Giving birth is an amazing and beautiful time. To add to the wonder of this season, I want to encourage you to really prepare for giving birth, especially spiritually.
Preparing spiritually can sound very ethereal and like a far off concept, but today I want to share some practical and concrete ways to prepare spiritually for giving birth.
How is your relationship with God?
First and foremost, check your relationship with God. If you are reading this and you do not have a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, please email me or talk to another Christian in your life about the amazing Gospel that saves us from sin and brings us to life with God. When we know God through Jesus, His Holy Spirit lives inside of us and He can lead us throughout this experience.
If you are a Christian and you’re reading this, I still say check your relationship with God. What do I mean by that?
Evaluate where you are spiritually.
Are you trusting God in everything? Are you spending time with God in His word, praying and worshiping? Are you regularly meeting with God’s people to hold you accountable? Are you seeking to be holy as God is holy?
I do not mean this in a legalistic way, but your relationship with God is crucial to spiritual preparation. After all, God is the One Who made you and your child and is over all of the conception, pregnancy and birth.
He is the One who knows what is to come and can give you the desires of your heart. His Holy Spirit will lead and guide you as you make decisions during this time.
Where are you with God right now?
Go Deeper
After we evaluate our relationship with God, we need to deepen that relationship with Bible reading, prayer, singing, and sharing.
Read
Be in God’s Word daily filling yourself with His Truth! His Words will be your comfort in the midst of labor. His words will be your strength as you push. His Words will be your joy as you meet your child.
Remind yourself who God is as revealed to us in Scripture. Remind yourself of who you are in Christ.
This allows you to hear from God, not simply tell Him what you need. A relationship with God is two ways and we need to hear from Him more than He needs to hear from us.
Pray
After you fill yourself up with the Word of God, pray without ceasing! (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
No this isn’t a contradiction. Filling your mind with God’s Words gives us the ability to pray without ceasing and pray effectively.
Tell God who He is. Praise Him for His goodness!
Confess your sin. Where are you falling short? Tell Him your fears. Ask Him to reveal any area in your life that’s not aligned with His Word.
Thank Him for your life, your child’s life, the ability to conceive and give birth. Thank Him for salvation. Thank Him for everything you can think of!
Ask God for what you need. Tell Him the desires of your heart.
In all of this commune with your God and Father that you may know Him!
Sing
After you’ve read and prayed, sing praises and worship your God in song! It doesn’t matter if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket!
God’s Word said to, “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the Earth” Psalm 100:1 (ESV). This is not a friendly suggestion, it’s a command!
So belt out songs of praise to our God! And maybe dance a little too! (Added exercises while you’re praising!!!)
Share
I hope that you have people in your life that you can share with as you walk. As we share what God is doing in our lives and hear what God is doing in others’ lives it deepens our love for God even more. We rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We do life together!
Also, share the Gospel with those around you. Share the amazing story that God is unfolding and invite people to faith. Get outside of yourself and live out your faith.
Memorize Scripture
“Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against You” Psalm 119:11 (NASB)
God’s Word is to be stored in our hearts at all times to keep us in alignment with God’s Word. It is also our life and breath!
Memorizing Scripture will be your lifeline in labor as you recall the Words of God during this time. No matter what decisions you make medically, Scripture will help you as you give birth because God’s Words are Truth! And in the midst of labor, you will need Truth on your mind.
So memorize all you can and treasure all His Words. Start now!
Admit Your Fears
I mentioned this in prayer, but it is worth repeating: Admit your fears and take them to God.
Satan likes to attack all of God’s children. Peter tells us that he prowls looking for someone to devour.
Pregnancy and childbirth is an extremely vulnerable time for women and an easy time for him to strike. The easiest way to do this is through all kinds of fears.
Take it to God.
This is another reason why Scripture memory is so important. We fight the attacks of Satan with Scripture. We fight fear with Scripture. We fight with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God that is a double edge sword and with it no scheme of the devil and no fear shall prevail!
Give Everything to God
God is Ruler and Sovereign over all! You can trust Him with your birth.
As you walk through preparing spiritually for birth, this will become easier and easier. Be open and honest with God as you are honest with yourself.
This preparation gives you the strength to be ready for whatever may come because you are filled with God Himself, through the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you!
There will always be some surprise as that’s the nature of labor and birth, but with God you can be confident that He is working and He is good!
So evaluate where you are in your relationship with God. When you see where you are take steps to deepen your relationship with God by reading His Word, praying and sharing your heart with Him, singing praise to your God and sharing the Gospel as well as what God has done in your life. Hide God’s Word in your heart as you memorize and meditate on His Word. Admit your fears and give everything to God.
Let God be your strength!
What do you need to do to begin preparing spiritually for childbirth?