Believing Against the Odds

Chris and Nikki Ryde (Church in the Peak, Matlock) have an amazing testimony of God’s provision in the face of medical improbability. God’s intervention in their family has ignited their faith and enables them to believe him for big things. Be inspired by their wonderful story.

Nikki writes ‘The consultant looked us in the eye and said “You’d better prepare yourselves, the chances of you having a baby are less than one percent”.  Having had eight miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy and several operations for endometriosis this wasn’t so surprising.  But rather than dampening my faith it actually ignited it. Chris and I knew that God had given us the promise that He was ‘hovering over the waters waiting to create life’ and this had kept us going, though at times we had only the smallest seed of faith.

We had considered adoption and decided it was time to pursue this option. Chris has always wanted to adopt and we believed that God had told us He would build our family in a ‘different’ way. After a long process we were delighted to finally adopt Isaac and Joshua in May 2006 and became a four member family. Isaac was 6, himself a miracle baby, and our family seemed complete.

Yet the promise still dwelt in my heart, and I wondered whether God would give us another baby. In July 2006 Graham Webb (Jubilee Church, Liverpool) came to speak at a Regional Celebration our church was hosting and brought a word of knowledge; “Someone has been trying for a baby but you are not able to have one. I believe God says there will be a baby in a year”. It was a shock and we weren’t sure whether to respond. With some encouragement we went forward and Graham prayed for us. Sure enough during the year I fell pregnant. I knew this pregnancy was different to the others and on 9 September 2007 Rebekah Grace was born. She is a delight!

As a couple we are so thankful that our God is so faithful. When He says things will happen, they happen. The hard thing is learning to trust Him for the timing.