EquippedMama

P S A L M 1 1 3 : 5 – 9

Who can compare to the Lord our God, who sits on a high throne?

He bends down to look at the sky and the earth.

He raises the poor from the dirt, and lifts the needy from the garbage pile, that he might seat them with princes, with the princes of his people.

He makes the barren woman of the family a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord!

Perhaps you are keenly aware that the birth of your child was nothing short of a miracle. Especially for those who struggle with infertility, conception is an event worth celebrating. Many know all too well the heartache of wanting a child but having that desire unfulfilled.

Such was the experience of a woman named Hannah (if you have some extra time, you can read her story in 1 Samuel 1-2). While she had a loving husband, she was unable to have children, and her husband’s other wife had many. To make this grief more acute, this other wife would constantly upset Hannah, making the weight of her infertility a heavier burden to bear. This emotional toil often came to a head during the family’s annual time of worship when Hannah would be so maligned by her rival she would often burst into tears and refuse food. During one of the most special times of their family year, Hannah was constantly reminded of her inability to fulfill her deep desire for children.

In one such instance, Hannah departed the family celebration and went to pray. She begged the Lord for a male child and promised to commit him to the Lord’s service for his entire life. First Samuel 1:19 says that “the Lord remembered her” and Hannah was able to conceive and give birth to a son. Faithful to her promise, Hannah, at the time of her son’s weaning, brought him to the temple and dedicated him to the Lord. Then she left her young child in the care of the priests, and he served before the Lord for the rest of his days. Within this context, Hannah offers a song of praise, one that rings with some of the same offerings as the psalm above.

No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one other than you! There is no rock like our God! Those who are wellfed hire themselves out to earn food, but the hungry no longer lack. Even the barren woman gives birth to seven, but the one with many children withers away. He lifts the weak from the dust; he raises the poor from the ash heap to seat them with princes and to bestow on them an honored position. The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord, and he has placed the world on them. (1 Samuel 2:2,5,8).

Repetition indicates significance, and the concept of the Lord being the One to grant children is found throughout Scripture (Genesis 25:21, Genesis 29:31, Genesis 30:22, Ruth 4:13, 1 Samuel 2:21). What practical insight can we learn from this basic truth of the Lord granting children, as it pertains to this psalm and the prayer of Hannah?

If the Lord has given you a child through pregnancy or adoption, you are blessed. It might sound trite, but your little one is a precious gift, and the Lord has chosen your home to be the one in which he or she is raised. Regardless of how inadequate you feel you are to raise them; you are the perfect person for the job. You are by no means alone in this task, however. You are empowered by the Lord, the One who grants life and who fills our life with good things.

Who else is high and exalted but bends down to hear our troubles? Who else lifts the discouraged from their lowly places? The same Lord who has blessed you with your child attends to your needs and hears your heart. Praise the Lord!

In this season, be sure to thank the Lord for the little one He has given you. Cuddle them close and remind them that they are a gift and that you as their mama are blessed.

Gracious Father,

Who am I that you would fill my life so full of goodness? Thank you so much for giving me this little one. (Insert child’s name) is such a precious gift from you, and I am so humbled that you would entrust them to my care to raise them. Thank you for their life and thank you for the plans that you have for them. Please help me to walk humbly in an awareness of my need for you every day as I strive to raise them in a way that pleases you. Please empower me by your Holy Spirit to be the type of mother that you have called me to be.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This devotional is a sample from Katherine Hager’s book, Redeeming Mama; Purpose-Filled Prayers For Your Newborn. You can order her book here it is also available in Spanish.