A Prayer for a New Baby

For thou hast possessed my reins, and hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
— Psalm 139:13–14

A new baby does something to a room — changes the air in it. All that smallness, all that need, and the way every grown person in the house suddenly forgets how to breathe normally. It's joy and terror at the same time: the joy of what's just arrived and the terror of being responsible for it. And the first real prayer of new parenthood isn't a polished one. It's the ragged, middle-of-the-night kind: thank you, and please help, and dear God, let me not break this beautiful thing.

Lord, thank you for this baby.
Thank you for ten fingers and ten toes and that cry that means everything is working the way you designed it.
You made this child — fearfully, wonderfully, every cell of them — and you handed them to us, and we are going to need your help.
Give us sleep when we can get it and grace when we can't.
Give us patience, and wisdom, and the good sense to ask for help before we fall apart.
Watch over this little one all the days of their life. And let us be the parents they deserve — not perfect, just faithful.
Amen.

The psalm says fearfully and wonderfully made, and there is no more honest time to believe that than when we're looking at a new human being who didn't exist a little while ago and now somehow does. It is fearful — the wonder of it is enough to knock the wind out of a person. And the prayer that comes with it is the simplest one there is: you made this, help me not mess it up. That prayer doesn't go away, by the way. It just grows up along with them.

Save this one for the early days — or pass it to someone who's in them. Ruby writes a short devotional every morning: a verse, and a few plain words for parents, grandparents, and anyone trying to love well in a tired world. You can subscribe — it's free, or stay a while and read more of her writing.