LivePrayerDaily Devotional for Tuesday August 14, 2018
Miscarriage
(Genesis 33:5, Psalm 127:3, Proverbs 17:6, Deuteronomy 6:7)
***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to never forget how each life is from you and precious. In this culture that puts little value on a human life, let ME stand for you and the fact ALL LIFE IS FROM GOD! May I find courage and strength to never waiver or fail to speak up for this most precious of all gifts! In the name of Jesus I pray. AMEN!
One of the difficult things I deal with each day here at Liveprayer, are parents who have suffered the loss of their baby due to a miscarriage. Sadly, 15-20% of known pregnancies end in a miscarriage, so this is an issue that touches most families and something many who are reading this today have experienced. Of course the question each one who has lost a baby like this asks is why?
There are simply some things in this life we will never know the answer to. Why God chooses to allow a baby to live only a few short weeks or someone to live to 90, is something only He knows. This is another classic example of the fact tomorrow is promised to none of us, regardless how old you are, and each day is a gift from God. The one thing we do know is that a baby who is lost while in its mother's womb is forever with Jesus!
The greatest joy for any parent is to know that their child will spend all eternity with the Lord. A baby in the womb who has not had the opportunity to mature to the point of understanding sin and making a choice of faith to accept or reject Jesus is forever with the Lord due to His grace. As devastating as losing a baby is, I pray today that the assurance your child will be forever with the Lord comforts those moms and dads who have suffered this great loss in their life. I also pray that the Lord will help you heal and bless you with many more children in the future. He loves you!
While death is a sad part of this human experience we all have to deal with throughout our journey and one day face ourselves, today I also want to deal with the other end of that spectrum, when life begins. One of the great joys I have each day is receiving emails from people excited that they are going to have a child. It is one of those special moments in a person's life that crescendos less than a year later with the birth of that precious baby. It has been an honor and privilege to pray for so many babies still in the womb and in a few months receive a picture of one of those babies that is truly a gift from God.
Having a child is one of the greatest responsibilities a person has during this lifetime. Raising that child is without a doubt the most important ministry a parent will ever have. The Bible claims in 1 Timothy 5:8 that if you don't take care of your relatives, especially those in your family you have denied the faith and are worse than an infidel or unbeliever. There are no exceptions to this verse. It doesn't say, unless you are a pastor. It doesn't say, unless you are the head of a major company. It doesn't say, unless you are too busy helping other people. The Word of God is clear that the number one responsibility of a parent is to your family and EVERYTHING else in your life is secondary.
*I want every parent to take a moment right now, pray, and ask God if your spouse and children are truly the number one priority in your life after your relationship with Christ. If not, NOW is the time to make whatever changes that need to be made to insure they are!
For every man and woman who is reading this today that is expecting a child, I want to encourage you to start praying over your child even know while that baby is still in the womb. Pray health over your baby. Pray protection over your baby. Pray God's blessings over your baby. Pray that your baby will have a heart that yearns for Jesus. Even after that baby is born, you need to be praying over your baby every day. God has entrusted this life into your care. Prayer demonstrates our dependence upon God. Never in your life will you be more tested and more dependent upon the Lord than in raising your child.
As your child begins to get older, teaching that child how to pray, reading the Word of God to your child, making sure your child is in church every week, are all ways to follow God's Word and raise that child in the admonition of the Lord. GOD HAS GIVEN YOU THE RESPONSIBILITY OF RAISING YOUR CHILD IN THE FAITH AND WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE!!!
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." *The greatest thing you will ever do for your child is to lay a foundation of faith in Christ and God's Word in their life!
Listen moms and dads. As your child gets older they will begin to make their own decisions. At some point, you won't be able to make their choices for them. That is why laying that foundation of faith is so critical. Let me make sure you understand something. You are NOT responsible for the decisions they make. Just like your mother and father were not responsible for the decisions you made, you are not responsible for the decisions your children will make.
That is why those early years are so critical, since what they learn in those early years will help to shape the choices they make as they get older. Know that even if they turn from the Lord at some point, when times get difficult it is that spiritual foundation you helped lay in their life that will sustain them. Just like the prodigal son made some horrible decisions, when he hit rock bottom he knew to "go home" to his father.
I know that many of you are in tears today because you so desperately want a child and for reasons only God knows, you have not been able to conceive. Why your prayers have not been answered is something only God knows for certain, but let me encourage you to continue to pray for a child, knowing that with God ALL things are possible.
We have too many testimonies both from God's Word and from so many people of how God allowed them to conceive later in life after many years of not having any children. Never forget that God may have a special calling on your life to be a mom or dad to a child by adoption. There are so many children who have been given up for adoption who need Godly parents, and God may be calling you to have a child by adoption.
I love you and care about you so much. For those who have suffered the pain of a miscarriage, I pray today that the Lord will be with you in a special way and that He will soon bless you with a child. There is nothing more exciting in life than finding out that you are going to have a child, going through those months of preparing for the birth of your child, and then that incredible day you will never forget as long as you live when your baby is born.
Of course, that is also the start of the most important job you will ever have in this life, raising your child. Let me close today with a special prayer of blessing for your baby, whether this baby is still in the womb or recently born, and for you to be the Godly parents God has called you to be.
"Father, I pray today for those who have suffered the pain of having a miscarriage. Dear Lord, help them to heal and give them peace in knowing their baby is in Heaven, forever with you! Today, I pray for those precious babies who are still in the womb. I pray oh Lord that you will touch these precious lives and make their bodies healthy, their minds sharp, and their hearts tender towards the Lord. I pray oh Lord that you will bring forth these precious babies from the womb in your perfect timing and that these babies will grow and mature into mighty men and women of God should Jesus tarry in His return. For those babies and children, I pray oh Lord that you will protect them from the evils of this dark world. I pray oh Lord that they will be raised in the admonition of the Lord, in the strength of your Word, and become great men and women of God to lead your people in these last days. Father, I lift up the moms and dads of these children. Give them your strength, your wisdom, your discernment as they raise their children in the ways of the Lord. I pray oh Lord that you will guide them and help them to be the Godly moms and dads to their children you have called them to be. Bless their homes oh Lord, let the Spirit of the living God be present and make their homes and lives great beacons of light in this lost and dying world. I pray blessings on these babies and children, blessings on these moms and dads in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller