Another Example

Rebekah
Continuing my journey through the Old Testament, while reading Genesis 25 today, we meet Rebekah, the wife of Isaac. Well guess what?

Genesis 25:21
Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived.

What else do we know about her? In Genesis 24, we first meet Rebekah when Abraham's servant sojourned to Abraham's homeland in search of a bride for Isaac. The servant prayed to the Lord that the next woman to come take water from the well would offer him a drink and his camels too, and that would be the sign that she was meant to be Isaac's bride. It says in verse 15 that before he could even finish speaking this prayer, Rebekah approached and did just that.

Clearly she was chosen by God to be the wife of Isaac - the servant's prayer was answered so specifically that it left no doubt that Rebekah was chosen. If God also promised Abraham that his descendants would be multiplied through Isaac, why would God choose a barren woman to be Isaac's bride, unless there is the hope and promise that God would open her womb. What a test of faith that time of infertility must have been! To have heard God's promise to prosper the generations through Isaac and his wife, but then to not conceive for a long while. It certainly feels like this time of infertility will last forever, but don't forget that at any given moment, God could open your womb too. And not only did Rebekah conceive one child, but twins: Jacob and Esau.

I hope you found that as encouraging as I did.

I also want to bring up the point that Isaac prayed for his wife about this. Sometimes we women struggling with infertility can feel all alone in this. But never forget that you are not alone - you have someone always by your side, your husband. Hopefully, he has learned how painful infertility can be and has learned to be sensitive to your feelings, willingly lends a shoulder to cry on, and most importantly, seeks the Lord in prayer on your behalf. Every time Michael hugs me, holds my hand, and says a prayer for us to conceive...it just brings me to tears to know that Michael is there with me in this painful time. He's waiting with me. He's a wonderful voice of encouragement when I'm too sad to speak. He's my spiritual leader, and I love that he submits this struggle to the Lord, especially when I feel like giving up hope.

I encourage you all to thank and praise your husband for his support. He may not always be perfect and sensitive, but he's trying to sort through the pain of this experience as well. Be thankful that you truly are not alone in this, and go give him a big hug...and maybe a little something something, if you know what I mean. After all, it's easy to let things become routine when trying to conceive, so set aside some time to keep the "baby dancing" fun. ;)