Here are four simple steps which talk you through how to catch for your child in their earliest days, before they've even learnt to do it for themselves.

You can begin catching from God before your child is even born or has joined your family. Whilst you or your partner is pregnant, when you’re waiting to adopt or when you have a newborn can be particularly precious times to do this. You can continue to do it once they’ve learnt to catch for themselves too. Throughout their childhood and when they’re adults, it’s an amazing gift to take time to catch from God for them.

You can do this any time, anywhere, on your own or with you partner or a friend. Somewhere without distractions is probably easiest, so turn the telly off and put your to-do list out of sight. Don’t worry about having the perfect set up though, do it whenever it comes to mind. I found the stillness and loneliness of night feeds with my newborn was a great time to chat and catch with God.

1) Ask God a question

This can be as broad or specific as you like. Ask it out loud, in your head or write it down. Here are some ideas of questions you might like to ask to get you started…

• Is there anything you want to tell me about my child (use their name if you know it) today?
• What will their character be like?
• What words describe them?
• Which Bible character will they be like?
• Is there a Bible verse that will be significant in their life?
• What is their part in your plan?
• What about them, makes you smile?
• Which gifts have you given them?

2) Wait for a response

Just as you get ready to catch a ball that is being thrown at you, be prepared to receive whatever God has for you. Session 5: Catch explains all the different ways that we learn from the Bible that God might speak to you. Be aware of any feelings in your body and any pictures or words that pop into your head. Don’t dismiss something if it doesn’t make sense at first. Ask God why and see if that explains any more.

Remember that God never contradicts himself, so if you see or hear something that doesn’t line up with what you know about Him from the Bible, go back and ask Him again as you might not have got it quite right. You can explore more about discerning what is from God and what isn’t in this post. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel like you catch anything. If this is a new skill for you, it can take time and practice to feel comfortable with it. Leave it and try another day or ask someone you know who is used to hearing from God to help you.

3) Record it somewhere

Sometimes catching is just for the moment but it can also be a great encouragement for the future. Even if you’re not sure what was catching from God and what was just your own thoughts, write it down and keep it safe. Sometimes it takes weeks or months of catching before you start to see a theme or pattern emerging.

You could do this in a searchable app like Evernote or in a journal or baby book. For my children, I set them up an email address that I will give them the password to when they’re older. I can send a quick message from my phone or type something more detailed on the computer and send it to them. That way the date is already on it and it’ll be easy to search for in the future.

4) Get others involved

If there are other people in your life who you trust like your child’s godparents, friends from church or family members you can ask them to catch for your child too. Each of my children has a WhatsApp group with their godparents where we share prayer requests and they share anything they catch from God for the child. Make a note, just as you have with your catching. You’ll be amazed how often different people’s catching, links together or confirms each other. Some churches have a time of catching for God at a child’s baptism or dedication service, you can ask if this is an option where you are.