For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:13,14)

This is a familiar passage in pro-life circles – maybe too familiar. We can never “wear out” God’s Word, but after a while, some well-worn sections can lose their meaning. We say the words at the appropriate time, but don’t think about what we’re saying. In a world where human life is under constant threat, we can never take God’s Word of life for granted. To build a pro-life ethic in the Christian home we must take passages like this and mine them for every nugget of Godly wisdom that they contain.

The sight of a pregnant woman is also something we might be inclined to take for granted. Perhaps the sight of a pregnant woman can be more impacting when we face the sobering reality that for every four births that take place, there is one child who was the victim of abortion.

An expectant family has a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the wonder of God’s gift of life. As they witness this miracle, they thank and praise God, they grow in their pro-life convictions, and they are moved to share those convictions with others.

There is no doubt that a miracle is taking place inside the womb. In Psalm 139, the writer acknowledges that what is taking place has its origin with God. He eloquently describes the incredible wonder and mystery that surrounds this event. Science and medicine do nothing to lessen the mystery.

Today we have amazing pictures and footage of life in the womb. Ultrasounds and 4-D ultrasounds give the expectant family a glimpse of their new addition. Scientists and doctors can describe in ever greater detail the development that God grants to the unborn child. The psalmist would be breathless if he could see what we see.

We could speak at length about the various stages of development. Ponder for a moment the embryonic stem cell. In most contexts, it’s a topic of controversy, but in this context, it’s nothing short of stunning. The child is little more than a week old, and an incredible ballet takes place. Who but the Creator could choreograph a dance that has these stem cells moving in perfect harmony as each fits precisely into God’s blueprint. Some become bone, some muscle, some heart, some blood vessels, and the dance goes on. What a beautiful time for a family to reflect on God’s growing gift!

But won’t these scientific advances lessen the mystery and render the Creator obsolete? NOT AT ALL! Advances in science and medicine are made as God wills, and they are a gift to us. Our human knowledge may grow, but we cannot comprehend the miracle one jot more.

Luther would have said that just this is the basic error of modern science—it professes to know more than it knows. In reality it can find only material and formal, or instrumental, causes, but in its ignorance it imagines that it has found efficient and final causes… Man, with his reason, can only deal with phenomena, and he ought to be conscious of the limitations which this places on all his investigations. Reason has no way of pressing behind the phenomena to find the real efficient cause which controls and determines them. (Taken from Facing Evolution—Things Too Wonderful for Me by Martin P. Sponholz)

Scripture puts it this way:

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5)

Like the psalmist, we can do nothing less than praise and thank God. The glory is his alone.

The Christian family grows in their pro-life convictions during the pregnancy. That growth does not come about by human wisdom or discoveries. Rather, their growth is one of faith that comes solely through the use of the Means of Grace.  The Bible reveals that all human life is God’s gift, regardless of its “quality,” and is worthy of our respect and protection. Each life is precious because Jesus died for all. As a result, the Christian family will want to share their pro-life convictions. Moved by God’s love they share the message of salvation through Christ.

Your family anxiously awaits the arrival of the baby and anticipates that moment when they will hold the precious gift. Embrace that gift now as it is held in the womb. You have nine months, and you can do more than discuss names and the color of the nursery walls. As a family, you can grow together in your pro-life convictions.