Bible verses that can encourage, strengthen, and calm you for labor and delivery

 

Preparing for your baby’s arrival is a momentous occasion! It’s exciting to think about baby announcements, names, nursery design, and what your sweet baby will be like. You might imagine his or her appearance, personality, and preferences. Or maybe you have no idea what to expect so you’re just waiting to find out! Regardless, many parents prepare all the items they need to bring baby home and take care of her during those first few months. 

 

Whatever visions you have for life with your baby, the major milestone before welcoming your baby into the world is labor and delivery! Arguably, it’s just as important to prepare for labor and delivery as it is to prepare for bringing your baby home. Some moms-to-be decide to write a birth plan, while others prefer to keep an open mind given the unpredictability of birth. Some of my friends have scheduled a delivery (typically due to medical concerns) while other friends have chosen the natural labor and delivery route.

Bible Verses for Safe Delivery:

There are so many big decisions – and so much that can change – when it comes to labor and delivery, so it can be encouraging to prepare our hearts along with everything else! If you have any fear or anxiety as you get ready for childbirth, reciting Scripture over yourself and your baby can be a balm for your heart. There are countless Bible verses that speak of God’s protection over us and his promise to be with us. 

 

Having specific Bible verses with you during labor can also help with anxiety, stress, and pain. You could write the verses on cards and pin them up around the room. Or you could have them on your phone to recite and meditate on while you are laboring.

When I was giving birth to my second son, my doula and my husband spoke special Scriptures over me, especially when labor felt the hardest. Even though I was still scared and so ready to be on the other side of it, hearing God’s word over me and my baby helped remind me that I could trust him and I wasn’t on my own. 

Encouraging Bible verses for your labor and delivery

As you prepare for your labor and delivery, here is a list of Bible verses that I hope are encouraging to you!

  • Philippians 4:6-7

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.

 

Whether you are a first time mom or not, labor and delivery can be an intimidating thought. After all, each time is different and we never know how each delivery will go. It’s normal to have anxious thoughts about everything going well and safely delivering your baby into the world.

Be aware of your thoughts and your body’s reaction.

Does your heart race or your breath quicken when you think about labor and delivery? Switch your thinking to this verse and replace those anxious ones. By prayer and thanksgiving, present your requests to God. What do you specifically want to ask of him for this time? By turning your thoughts to Jesus, you guard your mind from spiraling into worry and fear. He will give you his peace!

 

  • Isaiah 26:3

You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

 

During times when you feel anxious, this is another powerful verse to commit to memory. I love that it says, “perfect peace.” It’s not the peace that we feel when everything is going the way we want or expect but a peace that transcends even our circumstances. When we focus on God and turn our troubles over to him, he keeps us close and helps us to overcome them. 

 

  • Psalm 40:1

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

 

This verse is great for labor and delivery, if you can write it on a note or have someone speak it over you. Labor can come with aches and pains and cries that we have never experienced, but God inclines his ear toward us and hears us. He is close to us when we need him most. During your labor, remember that God knows about each of your days before one of them comes to pass. 

 

  • Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

During labor with my first son, there was a turning point when I knew that things were not progressing well. The nurses seemed concerned, and I feared an emergency C-section. I remember praying in my head that God would help me. The relief wasn’t immediate, but God did keep me steady until the scary time passed. I like that it’s not just God’s right hand but his righteous right hand that holds us up. 

 

  • Psalm 54:4

Behold, God is my helper;

the Lord is the upholder of my life.

 

What does it mean for God to be our helper? “To help” is the act of serving or providing assistance. It means to make something easier on someone. When we depend on God to be our strength, rather than relying on our own limited strength, he holds us up and keeps us firm. As you prepare for labor and delivery, remember that God is your helper and will hold you up.

 

  • Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

 

When you are feeling weak and tired, remember that you don’t have to labor in your own strength. Hagar called God “the God who sees” because he saw her struggle when no one else did. When no one else can truly understand what your laboring feels like, remember that Jesus is the great High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. He is mighty and will be with you.

 

  • Psalm 61:2

From the end of the earth I call to you

when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

that is higher than I.

 

Never have I felt weaker and more faint than when I was laboring with my sons. I decided to have unmedicated births, and the pain took me by surprise. Even so, God used the nurses and my doula to speak encouragement to me. They were a treasure to me, and when I felt like I couldn’t keep going, they reminded me that God built me for this. He was my rock when my heart was faint within me. During your labor and delivery, remember that God does not expect you to be strong; he invites you to lean on him. 

 

  • 1 John 5:14

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

 

When we seek God and his ways, we can know the peace and goodness of life with him. And when we ask anything according to his will, he hears what we say. God knows our thoughts even before they become words on our lips. What a joy that we can go to him and be confident that he cares about our needs. 

 

  • 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

It is hard for us to feel weak, to ask for help, to be humble. We want to achieve, accomplish, and succeed. But Jesus reassures us that being weak and needing him is exactly where we are meant to be. And it should be a relief to us! We don’t have to carry all the weight on our own. When we depend on him in our weakness and lack, he is able to work on our behalf and show us just how good and strong he is to us.

 

  • Colossians 1:11

…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.

 

This is a great verse to write on a card or commit to memory for labor and delivery. God gives us endurance, patience, and joy as we lean on him. During labor and delivery, you need endurance to help you through to stage after stage until you deliver your sweet baby. And when you finally do, there is a joy that exceeds even the hardest part when you hold your baby for the first time. 

 

  • 1 Peter 5:7

…casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

 

Whenever you linger too long on “what might happen,” you may feel afraid or anxious. When those anxious thoughts and feelings begin to creep in, cast them over to God. Sometimes it helps to imagine ourselves physically handing our concern over to the Lord. With open palms, we can tell him what we are anxious about and why, and ask him to help us in our time of need. 

 

  • Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives power to the faint,

and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted;

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.

 

Hold onto the truth that God’s kingdom is a kingdom of opposites! The last are made first, the weak are made strong, and the weary are given rest. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” When you wait patiently for God, he will renew your strength from deep down. It will be like water filling an empty well! If your labor goes long, remember that God gives power to the faint and rest to the weary. 

 

  • James 1:2-4

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 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.

 

As you learn to depend on and trust God in your time of need, your longsuffering will not be wasted. God will use it to strengthen your faith in him. Your perseverance will mature your faith, confirming what is written on your heart: God loves you and is with you. When you are tempted by fear, call on God during your labor and delivery, reminding yourself that you lack nothing in Jesus. 

 

  • Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength[a] of my heart and my portion forever.

 

Our bodies can do amazing things. God designed them fearfully and wonderfully! Still their capacity here on earth is limited. They become tired, weak, and sick. We may not always have the victory as we pursue our health, but even as our bodies fail us, God never does. Instead of depending on your body to get your baby through labor and delivery, depend on God. He is sovereign and knows what you need before you ask.

 

  • Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

 

It is not you who strengthens yourself but God in you who gives you strength to endure all hard things. His power is made perfect in our weakness. When you rely on Jesus for strength and wisdom, you can get through labor and delivery whenever the time comes. 

 

  • John 16:21

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

 

There is a verse similar to this one: no discipline seems good at the time, but in the end it produces a harvest of righteousness. Something as beautiful as giving birth and bringing new life into the world is only achieved after a time of struggle and discomfort. Sometimes the hardest paths lead to the greatest joys. However your labor and delivery goes, remember that there is great joy on the other side – one you will love because they are yours. 

 

  • Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

 and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

 

No matter where you find yourself, it is not too far for God. He can find you in the deepest depths and longest nights. He does not sleep or hide or leave us. You belong to the Lord, and he will let nothing overtake you when you trust in him. 

 

  • Ephesians 3:16

…that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.

 

One of our greatest blessings as believers is that God sent his Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us. He does not make us figure out life on our own. He is rich in mercy and grace. His power has no limit, his love has no end. In the very deepest places of your being, he will strengthen you and hold you up with reminders of his character from his Spirit. 

 

  • Psalm 121:1-2

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

 

How wonderful that when we need help it comes from the God of the universe, who created everything. Could there be anyone better to help us? He also works through his people – doctors, nurses, and other professionals – to be his literal hands and feet. When you are going through labor and delivery, lift your eyes to heaven. 

 

  • 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.

 

This is one of my favorite verses to pray over my sons. It was on my heart for my eldest son before he was even born. You do not have to carry burdens for your child on your own. God is with you wherever you go. He is there in the exam room, the delivery room, and beside your very bed. His presence is with you. 

 

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