Ebenezer: God’s faithfulness endures

By a Southern Maryland BCM/D church member

“Ebenezer”—until recently, I had only thought of it as an old-fashioned name. However, with ongoing trials and struggles facing our family, it has come to mean something more in recent days. 1 Samuel 7:12 calls us to “erect Ebenezers” to remember God’s faithfulness. They provide a bulwark during times of trial to remind us that God is always working.

So, this Easter, as we celebrated the resurrection of Christ and His power to save us, I also wanted to share this virtual Ebenezer of our journey that began in the early hours of last year’s Easter. I pray it encourages you that God’s faithfulness endures, even when we may not understand His plan.

In 2025, on Easter Sunday, I was 14 weeks pregnant with our son and woke early in the morning to intense bleeding. My husband and I had endured years of infertility and multiple pregnancy losses before the birth of our two daughters, so pregnancy is already a scary time for us—particularly early pregnancy. At 14 weeks, we thought we had made it through the riskiest part, so we were crushed to think we were likely experiencing another loss. After rushing to the ER, we cried tears of joy when we heard his heartbeat, but were sobered when we were told I had a large subchorionic hematoma and that he may not survive. We began praying desperately that we would meet our son this side of heaven, but we rested in the truth of God’s goodness and knew He would sustain us no matter the outcome, as He had done during our infertility and previous losses.

Because of this early complication, our son and I were monitored closely throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. At each appointment, we held our breath to see if the hematoma had resolved or caused his death. His anatomy scan was flawless, but a few weeks later, doctors unexpectedly found ascites (fluid in the abdomen), which appeared to be progressing to hydrops (fluid in multiple areas of the body). Again, doctors told us we probably would not meet our son and to prepare for the worst. As we went through extensive testing at Johns Hopkins, our family was covered in prayer by our community. We learned our sweet little one also had a brain bleed and waited to see if it would be catastrophic or inconsequential.

Our family and friends stepped in and supported us through every step as we tried to determine what was causing these complications and whether treatment was available. The doctors continued monitoring our baby, and while no answers emerged, his symptoms began inexplicably disappearing. Throughout this process, we felt covered in the “peace that passes understanding” and knew it came only from God. Even in the moments of explaining to our incredibly perceptive 3-year-old that her baby brother was sick and that we might not meet him until we get to heaven, God was gracious. He provided the words and strength when it felt impossible. He brought songs, Scripture, and encouragement in the moments we didn’t know how to keep moving forward. His church showed up as His hands and feet time and again, meeting physical needs and providing spiritual encouragement.

As our baby continued improving, we were continually reminded that his life was truly a miracle. Our doctors reiterated multiple times that they did not understand what happened or why our son got better, because that is not what they typically see in these cases. I recently saw on social media that modern-day Christians sometimes wonder why God doesn’t perform miracles, but when He does, they are not acknowledged or are explained away. So this is our acknowledgment—our Ebenezer—of a miracle. God is our Creator, Sustainer, and Savior. While He does not always choose to work miracles, in this case, He did. God is good—not just because He gave healing. We have experienced loss and grief, and God was still good in those circumstances. God’s faithfulness is real, no matter how He chooses to work.

Our precious boy is now six months old and has no known effects from all the prenatal complications. During those hard newborn days, my husband often looked at me and said, “He wasn’t supposed to live.” Those simple words helped us push through many sleepless nights with deep gratitude that we could hold the baby we weren’t sure we would meet this side of heaven. Now, he is a smiley, happy baby who is trying so hard to keep up with his big sisters.

While we would never have chosen this trial, we now look back on it with thankfulness. We learned more about prayer and reliance on God’s strength than we ever had before, and we are certain these lessons will shape how we face future hardships.

We are beyond grateful for how God’s providence sustained us through this trial, shaped our son’s story, and allowed us the privilege of shepherding the life of our little miracle and sharing his story.

The writer and her husband prefer their names withheld to protect their privacy.