Prayer

What in the World is God doing?

As I stare at a blank page unsure of where to even begin, I quietly ask the Lord, “What is your heart for this community? What do you have to say to these ladies and families?”

As we wrap up National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW), do I write something for the mom who has never met her babies because of miscarriage? Or maybe to the family who just decided on adoption. Or what about to the ladies who are just starting their “ttc journey” and going through what we like to call “delayed fertility.” Or maybe I’ll write to everyone with “unexplained infertility.” Wait, no, I have it- I should write to the woman who’s truly infertile. She like really never had children. She’s gone through menopause. And she has told God “no thank you” on that Sarah miracle. Yes, maybe I should write to her. Or to the mom who has a child at home but is struggling with guilt and shame and- oh yes- secondary infertility. She definitely needs a pick-me-up. Who am I even writing to, Lord?

So I come back to my quiet questions with the Father. God, what is your heart for this community? What do you have to say to these ladies and families? Because I don’t want to write another article just for the sake of another awareness week.

Well I believe He has ALOT to say and here’s what He dropped on my heart.

It doesn’t matter if you’re literally infertile or considering adoption or already have kids at home but about to start yet another round of IUI. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had 7 failed IVF’s or your husband has no sperm or you’re battling cervical cancer. It doesn’t matter how much money is in your bank account or your HSA. It doesn’t matter how many eggs you have, what shape your uterus is, or what size your cysts are. It doesn’t matter how many recurrent miscarriages you’ve had or that you can’t seem to get past the 1st trimester. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never conceived, and you know what?!- It doesn’t matter if your issue is so bad that it didn’t even make this list!

And here’s why!

God’s not intimidated by the list I just gave.

God is not upstairs biting His nails wondering “How do I get her out of this mess?!"

He is not preoccupied or too busy for your issue.

He has not forgotten you or stopped listening to you or put your mail at the bottom of the stack to deal with later.

God is not worried and He’s not confused.

He’s not scared or rushed or hopeless.

He hasn’t pressed pause on your story, and He hasn’t misplaced your prayer request.

He hasn’t rejected or abandoned you or your dreams.

He isn’t dangling bait or trying to tease you. It’s just not in His nature.

He didn’t give you the wrong child or mess up during conception, and He didn’t kill your baby. Nope, He sure didn’t.  

 

Here’s what He IS doing!

He’s showing compassion in tangible ways!

He’s healing cancer and endometriosis.

He’s dissolving cysts. He’s distributing peace and wisdom into your situation.

He’s creating sperm from nothing.

He’s reshaping and repositioning wombs.

He’s carefully preparing your heart for your promise.

He’s creating life and redeeming loss.

He’s re-arranging people and situations and schedules on your behalf.

He’s calming the storm.

 

He’s reaching out His hand for you.

He’s moving mountains into the sea!

He’s raising dry bones and wounded hearts and dead dreams!

He’s handing out freedom.

He’s answering prayers and He’s speaking!

He’s working on your behalf!!!

 

So here’s to raising awareness not just for infertility, but for a God bigger than infertility. I hope this week we see more miracle stories than anything else... in order to stir hope in this community and create an atmosphere for miracles to be duplicated!!

If you are anywhere on the “infertility” spectrum... we hope you’ll stick around and dig through our resources. We hope you’ll find community in our online groups. We hope you’ll be encouraged by our social media posts. But mostly we hope you’ll be pointed to Jesus and refueled in your hope!


 

A new program that will greatly impact lives!

Long before we started I Am Fruitful, I would pray for ladies who told me they were having trouble getting pregnant. I'd take a gift when I heard of a miscarriage. I would meet for lunch to help ease a nervous friend's mind about IUI. I would send a text and ask how it's going. It was one friend at a time. And although our ministry has grown, my heart remains the same. I deeply desire to support you on this journey to grow your family. 

We have so many requests for support and prayer, and my personal capacity to pray has reached its cap.

Enter our new Prayer Team!!  

We're so blessed to have a team of people ready and willing to come alongside you in prayer. 

 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God--it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].”

‭‭JAMES‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Many issues can arise while dealing with delayed fertility or the loss of a baby- financial strain, marriage issues, health problems, emotional stress, procedures and tests, adoption processes. The list goes on! 

Let us know how we can support you! 

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5 Scriptures to Combat Fear of Miscarriage

5 Scriptures to Combat Fear of Miscarriage

Fear of miscarriage is a very real issue. We try for so long to get pregnant, then we finally, finally get that BFP!! And for a very brief moment we're over the moon, on cloud 9, and we're happier than EVER.

Then fear sets in. Fear that we will lose the baby, the connection, the life, the future. But that fear is from the enemy, and you will have to do something about it if you want to enjoy your pregnancy. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. It's a complete miracle in itself, and it CAN be enjoyed!! They say pregnant women have a "glow" about them. I have to say that I've never seen a fearful pregnant woman with a glow. The ones at peace have the glow!

So here are 5 scriptures to help you fight that fear and step into a season of peaceful pregnancy!

So here are 5 scriptures to help you fight that fear and step into a season of peaceful pregnancy!

Philippians 4:6-7 MSG
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Isaiah 43:2-4 MSG
“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 MSG
Just as you’ll never understand
the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman,
So you’ll never understand
the mystery at work in all that God does.

Psalm 139:13-18 AMP
For You formed my innermost parts;
You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was being formed in secret,
And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were appointed for me,
When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

Ps 91:12 NLT
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.


More scriptures in this post about miscarriage!


Read the Huckins story below to hear about their loss and Lindsay's major light bulb moment that just might change your perspective on the family God wants to give you.

Have you ever considered sharing your testimony? It's a powerful thing and we would love to read yours, then share it for others to be encouraged and filled with hope! Click below to learn more!

Connect with us on INSTAGRAM @i.am.fruitful for daily encouragement!

Christmas Prayer for the Future Mommy

My heart has been so burdened for future mommy's. I've been seeing so much pain and obvious heartache all over social media, and I feel led to pray for the mother that so deeply desires a child. The woman who is a mommy in her heart, but hasn't held her child yet. I can so vividly recall the same emotions that you are no doubt feeling if you're struggling to conceive- jealousy, confusion, joy, sadness, fear, doubt, anger (this list goes on...and on...).   If you are struggling with infertility or loss, I am praying this prayer for you. I hope you can read this like I've sent you a personal message. Because I have. You are so important. God sees you. He hears you. He has great things in store for you, and He will pull through for you!

May He make you extremely fruitful!
— Lauren Bourne

Lord, I thank you so much for this precious woman who so deeply desires to conceive. God you have given her that desire and I ask that you would not be slow in fulfilling your promise to her. God, show her your compassion and wrap her in your arms this holiday season. Catch every tear that falls, and then comfort her in a tangible way. As she sees pictures of families with babies, pregnancy announcements, stockings hung up in a row, and Santa pictures from the mall... as she feels that twinge of longing over and over, would you please give her a peace that surpasses all understanding. Would you show her how to protect her heart and her mind. Give her the tools she needs to not just trudge through this season , but to enjoy this time. Give her something to cling to- a word, a vision, a hope, a picture of her future. Make it clear to her that it's you.

Lord, you have not given this sweeet woman a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Would you replace her fears with your perfect love. Please show her how to throw that fear, worry, and anxiety right out the window. Show her and put the right people in her life to lift her up and encourage her. When she feels like her hormones, moods, and emotions are out of control- please help her to manage them and give her grace when she can't. If she gets another negative pregnancy result, would you be with her on that day, comfort her, and then give her more hope than she has seen before. Show her husband how to support her as well.

God, as this journey to motherhood has no doubt affected her marriage, would you please raise up her husband as the head of their home. Show him how he can love her and support her and encourage her in ways that show your love for us. Mold him into the leader that you have called him to be. Shape him into the strong man of God that you have placed as the leader of their growing family. Any confusion that has come in, I ask that you would take it away and replace it with peace, clarity, and a sincere understanding. Give them both a renewed sense of longing for each other, a deeply replenished desire, a rekindled romance built on your truth and love. Place mentors and Godly men in her husband's life and then give him ears to hear and a willingness to learn.

Lord, I ask that you would remind this precious woman of the things you've already done for her, and give her the hope she needs to press on. I pray that any thought that is from the enemy would be thrown out and that you would give her the strength to hold every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Any diagnosis she has received- show her what you have to say about it. Make yourself evident as her healer. Lord, if she is struggling with anger, even anger towards you, would you work gently in her heart and reveal to her where you were during the toughest moments. Those moments she was on her knees in tears, those moments she was curled up in a ball crying, those moments she was yelling, and those moments she felt nothing at all. Where were you, Lord? Please show her as she seeks you for answers.  God, I thank you that where any type of confidence has been lost, that you would restore self-esteem, hope, and a complete trust in you. God, if she has had to go through miscarriage or loss of any kind, would you please show her specifically how to pursue healing for her heart, soul, and body. As you put the pieces of her heart together, I pray that her relationship with you and with her husband would be strengthened in the process. I thank you for full and complete emotional healing. Would you show her friends and family how to lift her up and comfort her, how to support her in ways that heal and not make things worse. Give them wisdom about when and how to support her, give them fresh ideas along with the willingness to carry them out.

God, I praise your name. You are so good. You are faithful and I believe you will be faithful in this woman's life. You are jealous, and you desire a deep and intimate relationship with her. Show her what that looks like as she pursues you. I believe you will work gently within her heart and heal the broken pieces, restore lost time, and provide hope for her family's future.

God, make yourself so clear to her. Reveal yourself to her in mighty ways- ways that give her hope for tomorrow, ways that bring her peace, ways that draw her to your side, ways that inspire her desire for more of you. God, would you lavish your favor on her life. Open up doors for her, pour out blessings on her, and bring her into a brighter and more fulfilling season. Prepare her heart for the miracle that you want to perform in her life, in her marriage, in her fertility, and in her family. Lord, I declare that her victory is on the horizon and that anything that is trying to come against that victory will be stopped immediately. Shelter her from the enemy. Give her the best of care, get her out of any trouble, and as she makes YOU her refuge- evil won't be able to get near her. Send your angels to guard and protect her everywhere she goes so they'll catch her anytime she stumbles and keep her from falling. Show her if there is something she needs to address or change, and make it evident what she should do. Lord, show her how to fight, remind her what it looks like to put on the full armor of God, and teach her how to use that armor well! God, you are faithful, you're reliable, you're trustworthy, and you're ever true to your promise!! Show her that she can depend on you, that you are much stronger than anything that she has faced, is facing, or will ever face. Show her how to clothe herself with strength and dignity, how to laugh without fear of her future. Bring her into the victorious and joyful future that you desire for her.

Lord, Your word says, "Blessed is she who believed that He would fulfill His promises to her." So God, please bless her as she believes in you, in your word, in your promises for her future. I pray that you would give her what her heart desires and accomplish all her plans. Transform her barren places into a fertile Eden and make her extremely fruitful!

In Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen!