Shaping the Soul for Labor- Prayer
During labor, we may feel out of control, fearful, or unable to think clearly. Prayer reminds us that God is there to listen to us and to help us out of his great love for us. Prayer allows us to acknowledge fear and submit it to God, rather than hiding it and allowing it to remain in us. Submitting to what labor will bring us allows us to birth with little fear knowing that we don’t have control over everything.
How to begin:
Set aside 30 minutes for meditation and prayer in solitude. If you have young children, you may have to coordinate with your spouse, a friend, or a relative to give you uninterrupted time, or do this while your children sleep. Turn off your phone and all technology and place yourself outside or in a room as free from distraction as possible. Breathe deeply with your hands on your belly, preparing your body to slow down. With your palms up, invite God to join you and sit for a few minutes in silence, listening and being attentive. Create the inner space of true solitude so that you can meditate and pray.
Choose a passage of Scripture to meditate on, from a Bible without study notes if you are distracted easily. Limit the passage in size, considering each word slowly and listening for what God is saying in his Word. Do not rush. The point is not to dissect the theology but to encounter God through his Word, listen, and obey. The psalms are a great starting point for meditation. Carefully read each word, allowing images and your imagination to fully engage with the passage. Read the passage several times very slowly, with a listening spirit. Ask God to teach you from his Scriptures through his Spirit. Your body is an important part of this process. If your muscles are tense or uncomfortable, you may be hindering your receptivity to God and his work in you. Relax your muscles, sit comfortably, and breathe deeply. Your posture, muscle tension, and your breathing are all important aspects to control during childbirth, too; tense muscles or holding your breath may make labor more painful and slow. If you are preparing for labor, you might choose passages of Scripture a few weeks before and write them on index cards or print them artistically to use as a focal point for labor. You could even record someone reading the chosen passages so that you can listen to them during labor (it may be easier to listen rather than read during labor)
Put your hands on your belly and imagine God knitting your child together in your womb. Think of all the intricacies and the intimacy of this work. Let prayers of gratitude, worry, praise, petition, or whatever is in you flow out unhindered. Ask God to show you his glory through pregnancy and childbirth.
Use your imagination to create a birth scenario in which you sense God’s presence and love for you as you labor and give birth, knowing that God designed and created childbirth. Pray for any concerns about childbirth and hindrances you may perceive to your birth scenario, asking God whether it is realistic and how to make it happen.
Remind yourself of your own story of God’s work in your life. Consider writing it down in a journal. How do this pregnancy, birth, and new baby fit into that tapestry? Meditate on God’s great love for you, his mercy, and milestones in your life where you saw him working—or where you still don’t understand what he was doing. Pray your gratitudes, your disappointments, your sadness, and your joy to God. Maintain a listening posture, as God often gives us insight as we prayerfully reflect on our past.
Consider instituting a daily time-out for solitude with God. If you have young children, you may find this a challenge, but it is one worth taking on for the sake of you and your children. Even if you can only find 10 or 15 minutes when your children are distracted or asleep, use those precious minutes to settle your mind and your body into the quiet for prayer and just being with God. Leave your cell phone or other technology in another room so that you are not drawn to distractions. Breathe deeply and listen. Check in with your heart and pray for forgiveness, strength, or whatever it is that you need from him in this moment.
