The Barren Will Be Blessed

By Tarah Matthews

In the beginning pages of scripture, we find Abram and his wife Sarai.  God makes a promise to Abram that He will use him and his family tree to bring about a great nation, eventually producing the Messiah who would come and rescue the people from the curse of Genesis chapter 3 (Genesis 12:1-3).  There’s just one problem: barrenness.  Yes, the one who is supposed to have descendants that outnumber the stars has a wife that is unable to physically produce offspring (Genesis 15:1-5; 16:1; 17:17-19). 

Sarah isn’t the only one who experiences the pain of barrenness.  Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), Rachel (Genesis 30:1-2, 22-24), Samson’s mother (Judges 13:2-3, 24), the Hebrew midwives (Exodus 1:15-21), Hannah (1 Samuel 1:2, 10-11, 19-20), the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:12-17), and Elizabeth (Luke 1:7, 24-25) are all mentioned in scripture as those who, at one point, inexplicably lacked the blessing of children.  There was no life coming from their wombs.  For all intents and purposes, their wombs were dead.

For many years, I experienced the same pain and heartache as these women.  As someone diagnosed with “unexplained infertility”, I knew all too well the vicious cycle of hope and disappointment that came with each month that passed. Months turned into years, and during those years, I’d feel more and more bitter when reading of the barren women in scripture.  I couldn’t understand why they were eventually rewarded with children, and I was still in pain. Weren’t their stories recorded to give me hope?  Weren’t they there to teach me that my patience will be rewarded?  What was I missing?  The life application I’d created from these stories just wasn’t panning out, and I was losing hope.  I was starting to wonder if God was punishing me - starting to believe maybe God wasn’t really good to everyone.

Then I realized the flaw in my thinking.  The experiences of these women weren’t about me and my experience, they were about God.  These stories are a part of scripture to tell us who God is - a God who brings life from that which was dead.  These are resurrection stories - a preview of things to come - and the Bible is full of them.

• In the beginning, the earth was void and filled with darkness. From nothing, God brought forth life (Genesis 1:2, 29-31).  Resurrection.
• Everything on the earth was destroyed in the flood except Noah and his family. From them, God gave mankind a new beginning (Genesis 7:23; 8:15-19).  Resurrection.
• Sarah was barren and her womb was completely shut. God gave her the son He had promised (Genesis 21:1-2).  Resurrection.
• The Israelites were slaves in Egypt. God delivered them through the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:27-31).  Resurrection.
• The Israelites were exiled and enslaved in foreign lands - presented as a valley of dry bones to the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1-13). God brought those dry bones back to life and restored Israel.  Resurrection.
• Jesus was arrested, crucified, and laid in a tomb. After three days, God raised Him to life (Matthew 28:1-6).  Resurrection.
• We are dead in our sins. Baptism plunges us into the grave and we are raised to a new life in Christ (Romans 6:3-6).  Resurrection.

If you are experiencing barrenness in your life and are desperately searching for relief, just know that no matter what happens in this life on earth, God is good and He keeps His promises.  When Jesus returns, God will bring life from death once and for all, and the faithful barren will be blessed.