For This Child I Prayed

Last Sunday was Mother's Day. At our church they did a child dedication service. Several families presented their youngest children before the congregation to publicly profess their intentions of raising the child in the way of the Lord. A beautiful, albeit brief 'ceremony' of sorts.

I remember the day I did that with my first born. 

Many years ago now. 

And something occurred to me, now that this child is in the throes of adulthood - facing adult struggles.

The verse that the pastor had spoken over my sweet little infant that day was from 1 Samuel 1:27:

"For this child I prayed..."

I have tossed this verse around in my head for the past few days and this morning, as I laid awake in the wee hours of the morning, I was suddenly in grammar class with the Holy Spirit before me at the chalkboard, walking me through this simple verse, using a long pointer stick as we read it over and over, each time emphasizing a different word...

FOR this child I prayed...

    For THIS child I prayed...

        For this CHILD I prayed...

            For this child I prayed...

                For this child I PRAYED...

Remember doing this in school? I do! 

And the lesson was how emphasizing a different word would change the message of the sentence. 

I was amazed as the Spirit walked me through this.

FOR this child I prayed. 

I had married a man who already had a four-year-old son. 

I wanted a baby of my own... so I prayed FOR a baby...

When I suspected that I might actually (finally) be pregnant, I remember the day I was going to the doctors office. I stood in the bathroom at work, facing the mirror with my hand on my belly that was still about as flat as it would ever be again... and I prayed for THIS child... 

I spoke my heart's desire for the tiny human that I knew was growing inside me and prayed specific things for THIS child. My child. 

As any momma knows, the months between infant and 'child' seem like a blur. 

Before I knew it, I was praying over boo-boos and fevers, hurt feelings and disappointments. 

For this CHILD I prayed.

When my sweet child suffered one of the worst heartaches a child would ever know - the unexpected loss of a parent - I prayed.  

And I prayed. 

And I prayed.... 

I prayed fervently. 

I prayed earnestly. 

I prayed persistently. 

I prayed.

Now my child is gown, but still very much my child. 

Now facing ugly adult problems that momma can't fix. 

No Band-Aid can be applied to the heart. 

No amount of ice cream can take away the sting of the pain an adult child feels. 

Yesterday I PRAYED... 

and today I am praying.... 

and tomorrow I will pray. 

It's all I can do now.  

"...And the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him." 🩵