This week I am entering the third trimester of this pregnancy. For me, the first trimester was a bit of a blur of exhaustion, sickness, and struggling to keep some semblance of order to our lives. The second trimester has flown by with days of gardening, standing up with my dear friend for her wedding, camping in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, and overall feeling great.
But having been here three times before, I know the third trimester can be where the fatigue hits, balance is out of whack, and the days alternate from flying by when I’m in nesting mode to dragging as I eagerly await the arrival of our little one.
No matter, what stage of pregnancy you find yourself or whether this is your first baby or your tenth, here are some verses I turn to on days when I need a little extra encouragement and strength or when I just want to bask in wonder of the Heavenly Father who so precisely knits each baby together into a person placed on this earth for a special purpose. I hope you find strength, encouragement, and wonder in them as well.
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 139:13-16
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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ~Matthew 11:28-30
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Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7
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Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. ~James 1:17-18
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Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth. ~Psalm 127:3-4
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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. ~Isaiah 40:11
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You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain. ~Psalm 139:5-6
