7 Powerful Fertility Prayers for Couples Trying to Conceive

Hannah’s Story: 1 Samuel 1:2-3

Hannah longed for a child. Month after month, she carried the weight of more disappointment. To make matters worse, her husband’s second wife, Peninnah, taunted Hannah mercilessly for being childless. Each time the family embarked upon their annual worship pilgrimage to Shiloh, Peninnah used the 15-mile hike to provoke Hannah to tears. During one such trip, Hannah finally reached her breaking point. When they reached Shiloh, Hannah went to the tabernacle to seek refuge in the presence of the Lord. In deep anguish she sobbed and poured her heart out to God. “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” 

God heard Hannah’s desperate plea. Soon thereafter, she became pregnant and gave birth to Samuel. When her beloved son was weaned, Hannah kept her vow and returned her miracle baby to the Lord. 

Prayer: Oh Lord, you are my Shiloh, my peace. My hiding place. Draw my aching heart to the refuge of your presence when I’m surrounded by painful reminders of my childlessness. Thank you that you see me and invite me to cast my cares upon you. I surrender my empty womb to you and pray that you would fill it with a child for your glory, like you did for Hannah. Please help me rest in your faithfulness, remain in your peace, and keep my eyes fixed on you alone during the journey ahead. Every good gift is from you, Lord. I lay all those gifts—past, present, and future—at your altar as a sacrifice of love, and I dedicate them to you to be used for your holy purposes. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.

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Issac and Rebekah’s Story: Genesis 24, 25

When Abraham was very old, he sent a servant back to his homeland to procure a suitable wife for his son Issac. From the moment Issac saw his beautiful, young bride he loved her. Scripture tells us that he was 40 years old when they married and 60 years old when Rebekah finally gave birth to their twins, Jacob and Esau. Twenty years must have seemed like an eternity to wait for their first child. But Issac had the benefit of knowing and believing the promises God had made to his father. Armed with that faith, he went boldly before God and “prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant” (Genesis 25:21).

Prayer: Father God, I humbly lift up my wife and our family before your throne of grace. Lord, I trust that your plans for us are good, because you are good. Thank you for blessing me with a woman after your own heart. Thank you for making us one. We long to share our joy with a child. I pray that you would remove every obstacle in our bodies, minds, or souls that would keep us from conceiving. I pray that Jesus’s healing virtue would flow through her body and mine, and that you would open her womb and make it fertile ground to carry a healthy child. Thank you for your promises and for your gift of life. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.  

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Jacob and Rachel’s Story: Genesis 28-30

When it came time for Jacob to marry, he too returned to his ancestors’ homeland to find a wife. There, God brought Rachel across his path, and Jacob knew instantly that the match was made in Heaven. He loved Rachel so much that he agreed to work for her father for seven years to earn her hand in marriage. Even after Jacob was tricked into first marrying Rebekah’s older sister Leah and forced to work another seven years to marry Rachel, his love for her made the treachery and labor seem like nothing. From the onset of the sordid arrangement, rivalry between the sisters brewed, and it increased as Jacob’s beloved Rachel remained childless, while “unloved” Leah kept getting pregnant. But it wasn’t until Leah bore Jacob’s fourth son that Rachel came unglued (Genesis 30:1). Jacob’s faithful love had been enough to sustain her, until envy took root and produced a crop of bitter discontentment. 

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I ask for your mercy. Forgive me for my envy. I confess it as sin. Help me take captive my thoughts and imaginations so that the bitter root of envy and the weed of discontentment doesn’t choke out my love and respect for my husband. Unify us, Lord. Bind us together with your chords of love that cannot be broken—especially in times of trial. Protect us from the schemes of the evil one. Help me rejoice with my sisters in Christ who are pregnant. I confess I can’t always do that in my own strength and power. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, who gives me the power and desire to do what pleases you. Thank you for my husband and for the good plans you will see to completion through us. I trust you and surrender my deepest longing into your loving care and perfect timing. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

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The Shunamite Woman’s Story: 2 Kings 4:8-37

A prominent woman who lived in the village of Shunem honored the prophet Elisha by having a bedroom built for him in her own home. Whenever Elisha traveled in the area, he was blessed by the room and the woman’s hospitality. Wanting to repay her kindness, the prophet asked the Shunamite what he might do to bless her. But after considering all she had, the woman couldn’t think of one thing to request. When Elisha later discovered that the woman and her husband had no children, he summoned her to let her know that she would soon be blessed with a child. The Shunamite woman was shocked and a little wary, but less than a year later she gave birth to a son. A few years later the little boy suddenly became gravely ill and died. The woman calmly carried her son’s lifeless body to Elisha’s room and left him on the bed. Then she rushed out of the house to find the prophet. When she located him, she refused to leave his side until Elisha followed her back to the house—and resurrected her son. 

Prayer: Father in Heaven, you are trustworthy, faithful, and true. You have shown your faithfulness to all generations—including mine. And you’ve shown your faithfulness to me personally in a million different ways. Yet, I confess there are times when fear overtakes me, and the what ifs begin to undermine my trust. Forgive me, Lord. Cultivate in me a deep, unwavering trust in your sovereign goodness that will sustain me through this season of waiting for a baby, and all seasons to come. Order my steps, Father. Help me to not react in fear when disappointments come. Instead, remind me to seek you—hard and fast. Thank you that you are never far away, and you always hear me when I cry out to you. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Elizabeth’s Story: Luke 1:1-23

Luke’s Gospel tells us that Elizabeth became pregnant when she was “advanced in years.” Extra-biblical resources suggest she was around 88 years old. If she and her husband Zechariah followed the traditional marriage practices of their culture, it’s likely that Elizabeth suffered the “disgrace” of childlessness (Luke 1:25) for over 70 years. That 840-month-long rollercoaster ride ramped up her hopes for two weeks each month before swooshing her to the depths of disappointment, time and time again. Yet, despite this chaos Elizabeth remained “blameless,” before God. That kind of peace—the sustaining and reviving kind—can only be acquired supernaturally (John 14:27). Elizabeth’s miracle baby, John the Baptist, would become the forerunner to the embodiment of that peace, the Prince of Peace himself (Isaiah 9:6-7). 

Prayer: Oh Lord, you are my peace. You have broken every chain that keeps me in bondage to anxiety, stress, and worry. When my restless heart strays from your perfect peace, please lift my face and help me fix my eyes upon you. You know the desires of my heart. You are well acquainted with my longing for a child, and you care. Thank you. Please help me to rest in that assurance and guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. It’s in his holy name I pray, Amen.

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Manoah’s Wife's (Samson’s Mother's) Story: Judges 13 – 14

The angel of the Lord appeared to a woman who lived in the small town of Zorah and told her, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazarite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” 

As rare as angel visitations are in the Bible, it was even more rare for an angel to visit a woman. Scripture is silent about why the angel chose to reveal the divine What to Expect When You’re Expecting message to Manaoh’s wife first, but we do know that she didn’t hoard the information. She immediately shared it with her husband. Manoah sought confirmation and asked for more guidance from the Lord. Then, together, he and his wife moved forward into the clear path of parenthood God had set before them—even though they had no way of knowing the pitfalls and high stakes ahead.  

Prayer: Father God, please lead us and guide us into your righteousness for your namesake. In our family planning, let us not fall into the trap of straying from your will. We are your sheep. Give us ears to hear and a heart to understand when to move forward by faith, and when to be still and know that you are God. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who leads us into truth. Please let your favor be upon us, Lord, and establish the work of our hands for your glory. We love you and commit our ways to you. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

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Ruth’s Story: Ruth 1-2

Immersed in deep sorrow after the death of their husbands and family, Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth left Moab to find relief from famine in Naomi’s hometown of Bethlehem. Ruth, a native Moabite, knew that she might be shunned by Naomi’s clan. Nevertheless, she clung to her mother-in-law, determined to leave her old life behind. She vowed to follow and serve Naomi, her people, and her God forever. When the two weary women reached Bethlehem, Ruth went to work. Pressing past her grief, she faithfully gleaned the fields for scraps of grain to provide for herself and her aging mother-in-law. When Boaz, the owner of the field and a distant relative of Naomi, saw Ruth’s tireless effort he admired her and left extra grain in the field for her to glean. When Ruth returned home with the food and told Naomi about the day’s events, Naomi came up with a plan to bring Boaz and Ruth together. Ruth risked her life by obeying Naomi’s unorthodox plan, but God honored the young woman’s loyalty and bravery. Soon, Ruth and Boaz were married and blessed with a baby named Obed—who would be the grandfather of King David, and named in the lineage of Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

Prayer: Lord, I know you’ve called us to face this season of infertility for a reason. I confess it seems unfair and unrelenting at times. But I thank you that we don’t have to face it alone. Thank you that you are the author and finisher of our faith, and you promised that nothing can separate us from your love. Help us to remain faithful to you and each other in our time of need. Give us your strength, courage, and tenacity when we’re tempted to despair and lead us step by step through this season into the harvest you’ve prepared. In Jesus name, Amen.

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