Just the other day a pastor asked me for suggestions of how to pray for couples in his congregation who are facing infertility. Since there are others out there who are wondering the same thing, I thought I’d share the list below:

Pray that they would grow in their faith and relationship with God. Infertility is the most painful trial I have faced in my 35 years of life, and it’s a chance for a person to cling to God or turn from Him.

Pray that their marriage would be strong. In my experience, it has brought me and my husband closer together, however I have heard of marriages struggling to survive infertility.

Pray that they would continue to hope and believe that with God all things are possible.

Pray that discouragement and depression would not overwhelm.

Pray for their health – often there are medical issues interfering with fertility – and often these things are dealing with reproductive systems, so people might not be sharing the specifics.

Pray for wisdom in the medical and ethical decisions involved. Christians are all over the place in their position on what degree of medical assistance to pursue. Some feel like God is directing them to not pursue medical intervention, some treat medical issues with medication or surgery, some are comfortable with Assisted Reproductive Technology (including In-Vitro Fertilization and/or the use of donors). Every single step has spiritual and ethical implications, and Christians should certainly pause to see how God is directing them.

Pray that they would trust that God is good, even if. Even if they have a long wait. Even if they have a miscarriage. Even if they never have a baby or never become parents, pray that they will believe that God is good through it all.

Let them know that you are praying for them. They might not want to talk much about it, however, it is encouraging to know that someone is praying.

Thank you for praying – it makes a difference.

What else would you add to this prayer list?

Hi, I’m Betsy, and I live in the Washington, D.C. area with my husband, Mike. We have been married since 2008. We enjoy exploring new cities together on foot, eating at our favorite Italian restaurants, and doing life as a team. I published my first book Embracing Hope During Infertility in January 2015. You can learn more about me here. I invite you to connect with me by following my Hope During Infertility Facebook page or my Betsy Herman, Writer Facebook page. Thanks so much for reading my posts!