Looking Ahead-Prayer Journal
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onwardto Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
Philippians 3:12-14 (The Message)
Christmas is behind us and we begin to set out sights on a brand new year. For some, 2012 has been a difficult one. The thought of leaving behind the hardships of the past 12 months is a welcomed thing! What new sights can we set our eyes on for the coming year?
Infertility can make relationships with friends and family members feel strained at times. Sometimes, because of our seemingly constant struggle with infertility we can even feel as if we have somehow failed Christ with a lack of faith or by feeling angry or weak, and we can begin to feel strained in our relationship with Him. If you have struggled with your relationship with God because you feel as if you have let Him down, or that you havent been as strong as you think you should have been, dont let past failures weigh you down! Dont give up! Press on with your relationship with Christ.
Another way of putting Philippians 3:13-14 (the NASB version) is forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. If your prayer life has diminished, there is no better time than the beginning of a new year to start fresh . Pray about your infertility again. Ask Him to help you as you face infertility. If you havent read your Bible in 3 years, dont be embarrassed. Let the beginning of a new year be the time you begin to read your Bible again. Read about all the infertile couples whose lives Gods interrupted! Forget the times behind you when you may not have done everything right, and begin fresh and new with this new year.
A great new place to start is with a prayer journal. If infertility has your heart discouraged, it is easy to let your prayer life suffer. If you have prayed for a baby for some time yet the baby has not yet come, it is easy to get discouraged and wonder why you should even ask God for a child. Habakkuk 2:2 says Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who read it may run. When you are asking God for something, write down your specific request. The obvious thing for anyone who is struggling with infertility is to ask God for a baby. However, there are many other requests along the way. Why not record them as well!
Have you asked God to help you get through the baby shower you have to attend for your sister-in-law? Record that in your prayer journal. Did you get through it? Record that as well. Youll have a record of how God has answered your prayer and brought you through a difficult time. Your faith will increase. Have you asked God to help you with the results of a specific blood test? Were your numbers good, even if that specific cycle didnt result in pregnancy? Recording such a request and the results will show you how God is working and moving through your life and will encourage you in dark times! Writing down even the smallest things you ask God for and writing down how He helps you is an easy yet amazing way to remind yourself of Gods hand in your life!
As you write down the requests you make of God, dont forget to record your praise for Him as well. Realize that much of the book of Psalms in the Bible is just that! A record of praise! Your prayer journal could be your own personal psalms! Record your requests, Gods answers and your praise! What a powerful tool!
An example of what a prayer journal might look like:
Date____1/3/13________
What Im asking God for:
God please help me when I go to the meeting at work today. I know Janet will be back from maternity leave today and will probably have pictures of her new baby.
How God helped me:
(1-3-13) I didnt cry at work.
(1-17-13) I was able to interact with Janet and didnt feel as jealous as I have before.
(1-18-13) I was feeling really discouraged because I started my period today and Jamie stopped by the office and said she wanted to take me to lunch. I know God sent her by!
Praise
Thank you God for loving me today! It might seem like a little thing to somebody else but its a big thing to me that I didnt lose control at work. Thank you that my boss called me into his office when Janet was walking into the commons area area and I didnt have to hear all her stories. Thank you for giving me an out.
-Beth Forbus
. I'm due for AF end of next week. Hope it won't come on Christmas Day like it did last year..ugh! Do you get pain from yours?
I am due for AF on Christmas now too, so hopefully we both get a lovely gift this year.
Praise God your little fighter made it through!!
I'm very sorry to hear about your sister. I'll keep her in prayer 
