The Joy of the Lord

I'm a few days away from finding out if our fourth IUI attempt was successful.  There's a peace about the fact that it is all in God's hands.  It's funny because after my angry post a few weeks ago, I wrote down all of these great verses to memorize... verses about trampling the enemy (Luke 10:19) and verses about God's power, but you know the verse that kept showing up on my heart?

Nehemiah 8:10 The joy of the Lord is my strength.

I had a few conversations with the enemy about how I belong to the Creator of the Universe, I am a daughter of the King, and with my authority in Jesus, I commanded him to leave and take infertility with him.

But then I was just so done giving Satan the attention that he had gotten for so long.

Jesus died for my healing and just because I may not see the results of that healing this week, it doesn't mean I'm not healed.  So, the enemy can tell me what ever lies he wants to this week, when I'm at my most vulnerable, but I'm just not listening anymore because the joy of the Lord is my strength and I've sent Satan on his way.

That means that the minute I feel the doubts or the anxiousness creep up on me, I think about what would make the Lord joyful.  Instead of getting down (what the enemy wants), I think about what Jesus would want for me in that moment and it gives me strength.  So, sometimes I'll pray, sometimes I'll put music on and dance with my daughter, sometimes I'll think of all of the friendships that have been strengthened in this season of my life, sometimes I'll just picture my family with our new baby (or babies)... I picture the joy on our faces and the excitement in my daughter's voice to have a new brother and/or sister (she's been praying for both).

For anyone else who is still waiting, I thought I would share the conception prayer that I memorized to pray daily. This prayer comes from the book God's Plan for Pregnancy, by Nerida Walker which I'll discuss in another post.

Conception Prayer

Thank you, Father, that your Son Jesus Christ bore all my sickness and disease and carried all my pain and sin on the Cross and that by His stripes I am healed.

This means that I am healed of infertility and of all sickness and disease that causes it.  Therefore, body, I command you in the name of Jesus to conceive and be pregnant!  Every part of you is to come in line with the Word of God.  You are to function efficiently, the way you were created to, because you were fearfully and wonderfully made.

Father, I also pray that my baby (or babies) will attach perfectly to the uterine wall (not the felopian tubes).  I ask that my baby (or babies) would be protected from all harm, sickness, and disease, and that I would carry my baby (or babies) for the full nine months.

I give You all the glory for my healing and for my baby (or babies).  Please let it be done to me according to Your will.  In Jesus' name, Amen.