The Bible has a lot to say about fertility, children, and barrenness. God is the author of life and Scripture makes it clear that children are a blessing from Him (Psalm 127:3-5). However, infertility can be emotionally and spiritually difficult for many couples. Here is an overview of what the Bible teaches about fertility:
Children Are a Blessing from God
Throughout Scripture, children are viewed as gifts from God and a blessing (Genesis 33:5, Psalm 127:3-5, Psalm 128:3-4). Bearing children was seen as part of God’s plan for creation and something to rejoice in. Several women in the Bible who struggled with infertility cried out to God earnestly for children, understanding that offspring were something only He could provide (examples include Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth).
God Opens and Closes the Womb
The Bible explains that God is ultimately the one who enables conception and childbearing. He has power over the womb to grant or prevent offspring. Several verses make this clear:
“And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” (Genesis 30:1-2)
“And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” (Genesis 25:21)
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” (Psalm 127:3)
This sovereign power over fertility demonstrates that God is over all things. Nothing is impossible for Him (Jeremiah 32:17). Though infertility can feel confusing and devastating, God still reigns with wisdom and love.
Fertility, Barrenness, and God’s Plan
In the Bible, barrenness was sometimes a result of judgement from God, but other times simply part of His sovereign plan. Sarai (Genesis 11:30), Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), and Rachel (Genesis 29:31) were all barren for a time before God opened their wombs. Their eventual children were key figures in the lineage of Jesus Christ. God allowed their temporary infertility for His greater purposes.
However, some women in the Bible suffered from infertility as a form of judgement. Michal, King Saul’s daughter, mocked David for his uninhibited worship of God, so God punished her with barrenness (2 Samuel 6:23). After committing adultery and murder, King David fasted and prayed earnestly for the sick child he had with Bathsheba, but God did not have pity and the child died (2 Samuel 12:15-23). The womb was sometimes used by God to display His justice and chasten sin.
Ultimately, fertility is in God’s hands and according to His will. For couples struggling to conceive, it is important to keep trusting in God’s good plan. Though barrenness is painful, God can use it to strengthen faith and reliance on Him. There are many examples in Scripture of patient men and women waiting on God for children in His timing.
Prayer for Fertility and Children
Throughout the Bible, those struggling with infertility cry out to God in prayer. Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” (Genesis 30:1). Hannah was distraught and prayed earnestly for a child, vowing to dedicate him to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:10-11). Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife Rebekah when she was unable to conceive (Genesis 25:21).
These examples encourage Christian couples today to bring their desires and frustrations to God in prayer. Though God may not answer exactly how or when they hope, He hears them and will respond according to His unfailing love and perfect will. Lifting up the desire for children to the Lord allows His peace and comfort to guard hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7).
God Values Women Regardless of Fertility
In ancient Israelite culture, barrenness carried significant social stigma and was even grounds for divorce. Yet God does not judge a woman’s worth based on her reproductive capabilities. He values and honors women as His precious creations, whether or not He blesses them with biological children.
The New Testament affirms the intrinsic dignity and value of all women in Christ. The apostle Paul says there is neither male or female in Jesus Christ, all are one (Galatians 3:28). God cherishes women as fellow heirs of salvation and essential members of the body of Christ. Christian couples struggling with infertility should remember that a woman’s identity and purpose comes from who she is in the Lord, not merely her ability to bear children.
Adoption and Fostering
For couples unable to have biological children, adoption can be a wonderful way to build a family. Scripture speaks positively of adoption and caring for orphans:
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27)
“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” (Psalm 68:5)
The Bible encourages generosity, mercy, and protection toward the vulnerable. Adopting and fostering children in need aligns with God’s heart for justice and advocacy. Though adoption looks different than giving birth, God is still able to bless adoptive parents with the joys and challenges of raising children.
God’s Heart for Children
Throughout Scripture, God demonstrates special compassion for children. He created them, values them, and entrusts adults with the responsibility to teach, protect, and guide them:
“Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:13-14)
Jesus welcomed and blessed the children brought to Him, despite the disciples trying to hinder them. God cherishes children close to His heart. Whether He grants babies through fertility or through other means like adoption, Christian couples can trust He will help them raise children in the faith.
Hope in God’s Purpose and Heaven
Fertility struggles can shake a couple’s hope, joy, and purpose. Yet Christians have unshakable hope in God’s ultimate purposes. Infertility prevents only earthly, biological family – but one day in heaven all believers will partake in the spiritual family of God together (Revelation 7:9-10). Heaven ends all pain and tears, as God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more” (Revelation 21:4).
Though infertility comes with grief, the hope of eternity calms fears about legacy and purpose. Christian couples can take comfort in God’s promise of spiritual family that outweighs earthly bloodlines. God’s heavenly plans give grace and perspective to walk through fertility trials today.
Christian Community Support
Infertility can feel isolating, but God designed His church to lift up struggling couples. When a woman named Hannah was grief-stricken in her barrenness, she found comfort as she poured her heart out to the Lord in the temple (1 Samuel 1). Being part of God’s family provides spiritual comfort and encouragement from others on the journey.
Christian couples walking through infertility should seek community and counsel within the church. By sharing vulnerably and praying together, they allow friends to speak God’s truth into pain and confusion. The body of Christ is equipped to offer hope and practical helps that honor God.
Trusting God’s Plan in Suffering
Though the causes of infertility are complex and multi-faceted, God is not unaware of a couple’s journey. He sees their pain and collects every tear in His bottle (Psalm 56:8). He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity (Psalm 84:11b). When suffering seems senseless, Christians can cling to the truth that God is still love and still sovereign over their story.
Infertility does not negate God’s goodness. He often uses suffering to draw people closer to Himself. As couples yield their desire for control to God, He deepens their trust in His character and wisdom. This trust can bear fruit like deeper prayer, increased patience, compassion for others who are hurting, and rich dependency on the Lord as a loving Shepherd and Provider. Barrenness has purpose on the journey of sanctification.
Male Factor Infertility
While the Bible focuses mainly on women’s experiences with infertility, male factor issues also contribute to many couples’ difficulty conceiving today. Men struggling with infertility often grapple profoundly with feelings of inadequacy, failure, shame, or helplessness. Yet Christ’s redemption is powerful even in the weakness and limitations of man’s imperfect, fallen body (2 Corinthians 12:9). Healing may or may not come – but either way, a man’s value in Christ remains.
Infertility stemming from male factor issues does not negate a husband’s calling to mirror God’s love to his wife (Ephesians 5:25). Nor does it undermine his spiritual leadership for his family (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). God redeems manhood from cultural stereotypes that equate virility with significance. As couples cling to Christ, His mercy meets each unique struggle with infertility, both for wives and husbands.
Lament Over Infertility
The deep pain of infertility is never minimized in the Bible. It is right to mourn when dreams for children get shattered and prayers seem unanswered. Hannah wept bitterly and could not eat when God did not grant her request for a child right away (1 Samuel 1:7-10). Rachel envied her sister and demanded Jacob give her children or she would die (Genesis 30:1). God also hears and allows this pain to push His people closer to His heart for comfort only He can provide.
Psalms called songs of lament capture the messy tension of walking with God through suffering. They pour out bold complaints while clinging in raw, trusting faith to God’s promises (examples include Psalms 13, 22, 74, 79, 80). When infertility tempts couples to despair, God says to pour out your heart to Him in full honesty. He understands and even collects tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). God is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). As couples lament before God, they gain strength to wait on His glorious redemption.
God’s Grace in Suffering
The enemy often uses infertility to breed shame, isolation, resentment, envy, anger, doubt, and bitterness in marriages. Yet God promises He can redeem childlessness to produce spiritual fruit like patience, wisdom, self-control, endurance, and Christ-like love in couples who lean wholly on Him. What Satan intends for evil, God powerfully transforms for good (Genesis 50:20).
Though infertility is complex and painful, God’s grace meets men and women in the valley of barrenness. There couples encounter the gentle Shepherd who guides them beside quiet waters and restores their soul (Psalm 23:2-3). In the despair and unanswered questions, God’s presence comforts and sustains (Psalm 34:18, 2 Corinthians 12:9). His tender Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, even in the midst of grief (Galatians 5:22-23).
While infertility is often a long and trying journey, God promises His grace is sufficient to carry couples through the wilderness. Clinging to Christ fills depleted hearts with incredible joy and beauty from above. The hospitality and empathy of God’s family helps restore perspective. Though the path involves mourning, couples can emerge walking with deeper trust in God’s loving sovereignty.
God Understands Suffering
One incredible comfort is that God Himself entered into human pain and suffering through Jesus Christ. Though fully divine, Jesus experienced intense human grief, lamenting at Lazarus’s tomb and sweating drops of blood the night before His crucifixion (John 11:35, Luke 22:44). He was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Jesus’ life on earth ensures He understands the crushing weight of infertility on marriages.
Not only does God understand suffering, He also promises to be powerfully close in it. The Holy Spirit is a Helper and Comforter for all believers, helping bear difficult burdens when they feel too heavy to carry (John 14:16-17). Christians do not walk through infertility alone. The triune God is profoundly present – strengthening, guiding, convicting, and restoring. There is great hope that even in the darkness of infertility, God is at work to redeem pain into something beautiful.
Conclusion
The sorrow of infertility is very real; no Christian should feel ashamed to mourn or question God when difficulty conceiving persists month after month. Yet in the mystery of suffering, God still reigns. He hears the prayers of the brokenhearted. He collects every tear. He promises to work even barrenness and grief toward His loving purpose, using pain to draw people closer to Himself.
Those struggling with infertility have a refuge in God. He designed children as gifts, not rights. His wisdom and sovereignty over fertility can be trusted, even when it does not make sense yet. Ultimately children are blessings, but not prerequisites for purpose, joy, or family. All people – single, married, fertile, infertile – can find their true identity in Christ. His redemption secures eternal spiritual family beyond earthly bloodlines.
Though the journey often involves grief, God walks closely through barrenness, smiling on His beloved sons and daughters. He nurtures patience and spiritual fruit that blossoms into deepened trust in His character. God cherishes intimacy with His people above all – sometimes utilizing the pain of closed wombs to draw men and women into closer communion with Himself. For the Christian, infertility redirects hope from only earthly family to the unshakable security of belonging to God forever.
