Pray For Your Unborn Children

I have been walking past this school (Multikids Inclusion Academy) to work (currently closed due to the pandemic). Any time I passed by, I saw very expensive-looking cars parked; obviously for the rich and affluent in the society, some with diplomatic plates. This school focuses on learners with special needs; kids with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, polio, among others. 

The Joy Of Expecting A Baby

The joy and excitement of expecting a baby, intertwined with the different emotions that the expectant couple goes through, is pure bliss. Have you been surfing the internet lately? In anticipation of the arrival of this beautiful gift into this world, there is a gender reveal party, baby shower, among others. But most often than not, you don’t have a full knowledge about “what” you’re bringing into the world. Think About It.

Our Thoughts Are Not His Thoughts

Back to the school I walk by, the one with affluent families. These are well-to-do parents who can afford to get the best prenatal care anywhere, but end up bringing forth children who are differently abled.

Remember when the disciples asked Jesus in John 9:2 –  “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus’s response in verse 3 – “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him”.

Some of the hardships, disappointments, rejections, dismissals, et.al you go through in life aren’t because of some past mistakes you did or some sins you committed in the past. No! Sometimes, its simple – to bring God glory.

The Message Bible puts it beautifully;

“You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.”

– implying that the “cause” of the man’s blindness is NOT because of the sins of his parents or his. This is no cause and effect!

To Bring Him Glory

From a distance, I can imagine that disability is difficult for the child and expensive for the parent taking care of the differently abled child. It is expensive emotionally, financially, and takes a tole on all parties involved. But in such situations, it is important to be mindful about who you choose to depend on. Note that these situations come about to;

1. To test your faith – Who do you run to when things get hard? Run to the Man who has journeyed the path you are currently walking. Believe in Him. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” – James 1:2-4 (NASB)

2. To make you totally depend on God – You need to demonstrate unwavering trust in God to give you strength for the day. No matter what the hardship is, God is the only one who can help you fully. When you totally rely on Him; the God who neither sleeps nor slumbers, you will receive the provision that carries you through the season. This will make you trust in God and not lean on your own understanding

3. To draw closer to God – Hard times (like raising a differently abled child) should cause you to go on your knees even more in communication with God. This inevitably helps you develop a relationship with Him and ultimately have a closer walk with Him. All you need to do is offer Him your vulnerabilities, and He will offer you Himself through His presence. It’s in these times that you need to lay your bed in the promises of God. 

Life with a disability and with Jesus is infinitely better than a healthy body without Him. ~ Desiring God Click To Tweet

Jesus Heals

 F.F. Bruce beautifully constructs why this man was born blind but after several years, meets Jesus and receives his sight;

This does not mean that God deliberately caused this child to be born blind, only so that after many years, His glory would be shown by the removal of the blindness. To think so would again be aspersion on the character of God. It does rather mean that God overruled the disaster of the child’s blindness, so that when he grew into manhood, he might, by the recovering of his sight, see the glory of God in the face of Christ – and others, seeing the work of God, might turn to the true Light of the World.

Pray For Your Unborn

To the ones who are looking to have babies in the future, I will encourage you to pray for healthy children.

You remember the persistent widow in Luke 8. She kept pushing, she kept persisting over and over again until her request was granted by the judge.

No one knows the condition of the children they’re going to bring into the world but what you can do is, pray into the future, to God who is a prayer-answering Father, to help you deliver healthy babies. Having healthy babies must not end there, pray that you raise your children in the image of Christ; God-fearing children with a passion for God and the things of God in Jesus’ Name. Amen

To give birth to a healthy child isn't always guaranteed. Its a blessing, one that is underrated. Click To Tweet

Last Words

My niece has laryngeal cleft, a rare condition when there is a gap between the larynx and the esophagus.  It occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 to 20,000 births. She has undergone about six surgeries and she’s not even 10 years. Relationally, it’s hard. Conversationally, it’s a struggle. But I see her light up all the time and seeing her happy makes all of us happy. Her mother, my auntie is a strong woman and I know it’s God who’s carrying them through each day. He will do the same for you.

Children are indeed a blessing, whether differently abled or healthy. When you’re fortunate to give birth to a healthy one, give thanks to God. When you are on the other side, however, know that; Even when life on earth seems relentlessly hard, God has all of eternity to lavish his love on us. ~ Vaneetha Risner Click To Tweet