Childlessness-A Time for Trust

My husband and I have been struggling with infertility for years. We have been praying for a baby. I have cried out to the Lord for so long now. Furthermore, the emotional stress and strain this has placed upon us and our marriage is almost indescribable. What I need to know is: Does the Lord want us to have a baby? If so, when? Since God promises to bless the parents whose “quiver is full” of children, why has God withheld children from us?

No one on earth knows the future. That’s why those who are wise learn to walk by faith, not by sight.

Although you don’t know the future, you do know who holds the future. But do you really trust God with your future? The more intimately you know Him, the more thoroughly you will trust Him. Take comfort in what the prophet Isaiah said long ago:

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! . . . Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:18,21).

Ultimately, when you know the core of God’s character, you can trust Him with what you don’t have as well as with what you do have.

There is nothing wrong in asking, Why? But don’t demand the answer now. In time you will see and understand. Deuteronomy 32:4 says of the Lord, “All His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” In time you will see how – in His justice – He strengthened you with insights you would not have seen otherwise. Through this time of intense struggle, you can trust Him to work in you and through you to do what is best for you.

Until you have “eyes to see” His purpose, hang on to this promise: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Trust Him with Your Future

Not only is God with you, but He is also a provider for you. Even now, He has a plan and a purpose for your life. He says: “For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Instead of viewing your life as child-less, see yourself as child-free. Don’t focus on the disadvantages. Instead, focus on all the available advantages (more time for spiritual growth, special projects, close friendships, more schooling, discipling others, hobbies and crafts, travel, and such). Begin to open your heart to a child-free marriage as you claim 1 Timothy 6:6: “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”

Trust God with What You Don’t Have

Don’t be consumed with what you don’t have, for your childless life is not “less.” Trust the Lord with His perfect plan, then your child-free life He will bless.

Hunt, June, Healing the Hurting Heart, Dallas, TX, HOPE FOR THE HEART, 1999. Used by Special Permission.