Day 20 of 31 Days of Promises & Truths

It was laid on my heart today to write about something in particular.  Since I’m in my 31 days of writing on God’s promises and truths, I knew I had to tie that in somehow.  Then, I realized just how huge this topic was in regards to God’s promises and truths!  Now I’m excited about it and hope it encourages lots of you!

The more women I come in contact with, the more women I learn struggle with infertility.  Just last week, a mom asked our small group to pray for her struggle.  I had no idea she was struggling.  I awoke with a friend I haven’t talked to in a while on my mind.  I felt promoted to pray for her because she was so heavy on my mind.  Thoughts of infertility just all of a sudden came to my mind and I learned later that day she is struggling with infertility. Last week, one of our campus pastor’s spoke of he and his wife 6 year struggle with infertility. 6 years.  I visited a really awesome friend  in the hospital who gave birth to her second child tonight….

 I had no idea, but she too once struggled with this issue. 

I was determined to find all the women in the Bible who struggled with this too.  Here are the ones I found…Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Hannah….just to name a few.  Same struggle, different women.  God’s Word also offers hope, peace and comfort for these women, then and today.

Take Sarah and Abraham’s story…..God kept His promise to give Sarah a child.  It may have seemed impossible to Sarah, but He said He was going to do it and He did!  This shows that God can and will work miracles.  What about Hannah’s story?  Teaching us to turn to God, maybe….

“Most importantly the Bible tells us that Jesus calls us to himself. We do not walk alone but God himself walks with us in our pain.” (unknown)

….maybe to turn to God for words of encouragement when we’re facing something that we feel has outcast us.  Or, we feel like it would never happen to us because we hold ourselves at a lower standard than someone who you’ve heard about a fertility miracle in their life.  Don’t even speak that.  It’s not true.  Why He chooses some and not others to be mothers right away, no one knows.  And, if we did know we’d miss out on what God is trying to teach us on our journey.  His Word does offer encouragement, hope, comfort and peace….

Isaiah 30:18
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Matthew 6:27
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

1 John 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

Romans 8:35 & 37
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

One might wonder how in the world I can write and try to encourage when I have no idea because I haven’t felt the pain.  Maybe not about infertility, but what about every night for the past 2.5 years….why are we still where we are? 

The ultimate truth we need to remember here is that all of the women in the Bible eventually had children.  They were not barren forever.  And, all of them learned something during that struggle.  God was calling them closer and they leaned in.  And, God’s timing is not our timing.  If we seek Him, dig really deep in His Word, ask Him to reveal to us what He is trying to teach us, we will be blessed beyond measure because that is His promise.

My prayer is that anyone reading this is encouraged in some way….