Faith Story by Maria Tseu
I wasn’t regularly reading Bible, attending Sunday services, or joining any cell group (CG). But one day, I suddenly felt I should go to the CG which Eric and Alice were leading. At the end of the meeting, Eric and I ended up talking about me having a second baby and I told him that I felt there were two reasons why I couldn’t.
One reason was that I might have cursed myself. During a fierce argument with my husband, I prayed to God that as long as my husband did not receive Lord as his saviour, I would not want to have another baby with him. Years later, I deeply regretted this prayer because I desperately wanted a second child.
The second reason was that a fortune teller had told my husband that I could only bear one child for him, and that any subsequent children would come from another wife. I was very angry and was much affected by these words.
After hearing my story, Eric told me that these were things of the past and I shouldn’t let them bind me. Eric and Alice prayed for me. I confessed and repented before God, and declared that God had forgiven me. All the accusations from the devil could no longer bind me. God is a God of hope and mercy! The prayer that night was so powerful that I felt as if I was being baptized again, crying in the car as I went home. Since then, the weight on my heart has lifted. With a genuine smile on my face again, I began to believe that there was hope of having a second child.
Susan and Siew Chook became my next CG leaders. Susan held Bible Study with me, and as I gained a deeper understanding of God’s will through His word, I also gained confidence that I would be able to conceive.
One Sunday, Pastor Phillip shared about not giving up praying, giving the example of how he prayed when his daughter was found strangled. After the sermon, he invited those in need of prayer to come forward and I did. I told Pastor Phillip that I wanted to conceive, and he prayed for me.
Early 2024, I noticed that my friend’s clinic offered checks for the uterus and sperm. My husband and I took the tests and we decided to proceed with IVF. Despite friends and relatives warning us about its difficulties and low success rates, I chose to trust God’s word, and calmly accepted the procedure. Praise the Lord! We succeeded on the first try!
Then more negative voices came: “Why take such a risk at over 40? Aren’t you afraid your baby might have Down’s Syndrome?” Again, I declared that these were not God’s words. If God has allowed this, He must have a purpose. The doctor encouraged us to have additional tests due to my age. While waiting for the results, I declared that the report was in Jehovah’s hands. We need not be afraid or anxious. Hallelujah, praise the Lord! The report confirmed that our baby was healthy!
Then yet another voice came: “Don’t be too happy too soon. A 40 years old mother has higher risk for diabetes which could harm your baby!” Again, I chose to trust God’s words and the test report turned out excellent!
Every challenge was overcome with God’s help. Throughout the pregnancy, I only had low blood pressure and weight gain issues; the baby was perfectly healthy.
Finally, the question arose whether to have a caesarean section or natural birth. I had insisted on natural birth, but the hospital wanted me to have a caesarean. After much struggle, we agreed, and the doctor scheduled it three days later.
But God had other plans. The day after we agreed, I began experiencing labour pains at 5am. By 6am, the pains were intense. Quickly we got dressed, and prayed for a clear road to the hospital. It was a public holiday! Miraculously, we reached the hospital in less than ten minutes. The nurses quickly assessed me and told me that baby’s head was visible, and I needed to push immediately! With no time for formal registration, our baby was born safely at 6:48am! Not only did I not need an operation, God had shortened my labour to less than two hours.
Seeing our daughter, I cried, giving all glory to the Lord. Her birth symbolized a new beginning for our family! After 14 years, we have second baby in our family! Praise the Lord! All glory to the Lord! Amen!
Maria Tseu