Thursday Devotional - Suffering in Anticipation of New Life!

Normally I write the devotionals on Wednesday evening after the kids go to bed. However, I was “in” Connecticut (via FaceTime) last night while my youngest sister gave birth to her 2^nd child (Heidi Elizabeth, 7 lbs. 15.2 oz, 21 inches and 9 days late). My sister, Mary, had complications with this pregnancy due to a large hemorrhage. They thought they lost the baby several times, but now they have a healthy baby girl that even nursed in the first 30 minutes!

It’s a huge answer to prayer after lots of concern and waiting. God graciously blessed Mary with strength for an all-natural deliver of only four hours of labor and 1-2 pushes!  Sarah has been praying for “Aunt Mary’s side not to bleed and the baby to live” for many months now! She will be very excited this morning when she wakes up!

As children of God, we are eagerly awaiting our complete salvation and fulfillment of eternal life! Just like childbirth, suffering proceeds blessings.   

Romans 8:16-25     The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

As God helped Mary focus on the impending blessing as she persevered through suffering, we can do the same as we patiently and eagerly await our full inheritance as God’s children!

Alice

Thurs Devo - Help for the Pain

My Mom just called from Virginia and said Mary is finally going into labor. Her contractions are now 1 minute apart! They are headed to the hospital now! She is in a lot of pain and throwing up, etc. from it all. She is a healthy and very strong lady, so we are praying she will be able to endure the pain well and that God will help Mom and Mark (her husband) know how to help her through this.

Because of sin, childbirth is quite painful, among many other things in life!

Genesis 3:16-19   ¹⁶ To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
    with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
    and he will rule over you.”

¹⁷ To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
    through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”

God is there to help us through the pains of this life, though.

Hebrews 4:16     ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Psalm 46:7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Even before He helps us through our pains and suffering, we can praise God!

Ephesians 1:3     Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

How will you and I trust God today for the pains, sufferings, troubles and difficulties we will face? We can praise God now, knowing He is faithful to help us!

Alice

Thurs Devo: Childbirth Concerns

My youngest sister, Mary, is about to give birth to her first child. She’s due on Monday! As exciting as it is, there are still fears and concerns over the many unknowns. When will she go into labor? How bad will the pain be? Will there be complications? Will it be a girl or a boy?
Well, take a look at this delivery situation pictured in Revelation 12: 
Revelation 12:1-6     A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. ³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.⁶ The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
It’s a terrifying picture. There are enough concerns and pains during delivery, without having the added worry that someone is waiting to snatch your baby away. However, God took care of both the baby and the woman! (The baby probably represents Jesus the Messiah and the woman could represent the nation of Israel (inclusive of Mary) or more broadly the people of God). The dragon (definitely Satan, from vs. 9) is no match for God.
This encouraged me to remember that no matter how bleak a situation may seem, God will accomplish His purposes. He sees everything and Satan can’t do anything unless God allows it.
Also, God takes care of His own. Our times in the “wilderness” may be for our protection, and our times of pain may be necessary for the times of blessing to follow. I hear the pains of childbirth are often quickly forgotten when you hold the new precious baby in your arms! (Remember that this coming week, Mary!)

What other encouragement do you and I take from all this?  
Alice