When Prayer Broke the Waters

When Prayer Broke the Waters

Serving as a Christian volunteer in a beautiful, quaint mountain town in North Montana since November 2024 has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Each time I step into the birth clinic, I am reminded that this work is more than service, it is sacred ground. It is a place where clinical skill meets compassion, and where faith is lived out in real time through prayer, presence, and love for mothers, their babies, and their families.

This volunteer position is also preparing me for future missionary service in low-resource countries, where I hope to provide faith-based support and spiritual ministry to women in their childbearing years and to their families. During this season, it has been a gift to develop meaningful relationships with mothers, to sit with them, hear their hearts, and listen to their struggles and fears. There is something deeply sacred about being invited into those vulnerable spaces. It is both wonderful and important to support women not only by listening, but by praying with them and for them as they walk through pregnancy, labour, and motherhood.

This week, I witnessed something that will stay with me forever. 

With the mother’s permission, I share this part of her story. 

I had the honour of observing Midwife Joyce and her apprentice, Rebekah, as they cared for one of our labouring mothers. This particular mama had been approved for a home birth despite some clinical concerns earlier in her pregnancy. An ultrasound had diagnosed kidney complications in her unborn baby, and she herself had been navigating polyhydramnios, excess amniotic fluid, which can bring added considerations during labour.

Even with these complexities, the care surrounding her was tender, prayerful, and deeply attentive.

I listened as Joyce and Rebekah discussed her labour progression with intentionality. Their conversation reflected both wisdom and restraint. They spoke about interventions, specifically the possibility of releasing the waters, yet it was clear this was not something they approached lightly. They expressed how deeply they prefer not to intervene unless absolutely necessary, carefully weighing the risks while discerning what might be needed in this circumstance.

What struck me most was not only their clinical knowledge, but their posture of surrender.

Instead of moving quickly to intervene, we all felt led to pause.

We gathered together and decided to lift this mama, and her labour, up to the Lord in prayer.

There, in the midst of active labour and clinical discussion, we stopped and prayed.

Joyce began to pray, and it was one of the most beautiful prayers I have ever heard. It was not rehearsed or performative, it was intimate. The kind of prayer that comes from someone who has spent much time speaking with her Father.

Peace settled over the room as she prayed, asking the Lord for His will, His timing, and His protection over mother and baby.

Scripture reminds us:

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” -Matthew 18:20 (KJV)

We stood on that promise together.

And then, within what felt like only a minute, we heard the mama cry out from the labour room:

“My water just broke!”

A holy hush fell over us, followed quickly by rejoicing.

“Thank you, Jesus!” was spoken aloud, not as a phrase, but as a heartfelt response to what we had just witnessed.

No intervention.

No artificial rupture.

No clinical forcing.

Just prayer, and the Lord’s timing.

It brought to life the words of Christ:

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” -Matthew 7:7 (KJV)

God had heard.

God had answered.

And He had done so in His way.

Faith in the Midst of Personal Stress

What made this moment even more meaningful for me was the backdrop of my own week.

It had been a very stressful and time-consuming week within my family. Yet birth, mothers, and babies do not stop. And what a blessing it is that we serve a God who hears our prayers, and that we can come to Him in our time of need.

This week, I have witnessed again how intimately God knows exactly what we need, and how faithful He is to provide, both for our own needs and for the needs of those we are praying for.

“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16- 18 (KJV)

And:

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice…Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:4,6-7 (KJV)

This has been my week.

Rejoicing.

Giving thanks.

Resting in His peace.

More Than “Religious” Service

While my role is formally recognized as a religious volunteer, that description has never fully captured what this work means to me.

Because for me, this is not about religion - it is about relationship.

I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and it is by my testimony and my walk with Him that I pray others would see His love for them.

The Lord has provided every opportunity that has allowed me to witness these beautiful, loving Christian midwives pour their love and time into women and their families. Their example is something I will carry with me, especially as He prepares me for future missionary service.

When He provides opportunities for me to love and support women in their childbearing years, I know I will remember these moments.

I will remember how God showed up.

How He answered prayer.

How He moved in His way.

Moments like these remind me that perinatal rescue is not only about clinical skills. It is about bringing Christ-centred care to mothers and babies wherever the Lord calls us to serve.

Worship in the Birth Room

There is nothing I love more than being in the midst of the intense process of birth where there is prayer, singing, praise, and rejoicing in the Lord.

What a privilege.

And I am so grateful to be invited into these holy moments, serving mothers, their babies, and their families, while watching the Lord move in ways only He can.

Sometimes the most powerful intervention in the birth room is not clinical at all…

…but prayer lifted together in faith before the Lord.

Partner with us today in helping reduce maternal and newborn mortality rates around the globe. Your gift helps empower local professionals in low resource settings and equips them with skills to be able to handle basic birth emergencies.

Author Bio

Madawna Wiggins is a wife of 29 years, mother of two adult children, and grandmother to one, living in British Columbia, Canada. She serves as a Christian volunteer in Montana and is preparing for service in low-resource countries through faith-based perinatal ministry.

With a heart for women in their childbearing years, she is passionate about walking alongside mothers and their families, offering support through listening, prayer, and Christ-centered care. Her calling is to share the love of Jesus both in her community and internationally, wherever the Lord leads, and she is deeply thankful for her husband’s steadfast support in this calling.