Gravidez e maternidade
Gravidez e maternidade são bênçãos celebradas na Bíblia. Deus forma cada criança no ventre, cuida da mãe e da família, e abençoa a geração dos justos.
Filhos são herança do Senhor
Deus abençoa a fertilidade e o crescimento das famílias. Cada criança é obra de suas mãos, conhecida e amada antes mesmo de nascer.
14 You will have greater blessings than any other people: no male or female among you or among your cattle will be without offspring.
7 And the children of Israel were fertile, increasing very greatly in numbers and in power; and the land was full of them.
2 His seed will be strong on the earth; blessings will be on the generation of the upright.
13 My flesh was made by you, and my parts joined together in my mother's body.14 I will give you praise, for I am strangely and delicately formed; your works are great wonders, and of this my soul is fully conscious.15 My frame was not unseen by you when I was made secretly, and strangely formed in the lowest parts of the earth.16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book all my days were recorded, even those which were purposed before they had come into being.
3 See, sons are a heritage from the Lord; the fruit of the body is his reward.
9 And I will take a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah one who will have my mountains for a heritage: and the people I have taken to be mine will have it for themselves, and my servants will have their resting-place there.
Força e cuidado na gravidez
Deus dá forças à mulher grávida e a sustenta em cada etapa. Sua graça é suficiente e seu poder se aperfeiçoa na fraqueza.
13 I am able to do all things through him who gives me strength.
9 And he said to me, My grace is enough for you, for my power is made complete in what is feeble. Most gladly, then, will I take pride in my feeble body, so that the power of Christ may be on me.
2 \31:1\In you, O Lord, have I put my hope; let me never be shamed; keep me safe in your righteousness.
2 \61:1\Let my cry come to you, O God; let your ears be open to my prayer.
11 He will give food to his flock like a keeper of sheep; with his arm he will get it together, and will take up the lambs on his breast, gently guiding those which are with young.
3 Give ear to me, O family of Jacob, and all the rest of the people of Israel, who have been supported by me from their birth, and have been my care from their earliest days:4 Even when you are old I will be the same, and when you are grey-haired I will take care of you: I will still be responsible for what I made; yes, I will take you and keep you safe.
A bênção da maternidade
A Bíblia honra a maternidade como ministério sagrado. As mães são instrumentos de Deus para formar vidas e transmitir a fé.
15 But if they go on in faith and love and holy self-control, she will be kept safe at the time of childbirth.
28 Her children get up and give her honour, and her husband gives her praise, saying,
1 And the man had connection with Eve his wife, and she became with child and gave birth to Cain, and said, I have got a man from the Lord.
1 And the Lord came to Sarah as he had said and did to her as he had undertaken.2 And Sarah became with child, and gave Abraham a son when he was old, at the time named by God.
21 Isaac made prayer to the Lord for his wife because she had no children; and the Lord gave ear to his prayer, and Rebekah became with child.
20 Now the time came when Hannah, being with child, gave birth to a son; and she gave him the name Samuel, Because, she said, I made a prayer to the Lord for him.
Proteção divina
Deus protege a mãe e o bebê, guardando-os de todo mal. Ele acompanha cada momento com ternura e fidelidade.
1 Happy is he whose resting-place is in the secret of the Lord, and under the shade of the wings of the Most High;2 Who says of the Lord, He is my safe place and my tower of strength: he is my God, in whom is my hope.
7 The Lord will keep you safe from all evil; he will take care of your soul.8 The Lord will keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time and for ever.
5 Before you were formed in the body of your mother I had knowledge of you, and before your birth I made you holy; I have given you the work of being a prophet to the nations.
22 If men, while fighting, do damage to a woman with child, causing the loss of the child, but no other evil comes to her, the man will have to make payment up to the amount fixed by her husband, in agreement with the decision of the judges.23 But if damage comes to her, let life be given in payment for life,
15 Will a woman give up the child at her breast, will she be without pity for the fruit of her body? yes, these may, but I will not let you go out of my memory.
Esperança e promessa
A maternidade é caminho de esperança. Como Sara, Ana e Isabel, as mães encontram na fé a força para aguardar as promessas de Deus.
11 And by faith Sarah herself had power to give birth, when she was very old, because she had faith in him who gave his word;
45 Happy will she be who had faith that the things which the Lord has said to her will be done.
46 And Mary said: My soul gives glory to God;47 My spirit is glad in God my Saviour.48 For he has had pity on his servant, though she is poor and lowly placed: and from this hour will all generations give witness to the blessing which has come to me.49 For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name.
9 He gives the unfertile woman a family, making her a happy mother of children. Give praise to the Lord.
16 And I will give her a blessing so that you will have a son by her: truly my blessing will be on her, and she will be the mother of nations: kings of peoples will be her offspring.
3 Your wife will be like a fertile vine in the inmost parts of your house: your children will be like olive plants round your table.