I found a resource that is so helpful in understanding God’s grace in the midst of the suffering of women. I think this is helpful is because it provides biblical insight into why the suffering of barrenness is such a lonely and painful road for women, even from the beginning of human history.

https:podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/white-horse-inn/id356920632?i=1000526154605 (you might try copying and pasting this link). If you are not an apple podcast listener, you can also look up White Horse Inn, podcast Episode 1576 (aired on June 20, 2021) entitled “Grace & Election in the Story of Jacob.” The episode features Dr. Iain Duguid, author of Living in the Grip of Relentless Grace: The Gospel in the Lives of Isaac & Jacob.

Note: “The White Horse Inn was started in 1990 as a radio show and podcast named after a pub in Cambridge, England during the time when the Protestant Reformation arrived in the English-speaking world. The show features discussions on faith, culture, and apologetics focused upon assisting Christians to know what they believe and why.”

When you get a chance, also take a look at Genesis 25:19. Isaac is praying for his wife Rebekah because she was found to be barren. We might wonder why “barrenness” is such a recurring theme in the book of Genesis and really, throughout the Bible. God designs tests to strengthen our faith, it’s true. The harder the test, the greater deepening of our faith. God seemed to choose putting men in fields with sheep to get their attention in the Old Testament. On the other hand, with women, the primary testing ground seemed to be barrenness.

Barrenness is the greatest challenge speaking directly to a woman’s identity, her value, her meaning, her significance in human history. It cuts to the heart and soul. In the Old Testament, this great faith challenge for women revolved around the ability to have children, and particularly sons. The inability to conceive and bear children prevented a family from having heirs, and therefore remembrance and reputation. Descendants ensured that a family would leave an enduring legacy. Women in the Bible questioned the meaning of their lives in the absence of bearing children and felt deep shame when faced with infertility.

Abraham’s wife Sarah faced infertility and impatiently scrambled to present her own Plan B to ensure an heir. Isaac’s wife Rebekah faced infertility also. To Isaac’s credit, he prayed specifically for Rebekah when faced with her barrenness. He may have learned the necessity of prayer from his father Abraham’s mistakes…

But, we also see that God often takes seemingly impossible projects to test our faith. And, sometimes the rewards for faith come much later than expected. There was an extremely long delay for Abraham’s reward. His faith was strengthened in the trenches and he finally had a son, Isaac, with his wife Sarah. There were certainly misadventures peppered along Abraham’s faith journey. And, we find in Abraham’s story that genuine faith is not based upon a health and wealth gospel.

It’s important to note that God doesn’t remain silent during these strenuous tests of faith. He left Abraham and Sarah with repeated promises that Abraham’s “seed” would inherit the land and become a nation. His wife Sarah was 100 years old when she gave birth to the promised legitimate son who was to be the heir of the promise. The impossible was possible with God.