“How, Father? How can we help a woman understand her baby is not a choice, but a life already chosen by You?”
God listened while I bagged diapers and sorted onesies in the clothing room at our pregnancy center. Without the benefit of an ultrasound machine, our volunteers labored to guide streams of young women looking for answers and seeking peace in chaos.
As positive pregnancy test results became clear, tears accompanied whispered prayers. While some mamas gave thanks, others pleaded, “Lord, help!”
When a mama’s response was to call out to God, I realized she might benefit from a tool to keep the communication going. Why not help her get to know her child and his Creator? Why not show her the value of the one growing in her womb as she prays? So I began penning prayers for mamas.
By combining prenatal developmental markers from thebump.com with insights from “Praying the Attributes of God” by Rosemary Jensen, I created prayers from weeks four to forty with the goal of keeping young mamas talking and listening to the Creator. Then I posted the prayers on my website for easy cell phone access. Sample excerpts from elainetomski.com include:
- 4 weeks: Thank you, God, for what You’ve made inside me. You’ve created a person the size of a poppy seed. My little one is already programmed for height, hair color, and eye color. I don’t know the details yet, but You do. Please keep my tiny one safe. I trust You to give life and growth to this precious one behind my belly button and near to my heart.
- 24 weeks: From the size of a poppy seed to 12 inches of a human being in just 24 weeks? You are an amazing Creator! Thank You, God, for growing my little babe. Thank You that she’s getting closer to being able to survive outside my womb. I’m feeling less patient and becoming more uncomfortable. I’m thankful You’re always patient with me, God.
- 35 weeks: Thank You that my child is now the size of a coconut. No wonder he’s pressing on everything inside of me! When he kicks my bladder, thank You that he has fully developed ears that hear me squeal. Both my little one and I are changing. I’m comforted by the fact that You, God, never change.
One mama says, “Elaine’s prayers help to guide me in how to specifically pray for my growing baby. They remind me that God loves this little one even more than I do as He quietly and secretly shapes her into her little being.” Another mama reports that it helped her bond with her husband and brought him understanding as they tracked the growth and size of their little one. She was especially comforted to know what the baby was like in her first three months when all she felt was sick.
Today, my prayers for pregnant women continue. I pray they perceive the value of preborn life. While only God knows when a mama’s prayer deters abortion, we fully understand He is faithful to hear and answer our prayers.
–ELAINE TOMSKI is the picture book author of Behind My Bellybutton and a contributing writer for Just Plain Values and Clubhouse Jr. magazines
