One afternoon, during the early stages of my second pregnancy, I sat down to pray for the child. The circumstances leading up to the delivery of our first child had been challenging (see “A harmonious birth,” The Christian Science Journal, September 2024), and I wanted to feel secure during this second pregnancy. When I reached out to God and asked Him what I needed to know during this precious time, I heard the word viable. To me, this meant that this child reflected the life, energy, robustness, and health that come directly from and are sustained by God, independent of me. I knew that God, divine Life, was the actual life of this child, and this was the rock that I planted my feet on during the months that followed.

When the time came for delivery, my Christian Science teacher was the practitioner on the case, and my husband kept him apprised of the progress of the birth. Initially, things went smoothly. But after the baby’s head passed through the birth canal, his body became stuck. By this time, I was exhausted and seemed to have nothing left to push with. I also found it hard to keep my composure in the midst of this situation. 

My husband called the practitioner. Suddenly I heard a loud, commanding voice in my thought saying, “Daniel and the lions’ den!” I had no idea how this connected to my present predicament, but I immediately felt a strength that was beyond my own. I gave one huge push, and the child emerged.