“But Sarai was barren; she had no child” (Genesis 11:30).
It’s not always easy to get pregnant. Around three to 7 percent of all couples worldwide have an unresolved problem of infertility. Often there are biological causes—about 25 percent are due to male infertility, about 28 percent to female infertility, and about 30 percent to both couples. In approximately 20 percent of cases, there is no known cause.
In many cultures, the inability to conceive carries a stigma. Infertility can also have profound psychological effects, creating marital discord, clinical depression, and anxiety. Women might experience an emotional loss, feeling denied the rite of passage into motherhood. Sometimes friendships change when other couples begin to have children.
A central theme throughout the story of Abraham and Sarah was childlessness. Sarah (who was first called Sarai) was first mentioned in Genesis as being barren. God repeatedly promised to bless them with a child, but it always appeared to fall flat. Sometimes Abraham tried to come up with an alternative solution. Sometimes Sarah did. But man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.
When it seemed impossible for Sarah to become pregnant, she did. The birth of Isaac was miraculous, for his mother was “old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing” (Genesis 18:11).
Sarah was not the only barren woman in the Bible who would miraculously conceive and give birth. There was Hannah, the mother of Samuel, along with Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, and Samson’s mother. Of course, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was also “well advanced in years” (Luke 1:7).
Perhaps the miracle of new birth should not be limited to barren women. God wants us to know that we all may be born anew through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, come into my heart. Dwell within me. Teach me, guide me, and counsel me.
For Further Study: John 3:1–5; Galatians 4:19; 1 Peter 1:22, 23