Steve and Holly Trover waited excitedly for the results of the ultrasound exam that would reveal the gender of the child they were expecting. Steve was elated to hear the report that they were going to have a baby girl. The Trover’s already had two handsome young sons, and in their eyes, the addition of a daughter would complete their family nicely.
As time progressed and their three beautiful children, Joshua, Luke and Chloe grew, Holly chose to capture the joy of motherhood by having a professional portrait taken of the children. She had the portrait framed and with deep satisfaction hung it on the wall in their family room. The Trover family was content.
Two years later, in 2008, Steve like many business owners began to see the economy slow. As a result he turned to the Lord and began to seek His wisdom for their business. As he prayed for God’s direction, the Lord began to impress on Steve’s heart that they were to have another child. This was not quite the guidance Steve was seeking. Steve resisted sharing the news with his wife for a couple of months until finally, one night while working at his computer, God said it was time to tell her.
Although Holly was completely surprised by Steve’s news, the two conceived their fourth child almost immediately.
Several months into the pregnancy, when the time came for Holly to have her second ultrasound, the doctor delivered some devastating news. After careful measurement and calculation, the doctor said that there were several factors that clearly indicated that the baby would be born with Down syndrome. The doctor went on to show the Trover’s in detail what led her to the diagnosis. Before leaving the room, the doctor went as far as to talk about possible termination of the pregnancy through abortion. Termination of the pregnancy was not an option for Steve and Holly.
The enemy had come to steal from Steve and Holly, but they stood their ground. Drawing on the revelation they had received from Andrew’s teaching in their church small group, and knowing that it was God who spoke to them about having another child, they refused to believe that this was God’s plan for their baby. In the face of this negative report of a medical reality in the natural, Steve, standing on faith in God’s word, took his authority and rejected the diagnosis. “I cancel this diagnosis in the name of Jesus. We don’t believe these things that were spoken over our child and we don’t accept it…” Steve rebuked.
Several months later, the Trover’s returned to the doctor’s office for another ultrasound. The couple entered the examining room determined to see different results. After a long time passed, the doctor finally spoke and said that if this had been the first time that she had seen this baby, she would have told the Trover’s that their baby was perfect in every way. However, in disbelief, the doctor continued to take measurements. Finally, exasperated, the doctor threw up her hands; she couldn’t offer any explanation for the transformation she saw in the Trover’s baby.
When the time came, Holly was induced and gave birth to a perfect baby boy. Perfect may sound like an exaggeration, but in the medical world, newborn babies are rated by their APGAR score. The score is calculated through a series of five tests, and scores range from zero to ten, ten being the best. The Trover’s baby, Nathaniel, scored a perfect ten!
