SpiriseBible
When God Says Wait, Then Wow
Hannah Thompson's Journey Through Infertility to Miraculous Motherhood
Hannah Thompson
Mother of Three Miracles, Founder of "Waiting in Hope Ministry"
"I waited 12 years for my first positive pregnancy test. God wasn't late—He was writing a bigger story."
I married Daniel at 23, full of dreams. White picket fence, 2.5 kids, minivan by 30. We even picked names on our honeymoon. God must have smiled at our plans.
"Month one: Excited. Month six: Concerned. Year one: Doctor visits. Year two: Tests, procedures, hope, heartbreak. By year three, I couldn't attend baby showers without crying in the bathroom."
Everyone had advice. "Just relax." "Take a vacation." "Maybe it's not God's will." Church became torture—surrounded by growing families while my womb remained empty.
The Long Season of Empty Arms
1-3
Tests revealed "unexplained infertility"—the cruelest diagnosis. Nothing wrong, nothing to fix, nothing but questions.
4-6
IUI failures, IVF rounds, second mortgages, hormone hurricanes. My body became a science experiment. My marriage strained under the weight.
7-9
Stopped praying for babies. Stopped believing God cared. Watched friends have first, second, third children while I collected negative tests.
10-12
Finally accepted childlessness. Started adoption paperwork. Found fragments of peace in the pieces of my broken dream.
The Valley of Empty
Every month: Hope rising with the calendar. Symptoms analyzed. Tests taken in secret. Then blood, tears, and starting over. 144 cycles of death and resurrection.
Mother's Day was my personal hell. Sitting in church, watching carnations distributed to every woman but me. The pastor saying, "All mothers stand." The ache of remaining seated.
"I became an expert at bathroom breakdowns. Smile in the sanctuary, sob in the stall. I memorized every tile, every crack in those church bathroom walls. They held more of my prayers than the altar."
"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord."
- Psalm 113:9 (KJV)
My mother-in-law gave me this verse year 5. I threw it away. Year 10, I found it again, tear-stained and truth-filled.
Year 11: We were approved for adoption. Peace flooded in. I threw away my basal thermometer, donated my ovulation tests, and redecorated the "nursery" as an office. I was done fighting God.
That's when He showed up.
February 14, 2020 - Valentine's Day
I was cleaning out bathroom cabinets, found an old pregnancy test. Almost threw it away. Something whispered, "Take it." I laughed. After 12 years? But I did.
Two. Pink. Lines.
I took seven more tests. Daniel found me on the bathroom floor, surrounded by positive tests, ugly-crying. "Is this real?" We held each other and wept—12 years of tears transformed into joy.
Nine Months of Miracles
First Trimester
Terror and joy danced together. Every twinge sparked panic. Weekly ultrasounds because doctors couldn't believe it either. Baby stuck. Heartbeat strong. God was writing.
Second Trimester
Found out: A GIRL! Named her Sarah Elizabeth—"God's promise fulfilled." Felt first kicks during worship. The barren woman was keeping house for a tiny tenant.
Third Trimester
High-risk pregnancy turned textbook perfect. The same body that failed for 12 years excelled at growing life. God's timing included His protection.
Sarah arrived October 23, 2020. Perfect. Miraculous. Worth every tear. But here's the plot twist—
18 months later: Pregnant again. Naturally.
3 years later: Pregnant AGAIN. Twins.
"The woman who couldn't conceive for 12 years now has FOUR children in 5 years. From barren to abundantly blessed. God doesn't just restore—He overflows."
Waiting in Hope Ministry
God didn't waste my waiting. In 2021, I founded a ministry for women in the waiting. Every tear I cried waters someone else's hope.
To My Sisters Still Waiting
I see you. Hiding pregnancy announcements from your feed. Skipping the baby aisle. Pretending you're okay when you're shattered. Your pain is real, valid, seen by God.
Waiting doesn't mean God has forgotten you. Sometimes He's preparing you. Sometimes He's preparing your miracle. Sometimes He's preparing a different beautiful story.
- Your worth isn't measured by your womb
- Your marriage is complete without children
- Your prayers aren't bouncing off the ceiling
- Your tears are collected, not wasted
- Your story isn't over
Whether God opens your womb, your adoption papers, or your heart to a different purpose—He is faithful.
A Prayer for the Waiting
"Father, I lift up every woman reading this through tears. You see their empty arms, their broken dreams, their questioning hearts. Meet them in their bathroom breakdowns. Sustain them through another negative test. Give them strength for one more day of waiting. Whether You're preparing a miracle baby, an adoption story, or a different beautiful purpose—help them trust Your timing. You're the God who makes barren women joyful mothers, in all the ways that can look. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Today, my house is chaos. Four kids under 5. Toys everywhere, no sleep, constant noise. Sometimes I lock myself in the same bathroom where I used to cry and I laugh at God's sense of humor.
The woman who had 144 negative pregnancy tests now buys them in bulk—for the women in our ministry. Every positive test I hand out is redemption. Every baby shower I host heals my past.
I waited 12 years for Sarah. But I wasn't just waiting for a baby—I was waiting to become who God needed me to be. The mother of four. The mother of a ministry. The mother of hope for thousands.
Your waiting has purpose. Your tears have meaning. Your story isn't over.
