>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me.
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There's nothing like
the joy of pregnancy,
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the thrill of expecting,
the excitement of preparing,
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the unique challenges and
adjustments that come with it,
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sometimes the struggles
that have been experienced
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just to get to this place.
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There's nothing like
it, and then the big day,
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and a life enters the world with
all of the hope and expectation
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that that involves.
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Childbirth is a miracle.
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It's a miracle every last one of
us have been the beneficiary of.
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That process, from
conception to birth,
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it's an incredible
succession of intricate,
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delicate, extremely
precise developments.
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Except...it
doesn't always work out.
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And when it
doesn't, it can be crushing,
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devastating.
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When it doesn't work
out, processing that,
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learning to live with that,
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working through that...
can be extremely difficult.
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Miscarriage is more common than
most people would ever realize.
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The Mayo Clinic says
that up to 20 percent
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of all known pregnancies
end in a miscarriage.
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Other authorities
say up to 25 percent.
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That's 1 in 4, or 1 in 5,
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and that's known pregnancies.
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Many miscarriages happen
so early in the pregnancy
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that the mother never
realized she was pregnant.
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Some experts say
that up to three-quarters
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of all pregnancies
result in miscarriage.
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Which means there is
an awful lot of women
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who have
experienced a miscarriage.
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Miscarriage is the
spontaneous loss of a pregnancy
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before the 20th week.
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Most miscarriages, in
fact, the vast majority,
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occur within the first
12 weeks of a pregnancy.
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And unlike almost anything else,
miscarriage raises questions
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that are very
difficult to answer,
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questions like, "Why
me?" "What did I do wrong?"
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and "Why did God
let this happen?"
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And then there's the
question that for many people
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is the biggest one of all:
"Will my baby be in heaven?"
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We're going to do our
best to answer those questions
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in the next few
minutes, and we'll meet a woman
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who's had a lot of
experience with this,
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and talk with a physician who's
had an awful lot of experience
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dealing with the issues
surrounding what truly is
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a tragedy of
immense proportions.
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¤[soft music]¤
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So does God care
when a miscarriage occurs?
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Of course He does.
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Isaiah 44, verse 2:
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"Thus says the Lord who made you
and formed you from the womb..."
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Isaiah 44, same
chapter, verse 24:
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"Thus says the
Lord, your Redeemer,
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and He who formed
you from the womb..."
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Isaiah 49:1,
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"Listen, O coastlands, to me,
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and take heed,
you peoples from afar!
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The Lord has
called me from the womb;
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from the matrix of my mother
He has made mention of my name."
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You get the idea here.
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In fact, it becomes very clear
that God is very much aware
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of what takes
place inside the womb.
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The Bible does not say that a
person is formed at childbirth,
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but within the
womb, inside the mother.
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That's a baby.
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That's a person.
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That's a human being; at least,
that's the way God sees it.
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And God had this
to say to Jeremiah,
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in Jeremiah 1 in verse 5:
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"Before I formed you
in the womb, I knew you;
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before you were
born I sanctified you."
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So if God knew
Jeremiah in the womb,
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if God knew Isaiah in the womb,
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then God knows what's going
on within every pregnant woman.
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So, yes, God cares,
and He cares deeply.
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God feels the pain of
every grieving mother,
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which is important to
know, because women who miscarry
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frequently find
that those around them
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don't always empathize or
sympathize or, or show concern
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or support like they...
like they really should.
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Now, we know how
to react basically
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when someone's grandma dies.
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We show concern.
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It's sad.
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There's grieving
that needs to take place.
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When someone loses a
parent or a sibling or a spouse,
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we get that.
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Not that everyone
is especially helpful
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or always says the right thing,
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but we understand the
dynamic of a person dying.
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We understand the loss of
someone who no longer sits
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across the dining room table,
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someone who isn't
there in church anymore,
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or isn't there when
you go home to visit.
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That's a loss.
We kind of get that.
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That person is no longer there.
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But the loss of
someone you've never seen,
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someone you've never
met, someone without a name,
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how do you truly
appreciate a loss like that?
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For a lot of people,
even for a lot of husbands
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whose wives
miscarry, it's not easy.
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Which is why people
will say things like,
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"Well, at least
it happened early,"
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or, or "Don't feel bad."
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Don't feel bad?
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That's exactly how an expectant
mother is going to feel
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when she loses her child.
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Loss is difficult
for humans to bear.
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God didn't create us to
experience loss, to grieve.
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Death came into the
world as the result of sin.
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And 6,000 years later, it
still doesn't sit well with us.
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And in this case,
the death of dreams,
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the death of
potential, the death of joy,
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the death of a future,
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that's its own
kind of difficult.
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Imagine being the woman
who for so long has been trying
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to get pregnant, and now
people are congratulating you.
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It's fun.
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You're starting to shop for
strollers and decorate a room,
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and you start to
think about picking a name.
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Maybe friends have
started giving you gifts.
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You've started to dream
about what the future holds:
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Will she play the piano?
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Will she become a teacher
or a doctor or an engineer?
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Will he be a carpenter
or a physical therapist
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or an accountant?
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One day you'll go to games.
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You'll play basketball
together at the local court.
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You'll ice skate.
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You'll eat ice cream.
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You'll be there for
that first lost tooth,
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take them to school on
that first day at school.
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There'll be
pets and grazed knees
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and learning to ride a bike, and
then high school, and one day,
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boyfriends or girlfriends,
and one day, a wedding.
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But miscarriage ends that, right
when you're daring to dream,
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when your future is
offering you so much.
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It's all...gone.
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So how do you get
through this in a healthy way,
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your marriage still strong,
your faith in God intact?
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And will you ever
get to meet that baby?
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I'll be right back.
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¤[music]¤
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>>John: I want to encourage
you to get today's free offer.
00:07:30.11\00:07:32.65
It's my little book
called "Coping With Grief."
00:07:32.68\00:07:35.88
If you are trying to deal with
grief or you know somebody else
00:07:35.92\00:07:38.59
who is grieving, this little
book will be invaluable to you.
00:07:38.62\00:07:42.32
We look at biblical principles
for dealing with grief,
00:07:42.36\00:07:44.96
and we'll discover that God
is with us in those tough times.
00:07:44.99\00:07:48.33
To get "Coping With Grief,"
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visit us online at iiwoffer.com
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or call 800-253-3000,
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800-253-3000.
00:07:55.80\00:07:58.41
Call now. It's free.
00:07:58.44\00:08:00.11
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:08:01.44\00:08:04.45
Some of the great stories of the
Bible center around pregnancy
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and childbirth.
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The greatest story of the Bible
could well be that of an angel
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visiting a young,
unmarried woman and telling her
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she's going to have a baby.
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Mary then visits her
pregnant cousin, Elizabeth,
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who's going to be the
mother of John the Baptist.
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There's the story of
Hannah, the wife of Elkanah,
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weeping before the Lord
because she couldn't conceive.
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And then the miracle
child Samuel was born.
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There's that great Old Testament
story of Abraham and Sarah,
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who in their old age
became the parents of Isaac.
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Genesis 25:21 says,
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"Now Isaac pleaded
with the Lord for his wife,
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because she was barren;
and the Lord granted his plea,
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and Rebekah his wife conceived."
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Another birth
that came as a result
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of God's direct intervention:
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Isaac's son
Jacob married Rachel,
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and Genesis 30, verse 1 says,
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"Now when Rachel saw that
she bore Jacob no children,
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Rachel envied her
sister, and said to Jacob,
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'Give me
children, or else I die!'"
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And she conceived.
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Both Moses and Hosea wrote that
Jacob took hold of his brother
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"by the heel in the womb."
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Pregnancy is a
huge deal in the Bible.
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The gift of life is precious.
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And that's
understood by expecting parents,
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especially expecting mothers.
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But when all that
disappears so unexpectedly,
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when something as inexplicable
as miscarriage strikes
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from out of nowhere,
it can be devastating.
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Almost 20 years ago my wife
miscarried what would have been
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our second child, somewhere
around eight to 10 weeks.
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It was devastating for her.
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Sad for me, devastating for her.
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And almost two decades later,
the pain is just about this far
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beneath the surface
when the subject comes up.
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Becky Nordquist knows something
of the pain of miscarriage
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and loss.
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I spoke to her
about her experience.
00:10:06.03\00:10:08.24
>>Becky Nordquist: We
experienced five pregnancy
00:10:09.24\00:10:11.31
losses and one stillbirth,
00:10:11.34\00:10:14.54
after hoping to
have a family of our own.
00:10:14.58\00:10:19.38
>>John: A question many people,
uh, are wanting an answer to is,
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how do you endure that?
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Just how do you get
through that much loss?
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>>Becky: Well, there
was a lot of wrestling,
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a lot of questioning God.
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I really was wrestling with
my faith, and so was my husband.
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We, we wrestled together.
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We ended up one
morning laying in bed, saying,
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"God, are You mad at
us? Did You leave us?"
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You know, "Have we left,
you know, have we walked out
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from underneath Your hand
of blessing? What's going on?"
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Because there was
just loss after loss.
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And so you find yourself
in those really dark places.
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You find yourself
asking questions that you feel
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almost ashamed that
you're asking, as a believer,
00:10:55.78\00:10:58.52
but they're crucial to ask.
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They're, they're so important
to growing our faith deeper.
00:11:00.79\00:11:05.33
And so, clinging to
the truth of God's Word,
00:11:05.36\00:11:08.06
even when your
heart doesn't feel it,
00:11:08.10\00:11:10.87
was absolutely the
most important thing
00:11:10.90\00:11:13.27
we could have found.
00:11:13.30\00:11:14.94
>>John: And you waited,
00:11:14.97\00:11:16.84
and then you might
have had to wait again.
00:11:16.87\00:11:18.67
And now you look back
over multiple pregnancy losses,
00:11:18.71\00:11:24.01
and during that time,
00:11:24.05\00:11:25.88
two beautiful,
healthy babies were born.
00:11:25.91\00:11:27.78
You look back
over that period...
00:11:27.82\00:11:32.22
how, how do you,
how do you view it?
00:11:32.25\00:11:34.89
>>Becky: A very
bittersweet journey.
00:11:34.92\00:11:38.56
Uh, bitter when I think
of things in the terms of
00:11:38.59\00:11:43.37
the tears wept and the
empty arms that I experienced,
00:11:43.40\00:11:50.27
the difficult things
that people would say,
00:11:50.31\00:11:53.54
that were well-intentioned,
but very poor--poorly-worded.
00:11:53.58\00:11:57.95
Um, but sweet, because
who God has become for me:
00:11:57.98\00:12:04.55
the God of Becky.
00:12:04.59\00:12:06.12
Not just the God of Moses
00:12:06.15\00:12:07.82
or the God of David
or the God of Abraham.
00:12:07.86\00:12:10.83
He became the God of
Becky in that dark period,
00:12:10.86\00:12:16.10
and who He is to me today,
00:12:16.13\00:12:18.60
I wouldn't trade
that for anything.
00:12:18.63\00:12:21.80
It is a treasure that
nothing else in this earth
00:12:21.84\00:12:27.04
could compare to that.
00:12:27.08\00:12:29.08
>>John: Two questions:
00:12:29.11\00:12:30.45
How do women
typically deal with this?
00:12:30.48\00:12:34.72
How would you
suggest a woman, a family--
00:12:34.75\00:12:38.89
let's not forget husbands
are impacted here as well--
00:12:38.92\00:12:42.36
how would you suggest families
deal with this in a healthy way?
00:12:42.39\00:12:45.59
Firstly, what's
typical? Second, what's healthy?
00:12:45.63\00:12:49.16
>>Becky: Hmm. I'm not sure
I can speak to what's typical,
00:12:49.20\00:12:52.10
because it is such
an individual journey.
00:12:52.13\00:12:55.14
Um, many, many try
to go it alone, though.
00:12:55.17\00:13:00.04
There's a lot of people that
just don't want to talk about it
00:13:00.08\00:13:02.18
for multiple reasons.
00:13:02.21\00:13:03.68
Everyone has a different reason.
00:13:03.71\00:13:05.18
Sometimes it's just, you
know, a little embarrassment.
00:13:05.21\00:13:07.68
We told everyone we're pregnant;
now suddenly we're not.
00:13:07.72\00:13:09.78
What do we say now?
00:13:09.82\00:13:10.99
And then it's awkward
00:13:11.02\00:13:12.29
because people
don't know how to respond.
00:13:12.32\00:13:14.52
Uh, but I think the
most important thing
00:13:14.56\00:13:16.42
is that you do at least
find one person to talk with
00:13:16.46\00:13:19.53
and process through it with.
00:13:19.56\00:13:21.96
And certainly, you know,
honest struggling with the Lord
00:13:22.00\00:13:24.50
is important.
00:13:24.53\00:13:25.43
¤[soft piano music]¤
00:13:25.47\00:13:26.70
>>John: There are some pretty
normal responses to miscarriage
00:13:26.74\00:13:29.67
that aren't especially helpful.
00:13:29.70\00:13:31.77
A woman is going to be
tempted to blame herself:
00:13:31.81\00:13:34.54
"Maybe I shouldn't
have eaten that fast food."
00:13:34.58\00:13:37.01
"Maybe it was
the mountain biking."
00:13:37.05\00:13:38.68
"If I'd exercised more..."
00:13:38.71\00:13:40.22
"If I'd drunk more water..."
00:13:40.25\00:13:42.55
No. Except for
very rare exceptions,
00:13:42.58\00:13:46.12
it's not the things that you do
that ever cause the miscarriage.
00:13:46.15\00:13:50.09
And when something goes wrong,
00:13:50.13\00:13:51.03
we want to find
someone to blame.
00:13:51.06\00:13:52.96
"It was my fault."
00:13:52.99\00:13:54.83
No, it wasn't.
00:13:54.83\00:13:55.90
"I failed."
00:13:55.93\00:13:57.00
Oh, no, you didn't fail.
00:13:57.03\00:13:58.60
Pregnancy is a
high-risk proposition.
00:13:58.63\00:14:01.34
Consider how many
pregnancies end in miscarriage,
00:14:01.37\00:14:03.67
both known and
unknown miscarriage,
00:14:03.71\00:14:06.31
and considering all of the
things that have to go right
00:14:06.34\00:14:09.08
in order for a child to be born,
00:14:09.11\00:14:11.18
pregnancy as a whole
is a high-risk thing.
00:14:11.21\00:14:14.75
>>Dr. Donald Taylor:
Genetically, when a baby
00:14:15.78\00:14:18.29
is formed, there's so much
information that's being passed
00:14:18.32\00:14:22.72
from sperm to egg.
00:14:22.76\00:14:24.56
Everything that's developing
initially has to be just right,
00:14:24.59\00:14:29.53
because it's such a critical
foundation for the development
00:14:29.56\00:14:32.77
of that baby,
00:14:32.80\00:14:34.07
that if it doesn't, the
baby's not going to survive,
00:14:34.10\00:14:36.60
it's not going to do well,
and then a miscarriage occurs.
00:14:36.64\00:14:40.24
>>John: Post-miscarriage,
what's important,
00:14:40.28\00:14:43.31
what's healthy for that woman
to be able to move forward?
00:14:43.35\00:14:47.22
>>Dr. Taylor: First of
all, I think being able to talk
00:14:47.25\00:14:49.42
about it openly,
to share her feelings.
00:14:49.45\00:14:52.95
Because every pregnancy
carries much more emotions
00:14:52.99\00:14:56.56
than most people
realize, even early pregnancies.
00:14:56.59\00:15:00.50
It's easy to conceive a
fetal death further along
00:15:00.53\00:15:03.87
into pregnancy and how
much grief that would bring,
00:15:03.90\00:15:06.90
but you'd be surprised how much
grief the early part of it is.
00:15:06.94\00:15:11.17
>>John: So what advice
do you have for husbands?
00:15:11.21\00:15:15.01
>>Dr. Taylor: For Dad, the
main thing that I encourage them
00:15:15.84\00:15:18.81
to do is to listen.
00:15:18.85\00:15:21.65
Be close to them.
00:15:21.68\00:15:22.98
Don't draw away from them,
because it's easy to do that,
00:15:23.02\00:15:26.76
or try to take
over in the sense of,
00:15:26.79\00:15:29.36
"Okay, this is how
we're going to fix--"
00:15:29.39\00:15:31.33
because that's what guys like
to do; they like to fix things.
00:15:31.36\00:15:34.63
And that's not what she needs.
00:15:34.66\00:15:36.33
She needs that listening ear
and that gentle touch from Dad.
00:15:36.36\00:15:40.87
>>John: What do you
think are one or two things
00:15:40.90\00:15:42.57
that most
people, even most moms,
00:15:42.60\00:15:45.24
don't understand
about miscarriage?
00:15:45.27\00:15:48.24
>>Dr. Taylor: The frequency,
00:15:48.28\00:15:49.71
as to how common it is, in
our cur--in our local community,
00:15:49.74\00:15:53.92
in our society.
00:15:53.95\00:15:55.12
And then secondly, how
they can take care of themselves
00:15:55.15\00:15:58.32
with exercise,
with diet, and rest.
00:15:58.35\00:16:02.76
Most don't realize
how important that is.
00:16:02.79\00:16:05.53
And those are
probably the major factors,
00:16:05.56\00:16:08.00
uh, that we go over with them.
00:16:08.03\00:16:10.47
¤[soft music]¤
00:16:10.50\00:16:11.73
>>John: So how do you support a
woman who has had a miscarriage?
00:16:11.77\00:16:14.44
Of course, not everybody
processes a loss like this
00:16:14.47\00:16:17.01
in exactly the same way.
00:16:17.04\00:16:18.71
But generally speaking, being as
a grieving process is going on,
00:16:18.74\00:16:23.11
you do what you do to
help someone who is grieving:
00:16:23.14\00:16:26.48
You don't try to fix
it. It can't be fixed.
00:16:26.51\00:16:29.72
A loss is a loss,
and it cannot be undone.
00:16:29.75\00:16:33.36
You don't try to ignore it.
00:16:33.39\00:16:34.59
It's real.
00:16:34.62\00:16:36.16
What people need is an ear.
00:16:36.19\00:16:38.29
We've looked at the subject of
grief before on It Is Written.
00:16:38.33\00:16:41.13
Grief is difficult.
00:16:41.16\00:16:42.86
People process
grief in different ways,
00:16:42.90\00:16:44.87
but pretending that what
has happened hasn't happened
00:16:44.90\00:16:47.87
or failing to
acknowledge a crushing loss
00:16:47.90\00:16:49.97
as just what it is,
that's just not helpful.
00:16:50.01\00:16:53.88
Yes, life will get back to
normal, as it were, eventually,
00:16:53.91\00:16:59.58
just like it did
after your dad died.
00:16:59.61\00:17:02.08
But it takes time, and the
sense of loss is always there.
00:17:02.12\00:17:08.59
Look at the grief David
expressed for his son Absalom.
00:17:08.62\00:17:11.76
Oh, very
different circumstances,
00:17:11.79\00:17:13.96
but David's grief was enormous.
00:17:14.00\00:17:16.77
"Then the king was deeply moved,
00:17:16.80\00:17:18.50
and went up to the
chamber over the gate, and wept.
00:17:18.53\00:17:22.24
And as he went, he said
thus: 'O my son Absalom--my son,
00:17:22.27\00:17:27.91
my son Absalom--if only
I had died in your place!
00:17:27.94\00:17:32.91
O Absalom my son, my son!'"
00:17:32.95\00:17:36.89
That's 2 Samuel 18:33.
00:17:36.92\00:17:39.79
David lost a child.
00:17:39.82\00:17:41.99
You could say that a
lost pregnancy is in some ways
00:17:42.02\00:17:45.66
more cruel because
it's the death of hope,
00:17:45.69\00:17:49.23
the death of dreams.
00:17:49.26\00:17:51.30
The unborn are the innocent,
00:17:51.33\00:17:53.67
and the loss of
the innocent is tough.
00:17:53.70\00:17:58.17
So, do we see those
unborn babies in eternity?
00:17:58.21\00:18:03.04
I'll be back in just a moment.
00:18:03.08\00:18:04.45
¤[music]¤
00:18:04.48\00:18:10.49
¤[upbeat music]¤
00:18:13.05\00:18:15.29
>>Announcer: Planning
for your financial future
00:18:15.32\00:18:17.03
is a vital aspect of
Christian stewardship.
00:18:17.06\00:18:20.96
For this reason, It Is
Written is pleased to offer
00:18:20.96\00:18:23.60
free planned giving
and estate services.
00:18:23.63\00:18:26.43
For information on
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00:18:26.47\00:18:28.67
please call 800-992-2219.
00:18:28.70\00:18:33.51
Call today
00:18:33.54\00:18:34.38
or visit our
website: hislegacy.com.
00:18:34.41\00:18:37.95
Call 800-992-2219.
00:18:37.98\00:18:41.92
[train sounds]
00:18:43.25\00:18:44.29
>>John Bradshaw: In
1931, nine boys started out
00:18:44.32\00:18:46.72
from Chattanooga, Tennessee,
in search of a new life.
00:18:46.76\00:18:49.99
They made it as far
as Scottsboro, Alabama,
00:18:50.03\00:18:52.53
where they were accused
of crimes they didn't commit
00:18:52.56\00:18:55.33
and were sentenced to death.
00:18:55.36\00:18:57.17
[gavel strikes block]
00:18:57.20\00:18:58.53
>>Sheila Washington:
It was the Jim Crow era.
00:18:58.57\00:19:00.84
If somebody said a black did
it, a black didn't have a chance
00:19:00.87\00:19:05.24
of even making it
inside of a courtroom
00:19:05.27\00:19:08.01
before he was hung on a tree.
00:19:08.04\00:19:10.11
I don't know how they survived.
00:19:10.15\00:19:12.11
>>John: In separate trials,
guilty verdicts were returned,
00:19:12.15\00:19:14.85
even though it was
apparent to everyone looking on
00:19:14.88\00:19:17.49
that the
defendants were not guilty.
00:19:17.52\00:19:20.59
In that miscarriage of justice
the civil rights era was born.
00:19:20.62\00:19:25.29
Join It Is Written on
location in Scottsboro, Alabama,
00:19:25.33\00:19:28.73
for "The Scottsboro Nine."
00:19:28.76\00:19:31.07
We'll look into the Bible and
see what it says about justice,
00:19:31.10\00:19:34.07
about false accusation,
and about finding true freedom.
00:19:34.10\00:19:38.31
"The Scottsboro Nine,"
00:19:38.34\00:19:39.77
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:19:39.81\00:19:42.34
>>John Bradshaw: As many as a
quarter of all known pregnancies
00:19:44.11\00:19:46.75
end in miscarriage.
00:19:46.78\00:19:48.85
The Cambridge Dictionary
defines miscarriage as
00:19:48.88\00:19:51.15
"an early,
unintentional end to a pregnancy
00:19:51.19\00:19:54.62
when the baby is
born too early and dies
00:19:54.66\00:19:57.09
because it has
not developed enough."
00:19:57.13\00:20:00.60
So where is God when
all of this takes place?
00:20:00.63\00:20:03.16
Well, that's a good question.
00:20:03.20\00:20:04.93
I'm glad that
there's a good answer.
00:20:04.97\00:20:07.27
Whether it's miscarriage
or infant death or the death
00:20:07.30\00:20:10.17
of a grandparent, God
is present when we grieve.
00:20:10.21\00:20:14.24
The presence of bad things
00:20:14.28\00:20:15.41
doesn't mean
that God was absent.
00:20:15.44\00:20:18.18
Awful things happen,
00:20:18.21\00:20:19.65
and they happen as a
result of sin in the world.
00:20:19.68\00:20:22.75
We were created to live forever.
00:20:22.78\00:20:24.59
There was no sin
in the beginning,
00:20:24.62\00:20:26.62
but with the advent of sin
there came the advent of death
00:20:26.65\00:20:29.92
and illness and crime and hate.
00:20:29.96\00:20:33.13
Imagine the earth before sin.
00:20:33.16\00:20:35.46
God said that it was
good; He then said, "very good."
00:20:35.50\00:20:39.10
But after sin,
things began to change.
00:20:39.13\00:20:42.37
Imagine Adam and Eve seeing
a leaf die for the first time,
00:20:42.40\00:20:47.04
then an animal die,
00:20:47.08\00:20:48.74
and then seeing a person die.
00:20:48.78\00:20:52.15
This wasn't what
God was thinking of
00:20:52.18\00:20:54.25
when He created the world.
00:20:54.28\00:20:55.48
It wasn't what He wished for.
00:20:55.52\00:20:58.02
Our own choices of human beings
have brought about the decay,
00:20:58.05\00:21:01.29
the degeneration of the world,
00:21:01.32\00:21:03.76
so that now things happen
that we have no control over,
00:21:03.79\00:21:06.83
like cancer, very often,
00:21:06.86\00:21:09.03
accidents.
00:21:09.06\00:21:10.27
You can be the victim of a crime
00:21:10.30\00:21:11.47
through absolutely
no fault of your own.
00:21:11.50\00:21:14.30
And tragedies like
miscarriage or stillbirth,
00:21:14.34\00:21:18.04
painful things that
are beyond your control,
00:21:18.07\00:21:21.48
it's the price we pay
for living in a sinful world.
00:21:21.51\00:21:25.01
Tragically, things happen.
00:21:25.05\00:21:28.25
And miscarriage brings
with it all kinds of challenges
00:21:28.28\00:21:31.09
that people outside of that
world don't always consider.
00:21:31.12\00:21:35.92
What's it like going
home from the doctor's office
00:21:35.96\00:21:38.29
when she's told you the news
that you didn't want to hear,
00:21:38.33\00:21:41.66
and going back to that,
that room you've prepared?
00:21:41.70\00:21:46.10
Having to tell the
nice lady at the store that,
00:21:46.13\00:21:48.20
"Actually, I'm not
pregnant now, so..."?
00:21:48.24\00:21:51.74
Everywhere you turn there are
young mothers pushing strollers,
00:21:51.77\00:21:54.54
pregnant women
evidently very excited
00:21:54.58\00:21:56.38
about their
rather obvious future.
00:21:56.41\00:21:59.35
And then there's the fear that
accompanies your next pregnancy,
00:21:59.38\00:22:02.55
when all you can do is worry
that it's going to happen again.
00:22:02.58\00:22:06.76
Now, there are things
a person can do, though.
00:22:06.79\00:22:08.92
Read. Read about the subject.
00:22:08.96\00:22:11.23
Get involved in a support group.
00:22:11.26\00:22:13.46
Find friends who will
actually be supportive.
00:22:13.50\00:22:16.97
Listen to a good
podcast on the subject.
00:22:17.00\00:22:19.77
And trust in God.
00:22:19.80\00:22:21.90
Difficult experiences don't have
to mean the end of your faith
00:22:21.94\00:22:25.21
in God.
00:22:25.24\00:22:26.54
God isn't a villain.
00:22:26.57\00:22:28.28
God didn't do this to anyone.
00:22:28.31\00:22:31.25
This is simply life in a world
that for thousands of years
00:22:31.28\00:22:33.82
has been wrestling
with sin and its effects.
00:22:33.85\00:22:36.92
God is there for you in
any crisis, in any trying time.
00:22:36.95\00:22:41.36
Remember those
promises in the Bible?
00:22:41.39\00:22:43.56
They'll help
you to move forward.
00:22:43.59\00:22:45.59
Now, you don't have to move on,
00:22:45.63\00:22:47.56
but you do want to
be able to move forward.
00:22:47.60\00:22:50.53
Matthew 11:28,
00:22:50.57\00:22:52.43
"Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden,
00:22:52.47\00:22:56.94
and I will give you rest."
00:22:56.97\00:22:59.34
Isaiah 26:3,
00:22:59.37\00:23:01.28
"You will keep
him in perfect peace,
00:23:01.31\00:23:02.78
whose mind is stayed on
You, because he trusts in You."
00:23:02.81\00:23:07.62
"Trust in the Lord
with all your heart."
00:23:07.65\00:23:09.72
That's Proverbs 3:5.
00:23:09.75\00:23:11.79
"I am with you always,
even to the end of the age."
00:23:11.82\00:23:15.96
Matthew 28:20.
00:23:15.99\00:23:17.69
"Be still, and
know that I am God."
00:23:17.73\00:23:21.40
Psalm 46:10.
00:23:21.43\00:23:23.10
And Matthew 5, verse 4:
00:23:23.13\00:23:24.77
"Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted."
00:23:24.80\00:23:29.50
The question many
people wrestle with is,
00:23:29.54\00:23:32.91
"Will I see my baby again?"
00:23:32.94\00:23:35.81
Now, that's an
important question.
00:23:35.84\00:23:38.38
When an adult
dies or a child dies,
00:23:38.41\00:23:40.28
we're given very
real promises in the Bible
00:23:40.32\00:23:42.45
about what we have
to look forward to.
00:23:42.48\00:23:44.75
1 Thessalonians
chapter 4, 16 and 17 says:
00:23:44.79\00:23:48.36
"For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven
00:23:48.39\00:23:50.46
with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel,
00:23:50.49\00:23:52.83
and with the trump of God:
00:23:52.86\00:23:54.60
and the dead in
Christ shall rise first:
00:23:54.63\00:23:57.33
then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up
00:23:57.37\00:23:59.93
together with
them in the clouds,
00:24:00.04\00:24:01.47
to meet the Lord in the air:
00:24:01.50\00:24:03.87
and so shall we
ever be with the Lord."
00:24:03.91\00:24:06.37
Now, what's that?
00:24:06.91\00:24:08.24
That's the resurrection:
"The dead in Christ shall rise."
00:24:08.28\00:24:12.88
That's clear.
00:24:12.91\00:24:14.12
Jesus said much the same in John
chapter 5, verses 28 and 29:
00:24:14.15\00:24:19.02
"Marvel not at this:
00:24:19.05\00:24:20.99
for the hour is coming, in the
which all that are in the graves
00:24:21.02\00:24:24.66
shall hear His
voice, and shall come forth;
00:24:24.69\00:24:27.86
they that have done good,
unto the resurrection of life;
00:24:27.86\00:24:30.73
and they that have done evil,
00:24:30.77\00:24:32.50
unto the
resurrection of damnation."
00:24:32.53\00:24:34.87
Paul wrote to the Corinthians
in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:
00:24:35.37\00:24:38.57
"Behold, I shew you a
mystery; we shall not all sleep,
00:24:38.61\00:24:43.14
but we shall all be
changed, in a moment,
00:24:43.18\00:24:45.75
in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump:
00:24:45.78\00:24:48.78
for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised
00:24:48.82\00:24:51.65
incorruptible, and
we shall be changed."
00:24:51.69\00:24:55.16
The dead shall be raised.
00:24:55.66\00:24:58.76
Did Paul or Jesus distinguish
between the dead who died
00:24:58.79\00:25:02.90
in the womb and the dead
who died after having been born?
00:25:02.93\00:25:08.24
No. No, they did not.
00:25:08.27\00:25:10.47
¤[soft music]¤
00:25:11.47\00:25:12.84
So who will be saved?
00:25:12.87\00:25:14.51
Well, those sinners
who repented of their sins
00:25:14.54\00:25:17.31
and accept Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior.
00:25:17.35\00:25:20.55
But those in the
womb have not sinned.
00:25:20.58\00:25:23.05
There's nothing
for them to repent of.
00:25:23.08\00:25:25.55
Now, now, careful, does that
mean that every unborn child
00:25:25.59\00:25:28.99
has a free pass
to everlasting life?
00:25:29.02\00:25:31.93
I don't think it would be wise
or even necessary to say that.
00:25:31.96\00:25:35.46
The Bible isn't
entirely clear about this,
00:25:35.50\00:25:38.37
which means we should tread
carefully and with respect.
00:25:38.40\00:25:41.97
But if you're wondering
about the eternal destiny
00:25:42.00\00:25:43.81
of your unborn child, you
have every reason to be hopeful,
00:25:43.84\00:25:48.44
every reason to look
forward to meeting your baby
00:25:48.48\00:25:51.78
and to raising
your child in heaven.
00:25:51.81\00:25:54.98
We've got a lot to look forward
to when we get to heaven,
00:25:55.02\00:25:57.95
and meeting those
little ones we never knew,
00:25:57.99\00:26:01.29
the innocents
that were lost to us,
00:26:01.32\00:26:04.69
that's going to be one of
the most special blessings
00:26:04.73\00:26:07.40
God has for us.
00:26:07.40\00:26:09.06
>>John: I want to encourage
you to get today's free offer.
00:26:09.93\00:26:12.37
It's my little book
called "Coping With Grief."
00:26:12.40\00:26:15.54
If you are trying to deal with
grief or you know somebody else
00:26:15.57\00:26:18.21
who is grieving, this little
book will be invaluable to you.
00:26:18.24\00:26:21.94
We look at biblical principles
for dealing with grief,
00:26:21.98\00:26:24.68
and we'll discover that God
is with us in those tough times.
00:26:24.71\00:26:28.02
To get "Coping With Grief,"
00:26:28.05\00:26:29.18
visit us online at iiwoffer.com
00:26:29.22\00:26:32.42
or call 800-253-3000,
00:26:32.45\00:26:35.46
800-253-3000.
00:26:35.49\00:26:38.16
Call now. It's free.
00:26:38.19\00:26:39.66
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:40.26\00:26:42.23
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:42.26\00:26:45.60
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:45.63\00:26:48.87
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:48.90\00:26:53.07
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:53.11\00:26:54.58
to the address on your screen,
00:26:54.61\00:26:56.04
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:56.08\00:26:59.88
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:59.91\00:27:02.78
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:27:02.82\00:27:06.96
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:27:06.99\00:27:09.99
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:27:11.26\00:27:12.79
Our Father in heaven, we
thank You in the name of Jesus
00:27:12.83\00:27:15.03
that though we live in a world
filled with sadness and pain
00:27:15.06\00:27:17.67
and heartbreak and loss,
00:27:17.70\00:27:19.37
that we look forward to a world
where there'll be no such thing.
00:27:19.40\00:27:23.07
Right now there are people
dealing with the pain of loss
00:27:23.10\00:27:25.74
and grief, and I pray You'd
be especially close to them.
00:27:25.77\00:27:29.08
Through their tears,
00:27:29.11\00:27:30.31
help them to see that
there is hope in Jesus.
00:27:30.35\00:27:33.05
Through their pain,
00:27:33.08\00:27:34.28
give them the very real promise
and assurance that one day,
00:27:34.32\00:27:37.45
no more pain.
00:27:37.49\00:27:39.22
We thank You for
Jesus, who died for our sins.
00:27:39.25\00:27:41.39
We thank You for Jesus,
who one day will gather us up
00:27:41.42\00:27:44.26
and take us to
be with Him forever.
00:27:44.29\00:27:45.96
Let that day come soon, we
pray, and we thank You for it,
00:27:45.99\00:27:50.53
in Jesus' name.
00:27:50.57\00:27:52.13
Amen.
00:27:52.17\00:27:53.64
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:27:53.67\00:27:54.74
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:54.77\00:27:57.07
Until then, remember:
00:27:57.11\00:27:59.74
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:59.77\00:28:04.45
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:28:04.48\00:28:08.95
¤[theme music]¤
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