Oh Baby: 14 Devotions for New ParentsSample

Your Prayers Make a Difference

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. JEREMIAH 1:5 NIV

The idea of being fully responsible for a tiny human can be overwhelming, especially if you haven't been in that position before! It’s hard to know where to begin. But one of the most powerful things a parent can do for their child is simply to pray for them. Every day, even long before you meet your little one, your prayers are acknowledged before God.

No one in the world sees your kids like you do. No one can pray with the same insights or observations. And a parent’s prayer certainly blesses God’s heart. After all, He invites us as parents to communicate the same selfless love that He has for us. And because He knows we’re ill-equipped to do that apart from Him, He makes Himself highly available for that very purpose. As we seek Him in parenting, He pours out His most Fatherly love over us and our family. He puts people in our lives who can love, mentor, encourage, and build us on the adventure. He helps us with creative problem-solving, late nights, and more grace than we can measure.

Prayer is effective because He not only listens to us, but He also responds and tells us great and unsearchable things (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV). As the Artist and Creator of your little one, He put every single cell together in a very intentional way. Your baby’s genetic makeup, likes and dislikes, quirks and strengths, passions and purpose are recorded in His notes. He can give you one-of-a-kind direction on how to shepherd your child through all the stages of adolescence. He chose your child for such a time as this. (He chose you for such a time, too.) So there’s no better place to turn as you embark on the adventure of loving this little one to, and through, life.

And as your life points to God, through prayer and the fruit of your relationship with Him, you’ll be the very best arrow for your child to find Him, too.

Prayer:

Knowing how intentional You are about Your children is so comforting, God. And I know You can teach me to be intentional in prayer with You for this family. As I seek You, I know I’ll find You. And that partnership is priceless.