A Prayer for a Newborn Baby

Father, this tiny weight is sleeping on my chest, impossibly small, fingers curled around nothing, and I cannot stop staring. A whole person, brand new, breathing in the dark. I am undone by it.

I confess I am terrified underneath the wonder. So fragile, so dependent, and I feel like I have no idea what I am doing. Every cry sends me searching, every silence makes me check that they are still breathing.

So I bring this little one to You, the Maker who knit them together in the hidden place. You knew their face before I did. You were not surprised by their arrival the way I still am.

Watch over their first breaths and their last. Build their bones strong and their heart tender. Let them grow up knowing they were prayed over before they could understand a single word.

You said You knit me together in my mother's womb, that I was fearfully and wonderfully made. The same is true of this child in my arms, fearfully, wonderfully, intentionally made.

I dedicate this life to You before it has even begun. I cannot protect every moment, but You can. Hold what I am holding, and never let go of this child I already love beyond words. Amen.