Week 2: Refuge & Strength
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”
Psalm 46:1–3
Motherhood is something of a paradox: in a strictly literal sense, it’s quite ordinary. But when we get to see it up close—when our spouses or friends or neighbors or even we ourselves bear children—it feels like nothing less than a miracle.
This paradox hints at the weight of motherhood. It is incredibly beautiful. It can also be deeply frightening.
Experiencing pregnancy is a gift and a challenge as women must confront the physical changes of their bodies at the same time as they realize the emotional weight of caring for and nurturing a new baby.
The love often experienced by a mother for her child is so powerful that God uses it as an analogy to describe His heart toward His people in Scripture: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you,” (Isaiah 49:15) and, “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).
Unfortunately, decades of legalized abortion have implicitly magnified the fears many women face upon becoming pregnant. By suggesting they must have the “right” to kill their unborn children, legalized abortion sends a deeply disempowering message: that for some women, pregnancy really is too scary. That caring for our children really is too hard. That some women are just too weak to do it.
And legal abortion gives cover to the countless boyfriends, husbands, or abusers who have pressured, coerced, or even threatened mothers into having an abortion.
The fruit of all these lies is death. Jesus tells a different story:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28–30
As a Savior who knows our sufferings, Jesus knows the conflicted emotions that often follow a woman into motherhood. He also knows that each woman to whom He gifts a child is strong enough to care for her children, because He made her strong enough. He also doesn’t ask her to do it alone: He also made fathers. And He calls His Church to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).
Pray this week that the Lord would strengthen every new mom, from the moment her pregnancy begins and throughout her children’s lives. Pray that He would convict fathers to love, support, and take responsibility for the children they have helped create. Pray that His Church would heed the call to bear one another’s burdens, in love and unity, from that first ultrasound onward through the laughs, tears, pains, and every conflicting emotion that accompanies the miracle of motherhood.
Psalm 37:39–40 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
Psalm 91:1–2 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”.
Isaiah 25:4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat...
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
Isaiah 41:13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Isaiah 40:28–31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
