By Jill Power
My husband and I had been married for 9 years (‘03) before we decided to have kids. After all, I was an educator, and since I was with kids all the time, it took a long time for me to have the urge to have my own. Also, John and I traveled all the time, and we really enjoyed spending time with just each other. It came as a little surprise that on John’s 30th birthday, he shared with me that he was ready to have a family.
Because I am a planner, a calendar-toting super-planner, I assumed I would stop taking birth control pills, start charting my cycles, and we would be pregnant in no time. Ha! God had other plans!
After one year of trying, nothing happened. We both underwent test after test to determine what was wrong with our bodies. In July ‘05 (two years after we decided to have kids), we learned that we would have to undergo the most advanced form of IVF (ICSI) in order to possibly conceive. And that advanced form of IVF came with a hefty $16K price tag.
We did the first round of IVF that fall, and I got pregnant. We went for our second sonogram the day after Thanksgiving, and I could instantly see there was a problem. I had miscarried. Oh, that was a horrible feeling. I’m sure some of you have been there as well. I had no idea it would be that devastating, and honestly, it still hurts today.
We had 2 frozen embryos, so we thawed them in March and tried again. The blood tests were positive, but when my numbers didn’t double every 48 hours, the doctor told me it was a chemical pregnancy which technically counts as a miscarriage.
Now, of course I had prayed about all of this, but after this 2nd attempt, I began writing in my journal specific prayers to God.
Another full round of IVF in May and again, a negative pregnancy test.
We were at a complete loss, but we did not lose hope!
We did another round of IVF that next January, and I got pregnant! Fears of another miscarriage overwhelmed me. Let me take you into the exact words from my journal…
Tonight, God put 2 special devotionals in front of me to read–one about work and one about the pregnancy. The 2nd devotional was about faith. When Dr. Kathy transferred the embryos, I was 100% sure I would get pregnant. I recently re-read a scripture about the faith of a mustard seed, and all the great works God did through average people. I would pray from the beginning, “God, Thank you for these babies growing inside of me…” even before I knew I was pregnant!
Notice that, in January, I had written about the “babies” growing inside of me. It wasn’t until the first week of February that I went for a sonogram and found out I was having triplets!
Matthew 17:20 tells us, “And He said to them, ‘Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you.”
God taught me so much through the process of getting pregnant and having triplets: and none of it was easy. I learned a valuable lesson about the power of prayer and having real faith when I pray.
It’s a challenge to me, and therefore I challenge you too! Do we really take full faith into our prayers? Let’s do it, and see what God can accomplish through us!
Jill has been married for over 20 years, and is the proud mom to an amazing set of triplets. She’s a public school teacher, and helps lead the women’s ministry at her church. When Jill is not at school or church, she enjoys writing, watching football, and traveling with her family. She recently published her first book, a prayer journal, entitled “Praying with Power.” You connect with her on her blog at www.jillcpower.com or find her on Facebook.
Check out her brand new prayer journal, Praying with Power, available on her website or on Amazon!
Your story is amazing. A great reminder of the power of our prayers. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much!
This is so encouraging. I am sorry for your losses, but I know God is blessing you and your husband abundantly! I’ve recently talked about praying with faith and intention. You make it evident that praying with Faith can be life changing! Even if the faith is the size of a mustard seed!
Thank you! The losses made it all the sweeter! We are beyond blessed!
What a wonderful story….busy Mom! Pinned on faith board. I am a teacher also!
What an amazing story! Thank you for sharing!
wow!! God sure does have plans that we don’t but its always for His glory!!
This is very inspiring! God is good!