Barrenness                                                                                Jan 18,2019

                                                                                              

I heard a question recently asked, “Is barrenness our normal? Does it bother us, or are we blind to it?” This was followed by the statement, “Fruitfulness is God’s normal.”

I was considering the account of Hannah in 1Samuel chapter one. She was married to a man who had another wife besides her, and the other, Peninah, had sons and daughters while Hannah remained barren. The Bible says that her rival also “…provoked her severely, to make her miserable…”, and apparently this went on year after year. Annually they would faithfully travel to attend one of the feasts commanded by the Lord their God. At this time the ‘Tabernacle of the Lord’ was located in Shiloh, about 20 miles north of Jerusalem—and  what should have been a time of rejoicing became for Hannah, one of weeping and loss of appetite due to her barrenness and the antagonism of the other woman.

Now I have read this story many times, but while musing over it this time, I wondered why Hannah was not pressed to cry out to the Lord desperately in the earlier years. Why did she just cry, grieve and refuse to eat?  And then in a moment of inspiration, I realized this is often what we do as well.  When oppressed because of an extremely difficult ongoing situation, do we not often simply continue to feel bad instead of pressing through to touch the Lord?

In the ninth verse of this chapter we are told that Hannah finally did go to the tabernacle where she prayed and wept in anguish, as this time she ‘poured out her soul before the Lord.’ In her desperation the priest who was watching came to an absolutely ridiculous conclusion! He accused her of being drunk!  But this dear lady had come to the point of being oblivious to the one or the ones watching her—and this is a wonderful place to be!  As she interacted with the Lord, through even a faulty priest the answer to her request was given— before he knew what she was asking.

His reassuring words were received by faith and this desperate woman went her way, but now with a face that was no longer sad. She could begin to feast with the others on those special days when God’s people gathered to enjoy Him.  Hannah now had the confidence that God had indeed heard her, and that she would be barren no longer! (And we know from the rest of her story that did bear a number of children after that time with the Lord.)

It is wonderful that this dear lady was devastated about her barrenness, and it wonderful that she went to the Lord about it!  It is equally encouraging to see that opposition actually helped her to get to the point of ‘whole-hearted’ desperation. I have wondered: did the pressure have to build over the years, until all other hopes were exhausted - bringing her to the place of pouring it all out to Him? Is that what needs to happen to us?  I am so very thankful that our Lord is praying for us; that we would bear all the fruit He has purposed .  May we, when deeply distressed, really learn and be willing to pour out our hearts to Him as Hannah did. “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.” (Psalm 35:15)