Sermon Illustrations

MIRACLE MANDY

The doctor told Marsha Mark and her husband they would never have biological children. In their disappointment, Marsha clung to a friend's words: "Somehow, God is going to use your struggle with infertility for his glory." Marsha began to pray for a glimpse of that glory.

"I asked everyone I knew to pray," she said. "One five-year-old prayed, 'Dear God, please send Marsha a baby. Maybe someone could give her one, or she could just find one on the street.' "

Marsha's husband, Tom, a scientist, stopped praying when Marsha showed signs of menopause. Tom had seen lots of data. And in his lifetime, he'd never seen prayer change scientific facts.

Six months later, Marsha made an appointment for another pregnancy test. The doctor said no because Marsha hadn't had a period for seven months. "Asking for another pregnancy test indicates you are not accepting things as they are," he said. Marsha begged for the extra test anyway. And it came back positive.

"Over the next fourteen days, I had four more pregnancy tests and three more sonograms at the hospital's request. I think this time the doctor was having trouble dealing with the facts," Marsha said.

Her full-term pregnancy was uneventful. On October 22, 1996, Amanda Joy was born. "We call her Miracle Mandy," Marsha said.

[Marsha Marks, "Special Delivery," Christian Reader (September--October 2000) Larson, C. B., & Ten Elshof, P. (2008). 1001 illustrations that connect (313). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.]

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