Prayer isn’t a footnote.

“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again.’” (John 3:5-7 ESV).

Have you noticed how we take birth and life for granted?

We live as if we know what the future holds and we make plans for tomorrow and we act as if we have control over our lives. But recently, the Combs family at least, has been reminded of just how false that sense of control really is.

Last Friday, March 2nd, my son Stephen and his wife Caroline had an ultrasound that revealed that they were having a healthy baby boy! What joy we all felt! Stephen posted the above three-photo montage on facebook to announce their happiness to the world.

Then, only a few days later, the unthinkable happened. Caroline’s water broke. She is only in her 18th week, so the baby is not viable outside the womb. Thankfully, she didn’t go into labor, but still, what could this mean?

They rushed to the doctor and after another ultrasound, they found that the baby boy is still living. His heart is beating (160 bpm). Kidneys functioning. He’s still moving (Caroline felt him kick just yesterday morning). But there’s no amnotic fluid in the womb now. The doctor said that this fluid is a necessity for the development of his lungs. She said there is a great danger of infection and risk to the mother’s life. She didn’t offer much hope. The doctor sent them home on bed rest to wait and see.

Because this baby is a wanted baby, Stephen got on the phone and made arrangements to get a second opinion with specialists at Duke Hospital. They went there yesterday.

The doctors at Duke gave a bleak picture too, “Yes, the baby is normal for 18 weeks. Yes, there is a possibility that Caroline could stay infection free and carry the baby until 24 weeks (when viability is possible). His body will continue growing, but his lungs will not develop without amniotic fluid. Even if she can carry the baby to term, he will not be able to breathe outside the womb.

“We can induce labor now or wait and see.” They said. “What do you want to do?” The doctors asked.

“We want to give the baby a chance!” Stephen immediately responded. “Listen,” he continued. “We’re going to pray. And we’re going to ask a lot of people to pray with us. So, you’re the doctor. What specifically should we pray for?”

“Well, I guess the only hope would be for Caroline’s membranes to reseal, so that the amniotic fluid could build back up.” The doctor responded flatly.

“Have you ever seen that happen?” Stephen asked.

“No, not in a case like this. I’ve never seen it happen.” The doctor answered.

“Is it possible that it could reseal? Could it happen?” Stephen questioned.

“Hmm… I suppose. Yes, it’s possible, but highly unlikely.” The doctor replied, not wanting to offer false hope.

Talking and praying with our family over the last few days, we have been reminded that all of life is a miracle. We think we can just “plan” to have a baby and “Viola!” But every birth is a miracle. Every detail of the birth process is a work of God.

This is true for birth and it’s also true for rebirth. Without a touch of the miraculous neither can take place.

Jesus told Nicodemus that the only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven was to be born again. His words to Nicodemus remind all of us that God is the only source of life and that this life is only found through faith in God’s Son, Jesus the Christ.

This is why prayer is not a footnote to life. It is not the thing to do when all else fails. It is the thing to do because “all else” will always fail without God’s miraculous power.

So, we’re praying that our unborn grandson will be born by “water” (We realize just how important this is now!) and by the Spirit. We’re praying that Caroline’s womb would heal, the amniotic “waters” would build back up, and that this baby boy would be born not only healthy, but anointed by the Spirit to bring glory to God for all of his life.

And we’re asking you to pray with us. Pray for our unborn grandson. Also pray for every person who hasn’t experienced the new birth that Christ gives.

Prayer is not a footnote to our lives. It’s our top note!