Trust God's Story

If you’re like me, you appreciate hearing stories of other women who understand this infertility journey. When we read God’s Word, we see that God cared for barren women so much that he included them in his grand story of salvation.

Abraham’s wife, Sarah, spent most of her life without a child and finally gave birth to her promised son, Isaac, at ninety years old (Genesis 12–21).

Although Sarah was older, nothing proved impossible for God. Sarah made mistakes, yet God used those mistakes to help her to learn to trust in His timing.

Hannah is most known for praying and then conceiving. Unfortunately, she’s often misunderstood, and her story is misinterpreted to mean, “If you pray and have faith like Hannah, then you’ll get pregnant.” But God is not a genie who must grant us our wishes. Instead, Hannah’s story reveals a glimpse that God is more concerned with our hearts in our waiting.

In prayer, Hannah surrendered her story to join in God’s story, vowing to trust God with her son (1 Samuel 1:11). The Lord answered Hannah’s prayers, and she gave birth to Samuel, the last of the judges of Israel. He would anoint King David, the royal line leading to Christ Jesus.

Elizabeth had to wait decades for her child. Luke 1:6–7 describes her as upright and blameless—yet barren. Was there purpose in her waiting? Luke 1 describes the encounter her husband, Zechariah, had with an angel of the Lord about his coming son, John the Baptist, who had to arrive at the exact right time before Jesus was born.

It was in Elizabeth’s waiting that God was working. It wasn’t her fault; it was God’s will. Elizabeth’s “why?” had a greater God-glorifying purpose than mere waiting.

He is the same God for you now as he was for them. He can be trusted even when we cannot see the plan, pathway, or purpose.

The story God is already writing with your life isn’t just your story. It’s his story in and through you for his kingdom here on earth. When you realize that God is bringing redemption through your infertility struggles, you will experience the joy of watching his glory unfold.

Pray

Lord, I want to believe and see that you are using my story. Show me glimpses of my story being written for you, for others, and ultimately for your glory on this earth. Help me surrender my heart, as the barren women in the Bible did. I want to see that your purposes in my story are better than my desires or plans.

Respond

If you haven’t shared your story of trying to conceive, pray about how you could do that in the next few days.

Share with your community. Do this publicly on social media or privately with one or two people. The goal here is to share and use your story outside yourself. God will move through your step of obedience even as you continue to wait.

Then write down your feelings about sharing and what happens when you do.