Letting God Control Your Family Size

Letting God control your family size is so important to do. When we desire to have control over our lives we often ask many questions that are driven by the unknown.

Is there such thing as having too many children?
How about not having enough children?
Surely, there is such thing as the perfect family size?

Sweet friend, instead of thinking about the perfect family size, let’s learn to turn our eyes to our perfect, Sovereign God – the very Creator and Sustainer of each family that has ever walked this earth.

Every Life Comes from His Hand

Now, imaging sitting at the mall’s coffee shop on a Friday night and people watching. (Don’t pretend you haven’t done it, because we all have.) As you look around, you see many different families made up of very different people.

There is the perfect blonde haired, magazine couple with one son and one daughter; they are all indulging in some overpriced sushi.
Then there is the mixed family with the most beautiful little, curly haired baby.
Over towards Chick-fil-a is the momma, whose husband is working late, with all eight kids by herself at Chick-fil-a.

What do all of these families have in common? They were created by our Sovereign God, not one life was out of His hand. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in what we want and forget who we truly are here on this earth. Everything we do should be to glorify our God… But how often is that not the case?

Why should you let God control your family size?

Can I let you in on a little secret? Even when we try to be the ones in control, the Lord is still sovereign despite our human efforts. Consider this, the Author has already written the book from beginning to end. As active characters in His book, it is our job to be present on the current page and to simply trust that our wonderful Author knows what is best. There is an enemy to God’s story, that enemy brought sin and death. However, the Author of Life is and always will be the Lord.

Personally, I know many friends that thought they were writing their own pages when it came to fertility. Nine weeks after their child was born, while on birth control, one of these friends discovered that God had blessed her with another child. We think we know best, but time and time again God has shown that His story is better.

Consider these thought that run through our head:

The time does not seem right, but His story is better.
We don’t have the finances for more kids, but His story is better.
There is no room in our house to adopt a child, but His story is better.

Friend, I want to encourage you to surrender to the One who is writing the beautiful story of redemption. The One who has called your family – your perfectly sized family – to be a part of that story. He will guide your heart when it comes to family size, and when you don’t listen….well, He will still work all things for good.

How to let go of control? – Trust and Rest.

We have to let go of the control that we think we have over what our family looks like in God’s story. When we try to hold that pen, there is a terrible tension in our relationship with the Lord. However, when we surrender to His good plan, we enter into the dance that is our beautiful relationship with the Lord. It is so good to be in step with Him.

The Lord invites us to, “Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10

It is hard to place our confidence in the Lord, when we are constantly fighting against Him. We cannot fight for control and say we trust the One in control. It doesn’t make sense. Sister, trust that He knows best. It is only in His plan that we will find peace.

Fighting against the Lord is exhausting. Trusting the Author to write your story will naturally bring you to a place of rest. When we surrender to His plan, we simply get to rely on His sovereign hand. It is the difference between fighting for the driver seat and enjoying the scenery as a passenger. Enjoy Jesus and enjoy what He is doing in your life.

Praying about Your Family Size

As you pray about letting God control your family size, consider these prayer points.

Praise Him – Praise God for writing a better story then you could ever imagine. Acknowledge that He is the One who has breathed life into every member of your family.
Thank Him – Thank God for the gift of being part of His story of redemption. Thank Him for His promises of goodness.
Repent – Ask God to forgive you if you’ve been holding on to tightly to control over your family size. Ask Him to forgive your fears and doubts, and to replace them with trust.

Bible Verses

As you are thinking about letting God control your family size, I pray that these verses encourage your heart to trust in the Maker and Sustainer of life. We use the WEB version, but feel free to use your favorite!

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your worries on Him, because He cares for you.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you,’ says Yahweh, ‘thought of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.”

Philippians 4:6-7 – “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thought in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Genesis 1:28 – “God blessed them. God said to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.’”

Psalm 127:2-5 – “Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows in the hand of a might man, so are the children of youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They won’t be disappointed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.”

Does God Want Me to Have Another Baby?

In asking about whether or not God wants you to have another baby, you are really thinking about letting God be in control of your family size. We have a previous post here addressing some things to consider while family planning.

In our previous post, you will find:

Things to consider when thinking about trying for another child:
- Does our family feel complete?
- I cannot physically carry another baby safely
- More excuses we give and things we ask….
How do I know that God wants me to have another baby?
- Exploring the Father’s heart when it comes to families
Praying for another child

“No matter how many children we settle on having, God is still the One who is sovereign over all life. As we seek to honor Him in growing our families, may we ultimately submit to being an example of Christ to however many children He decides to bless us with.”

Conclusion

Sisters in Christ, let’s not get so caught up in our fears, worries, and pride that we forget to live out the story that God is writing. In His story, we have a purpose. In His story, our family has a purpose. Every life, every breath has a purpose in God’s beautiful story of redemption. We need to learn that letting God control our family size is a good thing.

Christ has come, His work on the cross is finished. One day, He will come back and redeem all things unto Himself. Until that day, we get to play a part in His redemption story. I pray that we submit our wills to His sovereign hand and dance along every page in the story His is writing. Letting God control our family size may seem scary to do, but let me remind you once again….His story is better.

I want to leave you with these lyrics:
“And now there’s this new baby girl
And with one breath she’s changed our whole world.
Some say she looks like dad,
But she looks like grace to me.
Your grace to me.

You’re the God of every story,
No matter what I’m going through.
I amy not understand, You are God and I am just a man.
Yeah I’m forever trusting in Your Plan.
One thing is certain
You are faithful, You’re faithful God.”

God of Every Story by Laura Story

Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. So you can pin it to your Baby Board!!