Day 2: From Barren to Blessed

In the Bible, we read about the barrenness of the womb, which was an especially heavy burden for women in early cultures to carry. Because God opens and closes the womb, women may be considered cursed and their husbands could divorce them if they could not bear children. We see the desperation of many familiar faces in the earliest pages of the Bible…as Sarai gave her maid to Abram when she was barren. Her grandson, Jacob, also conceived children with his wive’s maids for similar reasons.

A couple of meanings for “barren” are “too poor to produce much” or “bleak and lifeless.” You can see that these adjectives refer to more than wombs in the Bible. They refer to thirsty and dry lands that had not seen adequate rain in years. They refer to the ruins of Judah when Babylon carried her people away. But “barren” can also characterize a seemingly broken spirit or a particularly difficult season in our lives. Who among us has not walked some barren roads of apprehension, indecision, or doubt?

While there was a time of testing for the woman we know as Sarah, the Lord healed her barrenness after 90 years and gave her Isaac. Rachael’s womb was opened and she bore Joseph and Benjamin. And just as the one who allows fruit to be born against all odds moved in the lives of these beloved patriarchs and matriarchs, this same God is moving today in our lives to plant and water seeds of faith that can grow into mighty fruit-bearing trees.

If you are worried about your next step, ask the One who calls the barren blessed to illuminate your path. If you are feeling dry and dusty in your faith, ask the One who sends the latter rains to pour out His Spirit in a mighty way to quench what only He can. If you are feeling hopeless and empty, ask the One who has a storehouse of miracles and who promises you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11) and the fullness that only He can offer.

Questions:

• What lessons are you learning during your barren seasons?
• How does a longing for something on this earth point to something eternal?
• Ask God in faith for the miracle of His presence and His hand in your situation. How might He accomplish this for you?