Motherhood And The Gospel: A 5-Day DevotionalSample

The Point of Pain

Birth pain is largely negative in the Old Testament as it concerns judgment. But do you see how in Deuteronomy 32:18 it is paired with hope? This song was given as a witness and warning, and yet the heartbeat behind it is hope! Again, the metaphor of childbirth points us to God—birth is not about us. 

Can you see this breathtaking picture of substitutionary atonement? Look through the lens of the cross, and the fuzzy pixels suddenly sharpen into focus and we catch a glimpse of the glorious gospel. Wicked sinners reject their Savior. They’re not asking for mercy. They’re shaking their fists. Yet our loving, holy God receives the judgment blow in their place. And the result? God’s people are born.

As dizzying as the pain we experience in raising children can be, we need to have the wherewithal to remember how it points us to God himself. Our fertility complications are not about us. Our pregnancy pains are not about us. Our labor in building our family is not about us. In eternity past the triune God ordained that the crucifixion of the Son of God would be the means of our salvation. Prior to Creation. Prior to Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden. Prior to his pronouncement of the judgment of multiplied pain in childbirth. Prior to the rock incident at Meribah. All along, God designed the just judgment for our sin to exemplify his lavish grace. 

Reflection questions:

1. Besides the obvious pain of child-delivery, what are some ways that raising children can be painful?
2. In the midst of our pain, it can be difficult to see past the struggle of our circumstances. Is it hard to see how God might be using your pain for your good?
3. Has there been a time in your life when, in hindsight, you could see the fruit of your suffering?

Prayer:

God, thank you for the gift of your grace, when I didn’t even know what to ask for. Even through pain, you have always given me what I’ve needed—ultimately, you’ve given me yourself. Thank you for demonstrating what it looked like to endure death for the joy set before you.