Is Sustaining Life Against God's Plan?

Q. Is it okay to sustain life medically, or are we overstepping our bounds, just as we are overstepping our bounds to prevent the creation of life?

A. This is actually a great question that isn’t addressed often within quiverfull circles! For me, I have trouble keeping pregnancies due to low progesterone levels. This can be remedied by taking suppositories through week 14 of the pregnancy. With this, I have been able to bring two babies to term since discovering my imbalance. I also have lost 2 babies while on progesterone (clotting disorder that was just now discovered), so it is still ultimately in God's hands. I believe that if something is physically wrong with your body that rejects a pregnancy, it is okay to take medicine to sustain the life that God already placed within you. The same logic could be used with CPR…would you refuse to administer CPR because you might be "stepping on God’s toes"? No, you would most likely try to save that life that God had already created! If God chooses to take that life after you’ve administered CPR or after you took medicine or herbs to sustain a pregnancy, then that is His Will. You can then, rest assured, knowing that you did all that you could do for that life. There are then no regrets as to if anything could have been done differently. The problem was with my body not producing normal, God-created levels of a hormone. I don’t think this would be interfering with God any more than it would be if I took an aspirin for a headache or chemo for cancer. I was merely preparing my "nest" for a baby that God sent me!

In the same way, I see this particular discussion of preventing life in order to potentially save another life as a "gamble" based on man's limited scientific knowledge that prevents God from doing as He sees fit in CREATING a life (even if it's supposedly in order to save another). However good that knowledge might be, man is still not God and we discover new things every day about GOD'S world. Bottom line...I'd rather trust God than man's "ever-updating or changing" knowledge. God can still work many miracles in saving pregnant women who were "doomed" by medical professionals and urged to stop the creation of life within their wombs...there are many stories of that of which you probably are aware.

When I told Mark of this particular part of the discussion he said...."Life should be saved and treasured...honored and protected." This can be through CPR, chemo, transfusions, etc. God still has the final say in that, in my opinion. When you prevent life, you are playing God. You are deciding who is worth more...the mother or the potential baby that God might see fit to create. You are also deciding who knows more or knows best....the doctor and his/her stats or God and His life-creating hand. You are basing your decision on whether or not to let God be God or to listen to the fear and "wisdom" of man. When you are saving a life with medicine, CPR, transfusion, etc. you are attempting to sustain a life that has been deemed precious by God in the sole fact that He created it.

Okay...so to the Bible! When doing this "quick study" of this, the verse Deuteronomy 30:19 immediately came to mind. It says, "Now choose life so that you and your children may live..." This was the instructions from God in regards to keeping the Lord's commandments. The Israelites were given specific instructions as to what to do to follow the Lord (obey the law given them), which would result in life...physical and spiritual. And the result of disobedience was usually a cruel death...again, physically and spiritually. So, here we see that our actions *do* have the ability to sustain our lives AND the lives of our children. Yes, I know...this is in regards to obedience, but I believe that we are obeying by giving God the "keys" to my womb and the open door to create life as He so chooses. It's His domain to create life!

In Job 33:4 is says, "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Since GOD (the Almighty) GIVES life. He has the final say in whether we live or die, whether we are saved using preventative or life-saving measures or not. The sustaining of life is God's realm, as it is His realm in creating life. the ALMIGHTY gives life. We can't force Him to give what is not ours to give.

Psalm 49:7 "No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him..." So, we cannot redeem our lives without God's approval. And, yes, this is a PHYSICAL life, not a spiritual (although obviously God is the only redeemer of the spiritual life, as well), because In verse 15 it says, "But GOD will redeem my life from the grave..." So, here we see that God will redeem lives, as He pleases....not man. We are unable to redeem life on our own and without His hand on the matter (CPR, meds, transfusions...)!

In Luke 12:25 Jesus says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this little thing, why worry about the rest? O You of little faith!" This just sums it all up! We are unable to add to our life without GOD's consent and His hand in the matter. We assume the awesome responsibility of preventing life, making the costly and boastful assumption that God needs, requests or expects this help (in whatever circumstance), yet we can add no hours to our own lives. THAT is why I leave it ALL to Him!

Still studying on this particular part of this subject....but this is what I've found thus far!

~ Lisa