Quiverfull Sharing : When only one of you is QF by Louis Comus

Hello all,
I am a subscriber to the Quiverfull Digest at Quiverfull.Com
We received a post that I have asked permission to share with you.

In these hard economical and political times, it is hard to keep the FAITH and continue to take a STAND.
Louis reminds us all to Give It All to God.
If you stop to think about it, He's been in full control this whole time anyway.
He doesn't need our help, only our Trust and Faith.

May you be blessed.

From: Louis Comus

Subject: Re: When only one of you are QF minded

"As I've recently asked the members of this forum a very similar question (and have been receiving several GREAT replies, both on and off-list), I write as one who, by admission, do not have all the answers on this subject.
I will, however, pitch in my "two cents' worth" on the issue of how "quiverfull" reliance on God to plan one's family (as distinguished from deliberate prevention of pregnancy) ought to relate to bad political situations. In addition to our fellow forum member's mention of sociopolitical dark clouds in South Africa, I've heard a similar concern expressed by a member of my wife's and my own US church, that increasing society-wide immorality and potential increases in anti-Christian legislation, possible nationwide economic deterioration, and the like might be good reasons for them to avoid having another (in that family's case, a third) child.

When I heard that concern from our church friend, the thought immediately came to my mind that the situation of Israel in Egypt must have been, in many respects, the same as what my friend feared (and, probably, much worse.) Exodus chapter 1 lays out the scenario: the former political ally of God's people had died, and with him had died the earlier Pharaoh's at-least-slight openness to God's influence and messages (you'll recall that the Pharaoh in Genesis 41:38-49 gives a remarkably-receptive hearing to the message God sent him through Joseph, to the point that Pharaoh allows Egypt's public policy to be swayed, very significantly, by input from Joseph and Joseph's God) (even though not to the point of mass conversion, apparently.) Under a later Pharaoh, this is reversed--to the point that the later Pharaoh orders mass infanticide of Israel's children. This will later be followed (Exodus 5:6 and following) by a drastic and deliberate increase in Israel's workload.

This is not a good social or political environment in which to raise children, from an earthly perspective! You've got the obstetric community under orders to kill the male children; you've got a future in which the workload will be deliberately increased to cut back on the people's religious practice. From a merely-earthly, economy-driven, how-much-spare-time-do-we-have perspective, it sounds like as good a time as any to bring on the birth control pills and limit kids to a maximum of one per couple. Hey, at least they'd have more time to make their quota of bricks without straw; they'd deprive the Egyptians of slaves; and they'd be in a better position to hide the kids they had--less noisy crying to give them away, etc.

So what does God do in this situation? Rain down birth control pills on Goshen in place of manna? Reveal to Israel how to make condoms and spermicide? Command vasectomies instead of circumcision?

Nope. God makes them "fruitful"; they "increased greatly, and multiplied, and becme exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them." (Ex. 1:7) In fact, the Hebrew women prove to be very vigorous and healthy in their birth-giving, such that the Egyptian midwives can plausibly say that the Hebrew women give birth without their assistance, and too quickly for the Egyptians to carry out their ordered infanticide. (Ex. 1: 15-19.) We're not told just how much of this excuse was true, and how much false--though I do note that one way a woman can get very fast at having babies is to have had a lot of previous babies. (Personal experience here!) In short, we see that God responds to the horrible socio-economic situation of His people that existed both at the time of Moses' birth, and which God foreknew would be the case somewhat later (the "no-straw-for-bricks" situation that was to come later, in chapter 5) by making His people extremely fertile and extremely obstetrically healthy.

Compared to this, the worries about the U.S. situation seem kind of pale, don't they? I can't speak so much for our sister in Africa, but I like to think things aren't quite as bleak as in Moses' Egypt there. Not to minimize what I'm sure is a dangerous and worrisome situation there! But--do you see what I'm saying?

Fast-forward to Luke, chapters 1 and 2, and Matthew, chapters 1 and 2. Here we have conception and birth stories for both John the Baptist and Jesus. We know John's parents are old. Can you imagine God telling Zechariah to abort if it turns out the alpha-feto-protein test comes out looking disturbingly positive? We know--and God knew--that John would have about the worst possible conflict with the government that could be imagined. Herod is going to have John's head cut off, ultimately as a consequence for preaching the truth. This is a favorable situation into which to birth a baby? With Mary, it's even worse. She lives in Nazareth. She's going to have to travel WHERE? At HOW MANY MONTHS pregnant? And give birth WHERE? And that Herod guy is in charge--have you heard about how many people he's killed even in his own family? And the Romans are in charge of the whole thing--that empire run by homicidal polytheistic deviants!

Forget the Romans for a moment--what do you think Herod is going to do if he finds out that someone with kingly aspirations is born in Bethlehem? With his track record, he's likely to kill off all the babies born within a year or two of this new baby's birth! How can one call conceiving a baby under those circumstances socially responsible? For the good of all the other kids in Bethlehem, she'd better not get pregnant. Right?

And that's putting aside the minor point that, as Mary points out, she hasn't even got a husband yet. Kind of a prerequisite, no? What will conception under that situation do--for her? For her family? For the community? For the child (Jesus) Himself? Nah--better at least wait, until the marriage has happened, the economics improve (remember, Mary and Joseph didn't have the financial resources for more than the poor people's dove offering); and until the political situation improves. The world would at least suggest that Mary wait until after the honeymoon, after the money gets built up a bit, and after she and Joseph had had a chance to get to know each other better and get accustomed to married life.

Again, nope! God had other plans. And we're all glad Mary went along.

Just a few random thoughts. Finding times and situations in which the future looks worrisome is not hard to do--indeed, it may be virtually impossible. Yet God seems to work quite eagerly through people conceived and begotten under very adverse circumstances. So: though I have my deep concerns about my country's society, morality, economic situation, etc., etc., I look at the Biblical precedents, and suddenly my concerns seem to pale a lot in comparison.

Again, just thinking, and just addressing the "our situation is bad today" concerns.
Thanks, again, to all of you for your prayerful and wise input!"