A Prayer For Pregnancy - To Light Their Way

A Prayer for Pregnancy

You are the author of life, O God.

Through You all life is made.

Through Your wonder and Your love,

You are making all things new,

And we thank You

For the new life growing in the womb right now.

How is it possible, O God,

That You invite us into this wonder?

We pray for peace to flood our hearts

As we prepare to welcome

A new little one into our family.

As we hear the rhythm of the heartbeat,

Our hearts leap with anticipation

In expectation of what’s to come.

Help us prepare to parent

And open wide our hearts

To love with abandon exactly who You created this baby to be.

We pray for a pregnancy rooted in health,

And if complications arise

With an unexpected change or diagnosis,

Help us to make life-honoring decisions

Rooted in love and not fear.

Surround us with supportive community,

And guide doctors, nurses, and midwives

As they walk us through these nine months.

As this baby grows and develops,

Dancing in the womb,

We praise You for the mystery of life

And the whispers of Your love

In the artistry of our intricate bodies.

As this child’s brain forms in the womb,

We pray that they will

Love You with all their mind,

Growing in wisdom

And never hesitating to ask “Why?”

Or “Why not?”

As this child’s heart grows in the womb,

We pray that they will

Love You with all their heart,

Growing in compassion

That overflows to everyone they meet.

As this child’s eyes develop in the womb,

We pray that they will

Love You with all their soul,

Growing in mercy

To see the hurting and forgotten.

As this child’s hands and feet sprout in the womb,

We pray that they will

Love You with all their strength,

Growing in gentleness,

Following Your paths of peace.

We pray for peace as bodies grow and shift

To make room.

Provide comfort of body

And soul.

Keep us focused on the anticipation,

And help us not to get distracted by nurseries we don’t need

And parties with things we don’t want.

As we trust in You,

May we also trust our bodies

In pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

In the groans, be near, O God.

In the pushes and pulls, be near, O God.

In the deep breaths and soaked brows, be near, O God.

Be near as we cry out to You.

Lord, we know that each baby born on this earth

Is Your beloved

And reflects Your image

In every eyelash fringe and fingerprint swirl.

And yet access to a safe birth

For mother and baby

Is not a reality for everyone.

We pray that You would make a way

For us to support

And advocate for mothers in our own community

And around the world

To have births that are

Safe, honoring, and dignifying,

Across every race and economic status.

In our worries, remind us to rest

In Your love that overflows

Like a mother nursing her baby.

Help us remember that You love this child

Because You are love,

And You love our sons and daughters

More than we ever could.

We pray that You would help us

Turn our pregnancy fears to You,

For You hold our children,

And even us,

In the very palm of Your hand.

Lord, help us trust the process of creation.

Thank You for the sacred gift

Of being cocreators with You.

Ecclesiastes 11:5; Ephesians 3:16-19; Psalm 139:13-14; Isaiah 49:15-16