image by DrGBB
Throughout my pregnancy, I have experienced a range of emotions from excitement to fear to anxiety to supreme confidence and everything in between! Through it all, one thing has remained constant: God’s faithfulness and never-ending love. In times of praise and thanksgiving, as well as fear and doubt, I have turned to Scripture for the reassurance of God’s promises. I know that I could never carry or deliver this baby without God’s help, and I know that He is carrying me through it all, never leaving or forsaking me.
Here are some of the Scripture references that have been most encouraging to me, and I hope you will find them helpful as well (all Scripture is from the ESV translation).
In Times of Turmoil:
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exult you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
For Encouragement and Perseverance:
Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Deuteronomy 31:6,8 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
James 1:3-4 For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
During Labor:
Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Praise the Lord!
Psalms 139:13-14 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Psalm 128:3-4 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
