I recently wrote a post with the amusing (and bizarre) things people in the Bible said regarding infertility. It find it funny that God includes such moments in His Holy Word! And I am especially grateful for the tender and beautiful conversations in the Bible that surround infertility.

God to Abram (later known as Abraham) in Genesis 15:

“I am your very great reward.”

Abram, who is getting older, responded by reminding God of the obvious, “I remain childless.”

I often remind God that I don’t have the children I have prayed for. “But God, You said that children are a blessing, a reward! You said to be fruitful and multiply! WHY isn’t this happening, God?”

I have one child here on earth, and I’m grateful that during the years we’ve been trying to have children, my faith has deepened beyond what I could have imagined. When our baby boy was stillborn, during the most tragic experience of my life, I deeply knew Emmanuel, God with us. He held us close. I’ve tried ever since that day to articulate what I know deep in my spirit: “God alone is my greatest reward.” At the end of the day, when I don’t have a baby, I cling to my God.

The Lord promised Abram that he would have “a son from his own body.” (Abram ended up fathering more children than just the promised son Isaac.) God did give Abram children, but ultimately God Himself was Abram’s reward.

God speaking of Sarah’s old age in Genesis 18:14

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

God asked this question after it’s made clear that “Sarah was past the age of childbearing.” (verse 11)

And this question followed the promise (in verse 10):

“This time next year, Sarah your wife will have a son.”

She was 90 years old. Nothing stops God.

This Scripture is framed and hanging on my wall. My aunt gave it to me long before I became pregnant with our miracle daughter. I packed it for a while, then displayed it again as I turned 41 and our son Noah died. I need this constant reminder to me that nothing is too hard for my God.

We read more of Sarah’s story here in Genesis 21:1-2, 5-7:

Isaac (Sarah’s miracle son) prayed over his own marriage in Genesis 25

“The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.”

Genesis 25:20-21, 24, 26 lays out the timeline:

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah… Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

God to Sampson’s mother in Judges 13

“You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son.”

Judges 13:3

The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son.” (And it happened!)

Hagar to God:

“You are the God who sees me. I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Hagar got mixed up into Abraham and Sarah’s infertility story. She was the surrogate, in a sense, the handmaid who became pregnant to give this couple a son. She was abused by her jealous and hurting mistress. She spoke these words while out in the wilderness with her young son. She encountered God, she knew that He saw her, and she saw Him. In the middle of our painful, yucky mess…. God sees us. He hasn’t abandoned us. We can cling to Him.

Hannah in 1 Samuel 1

“The Lord remembered her…”

Hannah is known for her weeping before God. She grieved, she cried out to God for a child. Her state of mind at this point in her infertility journey had her looking like such a crying mess that the priest thought she was drunk. Then, after a brief conversation with the priest, “Eli answered, ‘Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him.” 1 Samuel 1:17 Then the next couple of verses describe that “The Lord remembered her… Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son.” (1 Samuel 1:19-20)

No matter where you are in your infertility journey, I encourage you to receive these words that God has spoken to others in the Bible. I am preaching to myself as I write. You are remembered. You are seen by God. Nothing is too hard for God. I can’t promise that God will give a baby to every longing heart reading these words, but I can promise that He is able.

Ultimately, God Himself is our great reward.

Cry out to God. Reach out to Him. Receive His love. Remain in His presence. He is good. He loves you. He knows what He’s doing. He’s holding you, and everything around you. At the end of the day, even if you don’t have the child you’re longing for, if you are holding tightly to Jesus, you will know, as many of us have learned, that He is enough. He is our great reward.