Pregnant? We Can Help.

Consider Hagar. Pregnant out of wedlock. Abandoned by the baby's father. Abused by her employer. A runaway from home. Poor and on her own. This pregnancy sounds like a mistake. It looks like it might be a punishment for bad choices -- her own as well as Abram and Sarai's. On the surface, it appears to be an obstacle to God doing anything good with her life.

 

It's a situation similar to the one in which many women find themselves today, but it's worth another look.

If you read the account in Genesis 16, you'll see that God knew where she was and sent an angel to meet her. God called her by name. God even knew her unborn baby, that he was a boy and what his personality would be like. God gave her baby the name Ishmael, which would be a constant reminder that "God hears." Clearly, God had plans for both mother and baby. They mattered to God.

The record of this "unplanned" pregnancy shows God miraculously at work in a woman's life . . . a woman who may or may not have ever given Him a thought before He called her name. He not only saw her need, but He cared for her and gave her a promise for the future. Truly, pregnancy was an opportunity for her faith in God to grow.

The story of Hagar neatly foreshadows Jesus' meeting with another woman at another well in John 4. God continues to be patiently concerned about women like Hagar. Today, He's dealing with them through His servants in pregnancy care centers, maternity homes, and adoption agencies.

Consider the woman pictured here. Pregnant out of wedlock and estranged from the baby's father, she considered having an abortion, but first she visited Metro Women's Center (a BFL partner in the Minneapolis area). There she learned about her unborn baby and met people who didn't treat this pregnancy as a "mistake." She heard about God's love, proven by sending His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for all her sin. She began to understand this pregnancy was not without hope, and eventually chose a family who would adopt the child she'd come to love and give her daughter a stable home.

What about you? Have you made choices that led to a "problem" pregnancy? Are you convinced God doesn't care about you? Could we help you?

No matter the circumstances of a baby's conception, no matter the mother's situation, in the sight of God every pregnancy is a miracle. It holds promise. It is an opportunity for the Gospel.