Here are the verses I wrote out on plain index cards to read during labor. I added little flower stickers to the cards as well to make them not so plain and flowers are relaxing to me. Since Dumpling arrived 12 days "late" I read the cards a lot during the waiting days. I did actually go over them a few times during labor. Now, most of them are on my vanity mirror. I think I may put them by my rocker so I can review them while nursing--one of the few moments I sit still in the day! Many of these verses were suggested by other readers. To those of you who left verses in the comments, thank you!
I hope these can encourage you wherever you are at today. Whether or not you'll be in labor anytime soon doesn't matter. These verses are some that can renew you during any challenging time and remind you to draw your strength from Him. I find myself repeating them throughout the days and nights, especially when everyone around me, and sometimes including me, is crying or needing something.
I especially like the promise that, "He gently leads those that have young," when I'm feeling swamped and unsure of what to do next with the boys. I ask/beg Him to lead me in that moment. And He does.
Isaiah 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O LORD,
you hear my voice;
in the morning
I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.
Phillipians 2:13
For it is God who works in you to will and to act
according to his good purpose.
Proverbs 3:5&6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
Hebrews 13:5b-6
God has said,
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"
Psalm 91:2
I will say of the LORD,
"He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God,
in whom I trust."
Psalm 33:20-22
We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us,
O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 139: 13-16
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs
according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 26:3 (I really like and need this verse!)
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
Philippians 4:12-13
I know what it is to be in need,
and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content
in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want.
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Psalm 124:8
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 62:1-2
My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress,
I will never be shaken.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
5 comments:
I love these. :)
joanna
I cannot thank you enough for posting these. I have just decided to have a homebirth and after a difficult first delievery I know I am going to find a lot of peace in these. I tried to do something similar with my first, but it was just too chaotic in the hospital for me to be able to meditate on them. I've got a ways to go, but these sure are going to help me in the meantime as well. Thanks so much for sharing.
I am not a mom...first things first. :)
I do love those scriptures though...they bring peace and security even to the single soul.
Greetings to vistors from Amy's Humble Musings--- Her comments "Verses to recite during your labor when the going gets tough. I don't usually cuss or anything, but I'm not usually this spiritual either. HELP ME, JESUS!" made me laugh out loud.
I wrote these out for this birth after really struggling with the first birth mostly crying out, "O Lord!!!" repeatedly for 17 hours. I'd try to transition that into Psalm 129--"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me...", but still. Let's be real.
Cussing wasn't much of an option either, so I thought I should try to fill my mind with His Word. Trust me, I was crying out to Him this time, too. I was able to at least try staying focused on Him and not the pain. It worked better for some contractions than others. Hope they may give you comfort, no matter what you are laboring or waiting through.
I found you through Amy's blog. I am due in exactly one week. I copied out several of your verses to stick in my labor bag. Thanks!
This is my second child. With my first, I had most of Psalm 139 written out to focus on, but it was a bit long, so I didn't use it as much as I expected to. At one point my nurse was quite distracted, and I was getting a bit annoyed at her distraction. Later I found out that she was reading the passage. She told my mom it was beautiful and wondered who had written it. My mom told her it was from the Bible. So it may not have been used as I expected, but the truth was proved that God's Word will not return void. He used it in a different way in my labor room than I expected to plant seeds in that nurse's mind.
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