[Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here.]
A surprisingly high number of women in the Bible were described as infertile: eight, to be exact. (Many people keep Michal off the list…the one who was forever childless — see below.) And since I’m going through infertility myself, I decided I would study each one of these Bible stories of infertility.
Some of their stories impressed me (the Shummanite women), some made me feel better about how jealous I can be (Rachel), and others reminded me of the power of prayer (Rebekah).
All of them, however, pointed me toward a God of infinite wisdom and mercy. And even if you’re not going through infertility yourself, studying the stories of these women will surely increase your faith and trust in God.
Below you will find each of the infertility stories in the Bible, as well as a link to my own summary and lessons learned. I would encourage you to read each story first, however, before reading my thoughts as a commentary. After you read, I suggest:
3 Questions to ask yourself:
–What does this story teach me about God?
–What does this story tell me about who I am?
–How can I apply the lessons learned from this story to my own life?
Click on each link below to read my thoughts + lessons learned…as well as the link to read the story in the NIV version from Bible Gateway.
(And be sure to sign up below for my Bible study ebook — using lessons from some of these stories of infertility, as well as from other Biblical stories too!)
Infertility Bible Stories
Sarah + Abraham: “If only…” (Read the story here first: Genesis 15-21)
Isaac + Rebekah: The power of prayer (Read the story here first: Genesis 25)
Rachel + Jacob (and Leah): Undeserved blessings (Read the story here first: Genesis 29-30)
Manoah + his wife: Can’t know everything (Read the story here first: Judges 13)
Hannah + Elkanah: Showcasing God’s wisdom (Read the story here first: 1 Samuel 1)
Michal: Forever childless (Read the story here first: 1 Samuel 18-19 + 2 Samuel 6)
The Shunammite woman + her husband: Contentment with desire (Read the story here first: 2 Kings 4)
Elizabeth + Zechariah: Every story points to Jesus (Read the story here first: Luke 1)
