Pregnancy is a time of excitement as well as worry. Whether you’ll be a mom for the first or umpteenth time, you wonder about the life within, and each kick reminds you that a life is growing and will one day emerge to change your life.
Each baby is a gift from God, according to Psalm 127:3. They are to be treasured and certainly sleeping babies look as precious as any gift can look. Until you can hold this child and count the toes, fingers, eyes, and ears, you will wonder. Worry is best given to God who is forming your baby, but that takes prayer.
Become a praying mom now, before you see this baby. Begin praying for your child’s health and future, plus an easy delivery for you!
1. Pray for Your Child’s Health
Read Psalm 139 and consider how God is forming your child in the womb now, each little cell, every organ, and the outside features, as well as your child’s personality. Jeremiah 1:5 states, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” He knows your child already.
Dear Lord, take care as you form this child inside me. Thank you for the gift of life. I look forward to the smiles and laughter that will come. Breathe health into my baby’s life. Let each little body part be formed according to your will. May this child be strong, but not too strong-willed. May my little one sleep well and bring joy to our family. This child is in your care and protection. Help me trust this precious one to you.
2. Pray for Your Strength
The opening of Genesis 3:16 states: To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth. In pain you shall deliver children. Labor pains and even the discomfort, sickness, and pain during pregnancy is all part of the experience. Read Hebrews 12:2 and pray that focusing on the baby will give you strength to endure the pain.
Dear Lord, my body is changing, and some days seem harder than others. Gove me the strength to bear the discomfort and pain. Help me consider the joy of what is to come just as you endured the pain of the cross because you knew the joy to come with the resurrection. As I fix up a place for the baby to sleep, prepare the clothing, and gather items needed, let me rejoice at the wonder of this baby. Beyond the birth, give me strength, energy, and wisdom to care for this child. May I rejoice each day and be thankful for the gift of life.
3. Pray for the Baby’s Future
Jeremiah 29:11 states For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Psalm 139:16 reminds us that God has planned the length of our life. Mothers want the best for each child, and so does God. Pray that your child will accept God’s plans and follow them.
Heavenly Father, thank you for caring so much about this child that you have already made plans to prosper my little one. Guide my child to know your will and follow it. Help me share your Word and nurture this little one’s faith. May our child love the name we chose for him or her. Help me prepare this child to be courageous enough to be steadfast in faith. Continue to help my child grow mentally, physically, and spiritually every day. Help me life my faith to be a good example to my baby.
4. Pray for Your Child’s Character
Read Luke 2:52 about Jesus growing in wisdom and stature. Read James 1:1-5 and understand that your child will face problems and trials to develop character and faith. Learning to walk includes falling down. So, too developing character includes stumbling and making wrong choices at times, and then learning forgiveness and persistence to try again.
Dear Lord, help my child grow positive character traits and the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22) to be a wonderful and loveable person. May I not be a helicopter mom but a mother with the wisdom to understand that letting my growing child face difficulties and problems will develop character. Give me clarity to see the faults as well as the good traits in my child, so I might discipline wisely. May my husband and I be united in our child-rearing to provide harmony in our home. May my child know our unconditional love.
5. Pray for Your Weariness
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus beckons us to come to him when we are weary. The months may seem to pass slowly, but all too soon you’ll be changing diapers, waking to cries of hunger, and holding your precious child. You’ll be thrilled at the first smile and step. For now, pray for energy, especially in the last few weeks of the pregnancy.
Lord, As I grow larger and wearier give me strength, let me sleep well and be rested each day. May any restless sleep prepare me for future sleepless times as my child grows. Keep my husband safe and surround our home with peace. Some days I feel like I cannot make it another day without bursting, but you know the perfect timing for this birth. As I store away the baby clothes, toys, and other items, let me rejoice at the days to come.
6. Prayers for Your Baby’s Friends and Family
Make your ear attentive to wisdom; incline your heart to understanding, as stated in Proverbs 2:2. Parenting takes understanding. Pray now for understanding and the ability to listen well, with your heart as well as your ears. Let listening and responding in love develop strong bonds and help your child make good choices in friends. Friends play an important role, so choose early playgroups and friends wisely, ones who play well with your child’s personality.
Lord, I have dreams for this child, but let them be about spending time together, of vacations, play, and exploring the world with my husband and child, as a family. I want my child to have his or her own dreams and not try to fulfill mine. Let me rejoice and be supportive when my child has his or her own dreams of the future. Let us develop close bonds that last a lifetime. May our extended families also draw close and be united around this child. Surround my child with good people, believers, and supportive friends.
7. Pray for Their Birth
Whenever a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. John 16:21
Labor is a word that means work, not fun. Thankfully it passes. The moments seem to last too long and yet the joy that follows will be much more lasting. Pray for a safe and speedy labor.
Lord, please keep me and my baby safe at the time of birth. Let me focus on the moment I hear the cry of my little one, the moment I will hold my infant and not the pain. Help me breathe well to lessen pain. Let each contraction speed along the labor. Help me arrive safely at the hospital and have the staff prepared. Give wisdom to the medical staff. Help me endure the hours of labor and rejoice as I first see and hold my baby.
Every day is an opportunity to pray for your baby. Pray Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 29:11 over your child. Thank God the Father with the scripture John 3:16, for sending Jesus to save your child. Pray that the Holy Spirit will shower your child with the Fruit of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22-23, and nurture its growth Continue to thank God for the care in forming your child.
Pray for health and safety. Pray for your child’s growth and future. Pray that God’s love will keep your family united. Thank Jesus, that even before this birth, he died for your baby to offer your little one eternal life.
Photo Credit :©Getty Images/Estradaanton
Karen Whiting is a mom, author, international speaker, writing coach, and former television host who loves sharing ideas to strengthen families. She has written Growing a Mother’s Heart: Devotions of Faith, Hope, and Love from Mothers Past, Present, and Future and 52 Weekly Devotions for Family Prayer, which includes a different way to pray each week plus stories and activities to explore questions children ask about prayer. Her newest book, Growing a Joyful Heart co-authored with Pam Farrel, shares stories that show how to have inner joy, more joy in relationships, choose joy in all circumstances, and become a joy-giver. She loves adventure including camel riding, scuba diving, treetop courses, and white water rafting plus time at home crafting and baking.