The Perfect Conception to Birth Story: Jesus Paved the Way

by Lee Ann Rummell
Winter 2014/15

Can you imagine learning that you are about to conceive and give birth to the Son of the Most High who will reign over Jacob’s descendants and whose kingdom will never end? Thankfully, the angel Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid right away. At Christian Healing Ministries, we pray for healing for women whose pregnancy stories lack peace and we also pray for people whose in utero experience was not peaceful. We come from the perspective of blessing and healing, so as to release fear or any mindset that carries guilt or shame from the past.

According to the Center for Disease Control, there are close to one million abortions each year in the United States alone. The decisions that lead up to an abortion are fraught with fear and anxiety. Unwanted but not terminated pregnancies also have fear, anxiety, self–loathing and many negative emotions associated with them. Those negative emotions and the words spoken about those pregnancies can cause spiritual damage to the unborn child. The child may feel rejected, unworthy and unloved.

In contrast, Mary had peace. The angel told her she was highly favored and that her son would be great! For those of us who weren’t visited by Gabriel in this manner, peace about pregnancy can be elusive. All the “what ifs” may invade our thoughts and allow fear and anxiety to affect our unborn, even when Psalm 139 is known to us. It speaks of God knowing everything about all of our days since before one of them came to be!

I had the very sad experience of losing twins — one at three and a half months and the second at four months. When I was expecting again, I was very nervous! My doctor urged me to have amniocentesis, a medical procedure used for diagnosing genetic abnormalities, because the early blood work indicated a severe problem with the baby. I didn’t have the test, but I was fearful about what my baby would be like when she was born. I did have some wonderful prayer that resulted in a miracle of healing for her, but I didn’t know those results until she was born. My sweet daughter had endured my fear and anxiety all through the seven months that I had those false diagnostic words swirling in my head and heart. Praise God we have both had inner healing and enjoy great peace and freedom from that!

What Was Jesus' in Utero Experience?

From this scripture we see that the spirit of the unborn child, John the Baptist, recognized the spirit of Jesus. There was a spirit–to–spirit connection! We are not human beings having occasional spirit experiences but rather spirit beings having a temporary human experience. The scripture goes on to say that Mary stayed with Elizabeth, who was her cousin, for about three months and then returned home. There are several possible reasons for that. First, it was part of the tradition of that culture for a newly pregnant woman to go away and be cared for during her pregnancy. She would be cooked for and have no household chores to tire her. She would have time to meditate on scripture and pray. What a blessing that was! Today, women tend to find out they are expecting while on the fly and keep up frantic lifestyles right up to the time of delivery (and sometimes scheduled C–sections).

Secondly, Mary was very likely excited and at the same time concerned for her cousin Elizabeth who was well advanced in years. She wanted to go help her out and celebrate her miraculous pregnancy! Mary was kind and considerate — traits of Jesus! Thirdly, since she was engaged and not supposed to be pregnant yet, it was possibly a way to be protected from judgment. Joseph was a kind and caring man. We know that he considered putting her away quietly when he learned of her pregnancy, but he didn’t. He was humble and obedient and he listened and carried out the commands of the angel of the Lord to keep Mary as his wife. This blessing of his kindness toward Mary was also a Father’s blessing toward Jesus.

What Can Happen in Utero?

Today, research shows that the first three months in utero are critical in forming personality. Dr. Frank Lake in his book Tight Corners in Pastoral Counseling says that if a baby is unwanted, then death, rejection and darkness can be present. He refers to this situation as a “black flood.”

In contrast to a “black flood” experience, John the Baptist and Jesus enjoyed a time in utero that was filled with growth in grace, knowledge, wisdom and identity. They were nurtured and prayed for in utero. The modern version of nurturing the unborn is largely focused on good nutrition. Women take vitamins and stop harmful behaviors like smoking, drinking and strenuous exercise.

Further research has been done regarding the way the unborn learn and experience emotions. I read Nurturing the Unborn Child by Thomas Verny while expecting my first child and learned about singing the same song to my baby every day. Verny said that it would bring comfort to the baby and a familiar sound after birth. Even to this day, my children, who are 22 and 19, can close their eyes and hum their songs to help them find peace and calm. In another of Verny’s books, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, there is a chapter about a woman who rehearsed her cello part for a symphony all through her pregnancy. It was performed and not played again after the birth. Five years later her son sat down at the piano and played it! There is so much evidence that unborn babies learn and experience emotions in the womb — they absorb stimuli from their exterior environment. Babies also remember the feelings surrounding birth. The Lamaze technique of calm breathing during birth came about because of this understanding. This technique attempts to make birth less traumatic for the mother and baby. The goal was a natural, peaceful, gentle process.

Francis and Judith learned that in talking to children just as they became verbal, the children could tell you things about their birth — like the color of the sterile hospital gowns that were worn by the dad. They also had descriptions of the birth itself: some described it as feeling like a tight place, like exercise, or like swimming. By ages five or six, children tend to lose the ability to recall these experiences.

In the same way a baby in the womb can pick up signals from the exterior environment, his or her spirit can experience the effects of the mother’s emotions and her physiological responses to those emotions.

Prayer for Healing

At Christian Healing Ministries, we teach people to pray during pregnancy, and we also teach people to retroactively pray for healing in the womb. We have learned that Jesus can go into a pre–birth experience and heal any physical, psychological or spiritual wounds that may have occurred. This type of prayer can release positive memories and blessings too.

Conception

So many things can affect an unborn child, both good and bad. Because we focus on healing prayer at CHM, I’d like to address some of the issues that recur often during prayer at CHM. These issues are in no way meant to bring shame or condemnation to anyone. We ask questions about the time surrounding conception. Was the pregnancy too soon in a new marriage? Was conception prior to a marriage? Was it a late, or windfall and unwanted pregnancy? Were there already too many children? Were the parents young and immature? Rape or any form of violence, late term or forced sex, lust instead of love, adultery, use of drugs or excessive alcohol — these things can have a negative effect on a baby’s spirit and/or emotional health.

My parents conceived me after a night of heavy drinking. They were celebrating a birthday so they were happy, but even after several layers of prayer for my conception to birth time, I was still being lured by alcohol. It seemed to call to me from the shelves in any restaurant with a bar. The glassware sparkled and drew me toward thinking I wanted a drink. I didn’t understand it until I heard Judith teach on this subject. I realized that my spirit had been affected by their consumption.

Birth

The environment and the circumstances at the time of birth can be a large part of an individual’s need for conception to birth prayer. Was it good timing for the birth? Was the father away? Did the parents just lose someone they love? If so, then grief needs to be prayed through. I have a friend who brought her dad for prayer. The Lord showed me a mini movie of someone being born in a taxicab. When I asked if it was his birth story, he said no, it was his daughter’s. He had carried guilt and shame for many years because he hadn’t been able to help his wife get to the hospital on time. The daughter felt and then carried all the fear and anxiety that her mother had during that unusual birth.

At Christian Healing Ministries, we pray for in utero and birth traumas the same way we would for healing of memories. This is called inner healing. We ask Jesus to come into the memory, to bring affirmation of their life, comfort them and free them from all fear, evil and darkness.

It would be wonderful for everyone to have the supernatural experience of conception and the sweet nurtured time in utero that Jesus had! When the effects of trauma or distress reach even that secret place, conception to birth prayer can bring tremendous healing and freedom. Praise God that He has made a way for any injury to one’s spirit to be healed. He paved the way!

Lee Ann Rummell is Chairman of the Board of Directors at CHM. She also teaches at CHM's schools and is an active prayer minister.