Jireh Shaun Ali was born at 4.04am on 18th October 2012. Weighing 6 pound 11 ounces, he had a mass of hair and was cute as a button.
We had a birth plan…
We had prayed about our birth plan, every Tuesday night, as part of our regular weekly prayer.
“Aleem delivers baby when midwife is out of the room”, was not in the plan. But that’s what happened…
Lorrain’s labour was ‘textbook’, actually better than textbook. We had prayed about that.
It was 50 minutes long, give or take. We got to the hospital at 3.15am and Jireh was born at 4.04am.
Up until 4.02am everything was going exactly to our plan.
At 4.02am Lorrain had a conversation with the midwife about getting a heat pack. At 4.03am the midwife left the room to get the heat pack.
At 4.03am and 10 seconds Lorrain decided she needed to push.
At 4.03am and 20 seconds Jireh’s head appeared. At 4.03am and 20.5 seconds I was screaming at the door… “he’s crowning!! Here come his shoulders!”
Not realizing that the room was sound proof…
At 4.03am and 35 seconds Lorrain pushes again and out comes Jireh straight into my hands… It was a great catch! (even if I do say so myself)
As Jireh landed safely in my hands the midwife rounded the door and said “good job!”
I recounted the story to our eldest daughter later that morning and she said – “good on you Dad, now you can cross it off your bucket list.”
I don’t know what she thinks is on my bucket list – but that isn’t on there.
God spoke to me strongly out of that experience. I felt Him say to me in my spirit…
“I planned for you to deliver Jireh. It wasn’t unplanned, I planned to deliver him into your hands. For even as I delivered Jireh into your hands in the natural, understand what this symboliaes. I The Lord am your Provider – everything that is good comes from me.”
The name Jireh means “God will provide” and indeed He has, and continues to, daily.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
– Psalm 18:2 NIV
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