Week Seven: Praying Through the Pain

**Written while pregnant with Sophia**

Early on in my current pregnancy, I experienced some alarming spotting. For about 4 weeks, it would happen on and off and each time it occurred, my heart would sink into my stomach. Once during this period of time, I had a horrible dream that I experienced a miscarriage and I remember waking up yelling out loud, “my child will not die, but will live to tell what the Lord has done!”

I discovered that verse during my Bible study the same day God prompted me to pray for our Victory4Life ministry during staff prayer at my church/workplace. I remember being so scared to pray for this ministry because I had just returned to work after my maternity leave with my daughter. Victory4Life is a ministry that serves women considering abortion to teach them about alternate options with hopes that they’ll discover Jesus and choose life for their unborn children.

So, all I could think of when the Holy Spirit prompted me to pray was, “all eyes will be on the girl who lost her baby while she’s praying for babies to be born healthy.” I was insecure in what God was calling me to do because I was concerned about being judged. It made absolutely no sense. But, I’m so glad I pushed through and prayed for this wonderful ministry and those beautiful babies!

Soon after that prayer meeting, when I found out I was pregnant with my son, I adopted that scripture as one that I would pray over my son and myself. When fear tries to creep in even now, I continue to pray it over my little one developing in my womb at this moment. God reminded me one day when the spotting was particularly heavy that He had purified me and that death or infertility would never overtake my womb again. I’m praying this for your wombs as well. Our children will live!

Reflection:

1. What has God been prompting you to pray for lately? Have you been obedient? If not, what’s holding you back?
2. Take a moment to ask God what hidden (or apparent) insecurities you have. How will you begin taking steps to overcome it (or them) to fully serve the Lord?

Scriptures for Meditation and Memorization:

Psalm 118:17 NLT

“I will not die, instead I will live to tell what the Lord has done.”

2 Kings 2:21-22 NLT

Then he went out to the spring that supplied the town with water and threw the salt into it. And he said, “This is what the lord says: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or infertility. ” And the water has remained pure ever since, just as Elisha said. 

Psalm 116:1-2 NLT

I love the Lord because he hears my voice
    and my prayer for mercy.
² Because he bends down to listen,
    I will pray as long as I have breath!