Finding Hope When Pregnancy Loss or Postnatal Challenges Are ExpectedNäide

Yesterday I shared about the day my husband and I learned that our preborn son was not expected to survive after birth. I also shared that the doctor offered abortion as the “solution” to what she perceived as our “problem.” Perhaps you, too, have been offered or even pressured to choose to abort your child in the face of a devastating prenatal diagnosis. Perhaps as you read this devotional, you’re considering that choice. As you look towards the future, you wonder if you can bear giving birth to a child who will pass soon after or will require lifelong care, and the thought of a “quick fix” is hard not to consider. Perhaps you’ve been asking God for direction or you need reminding of the reason why you have chosen life. Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Our society has done a good job of convincing people that preborn babies aren’t persons of value who deserve protection, but what does God say?

Let’s look at Psalm 139:13-14,16:

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well…
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

These verses clearly show us that God saw each of us as we were growing in our mothers’ wombs, and He sees every preborn child growing in their mothers’ wombs today. Not only that, but each person is fearfully and wonderfully made. That means that my little boy, though he was unwell, was just as fearfully and wonderfully made as my little girl, his twin sister, as they were being woven together side-by-side in my womb. God saw them both—each one was a precious child made in His image—and He had already ordained each day that they would live. Neither of them was a mistake, and neither of them deserved to have their lives cut short.

In the same way that “[t]he Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made,” (Psalm 145:9), we are to have compassion on those who suffer by helping to alleviate their pain, but not by ending their lives. We must “[s]peak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute” (Prov. 31:8). God says this of both you and your child, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness,” (Jer. 31:3b), so I encourage you to take heart, give all your fears to the Lord, and trust in Him to give you the strength to welcome your child. Be courageous knowing that this child is not a mistake, but is a precious, valuable, and beloved child of God with a purpose and a destiny.

Lastly, remember this truth: It’s okay to feel weak and inadequate. The Apostle Paul did too. After pleading with Jesus to take away the thing causing his weakness, Jesus responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” (2 Cor. 12:9a) to which Paul said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me,” (2 Cor. 12:9b). Allow Jesus to show His power through your weaknesses and trust Him to strengthen you by His grace as you welcome and shower love on your child for as long as God gives him or her breath. When love abounds, there are no regrets.

Questions:

What is true about your preborn child?

How can you trust Jesus with your life and your child’s life today?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you that You are beautifully and wonderfully weaving my child together in my womb. Please help me not to fear because I know that You are with me and will help me. Thank you that You promise to never leave me or forsake me. Amen.