day, and of course, my 9 month preggo hormones are raging)…I felt the Lord speak to my heart and say “Sarah, have I not provided for you so far? I need you to focus on me. Focus on now. Recall my provision. Stand on my promises. You’ve had the best pregnancy, and I’m not going to abandon you at the finish line.”

He reminded me of the story of the Israelites, who were journeying to their promise–the Promised Land. Although they knew the blessing was at the end of the journey, they would constantly block their blessing when they faced fear and the unknown….yet we see all the way from Exodus through Numbers the times the Lord provided for them, even in the midst of pressure (He parted the red seas, eradicated their greatest fear–the Egyptian army–before their very eyes, the manna that came down from heaven, he made bitter water sweet to drink. He faithfully provided in the midst of pressure. He never left them in their journey). Yet the Israelites always erred toward the fear of the future…forgetful of what the Lord had done up until this point. In fact when they got to the end of their journey, literally bordering the promised land, they sent spies into the land. 10 of 12 came back with a negative report. And instead of recalling God’s provision and standing on His promises, they believed the naysayers and most didn’t make it into the promised land because of their ultimate disobedience and lack of faith in the Lord. I thought “Lord, don’t let me be the Israelites! This child is a promise. You have been on the journey with me this far! You certainly won’t leave me now!” 

Immediately I knew that I had to get in a place of peace. I played worship music. I sat down with a notebook and pen. I began to recall all of the ways God provided for us throughout our lives. I wrote down every answered prayer.Then I wrote down his promises…. I wrote down scriptures I found in God’s word such as:

-He will never leave me nor forsake me.

Deuteronomy 31:6Amplified Bible (AMP)

6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble in dread before them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.”

-He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it. 

Philippians 1:6Amplified Bible (AMP)

6 I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].

-He has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. 

2 Timothy 1:7Amplified Bible (AMP)

7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

-My sleep will be sweet (and even baby Gabriel will be a sweet sleeper). 

Proverbs 3:24-26Amplified Bible (AMP)
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

-Gabriel will be a blessing, and not a burden (like many moms make motherhood feel for first-timers!)

Psalm 127:3-5Amplified Bible (AMP)

3Behold, children are a heritage and gift from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How blessed [happy and fortunate] is the man whose quiver is filled with them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies [in gatherings] at the [city] gate.

God will continue to exponentially multiply and accelerate our business even while I am taking time to focus on loving my newborn (enlarging our borders, expanding our territory). 

1 Chronicles 4:9-10Amplified Bible (AMP)

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my territory, and that Your hand would be with me, and You would keep me from evil so that it does not hurt me!” And God granted his request.

-We will have a Psalm 91 atmosphere in our home, and in the hospital. 

-We will have a supernatural delivery and recovery (just like our pregnancy)! 

You see, the world wants us focused on FEAR. And the Lord wants us focused on FAITH…complete reliance and dependence on the Lord. He wants us returning to the Word, speaking the Word, and believing the Word, because it will never return to us void. (Isaiah 55:11) He is faithful to watch over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). If we believe that we were created in His image (which I do), then we must believe our words have creative power and therefore carry forth substance. After all, when He said “let there be light”…didn’t light follow? We MUST be seeking and speaking God’s Word.

What words are you speaking over your situation? Words of FEAR of FAITH? Both require the same amount of energy–belief in what we cannot see.

We all face fear in our life–fear of failure (in my case first time parenting)…fear of the unknown…but God’s perfect love casts out all fear.

Feeling uncertain about the unknown is not necessarily a bad thing (as long as you don’t remain in fear)–it’s simply a reminder that we need to stop being so self-reliant–and instead be completely reliant on God…the “unknowns” keep us seeking God’s peace and getting in His presence. Recalling his provision. Standing on his promises. 

Jesus loves you my friend. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He’s brought you this far, and will not leave you now.

He is THE ONE who will stick closer than a brother. So cast all your cares upon Him, for He truly CARES for YOU!

XO, Sarah

If you know someone who is facing the “unknown”…send them the link to this post for encouragement. Have them write down every way that God has ever answered their prayers or provided for them. Then, have them write down at least one scripture verse to speak / pray about their situation. For example, If they are in need of healing…google “healing scriptures”. Find one that resonates the most and put it on a note card…and any time they face fear, have them speak it aloud. God’s word brings peace…and even better, God’s word is a promise and brings forth provision. It will not return to us void!

~* And if you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or know someone who is, I recommend this book. It’s the ONLY thing I read (besides the word) during the past 9 months of pregnancy. It is full of stories of provision (miracles) of many momma’s,  including my pastor’s story. It is also full of promises (scriptures and prayer) to speak over your pregnancy journey.

~* One more thing–I shared how my baby started as a prayer, and how I had the most supernatural pregnancy in this post. ENJOY! XO

Hopefully I’ll be meeting my little “promise” this week! We appreciate your prayers for a safe–speedy–supernatural– delivery and recovery!