THE FEMININE GOD
God the Midwife
Rediscovering God’s feminine side: Part six
Among the rich feminine imagery of the Old Testament, Isaiah brings us God the midwife.
Here, talking about the future of Jerusalem:
Do I bring to the moment of birth
and not give delivery?” says the Lord.“Do I close up the womb
when I bring to delivery?” says your God.Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice greatly with her,
all you who mourn over her.For you will nurse and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts;
you will drink deeply
and delight in her overflowing abundance.”
(Isaiah 66:9–11)
We also encounter God the midwife in the psalms:
You brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast
(Psalm 22:9)For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth:
It was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
(Psalm 71:5–6)
The word ‘midwife’ literally means ‘with woman’. From ancient times, the midwife has fulfilled a crucial role in supporting and accompanying women as they give birth.
Bringing with them the wisdom of ages and providing comfort and confidence to the women they accompany. Helping them to find the strength and courage within themselves that they need through the birthing process. Not getting in the way. Not judging. Simply being with. A strengthening, calming presence.
Midwives understand the process of giving birth. They can sense what is needed at what point and help the woman they are with to understand it too. They know that no two women and no two births are the same.
A good midwife is attentive. Listening, feeling, watching and responding. Creating a bond of trust. Rejoicing with women when new lives are safely delivered and mourning with them when tragedy strikes. Midwives deal with the messiness of birth.
The role of the midwife doesn’t begin with labour or end with birth. Midwives support women throughout pregnancy, and they are there in those early days as women learn how to care for their newborns.
There are lots of seasons in our lives when we have the sense that new things are being birthed in us and through us.
Times when it is good to know that we have God the Midwife at our side. Giving us strength and courage when things get tough — not judging but accompanying and encouraging. A calming, sustaining presence. A safe pair of hands. And a comforter when, despite our best efforts, the things we have struggled to bring to life don’t make it.
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