The Story of Sarah’s Infertility

There are several stories in the Bible that discuss infertility. The story of Sarah’s infertility is the first to be mentioned in Genesis chapter 15. God promised Abraham and Sarah a child “…your very own son shall be your heir” in Genesis 15:4. Sarah struggled to believe this message and did not believe God could provide them a child in their aging years. 

Sarah’s Way vs God’s Way

Sarah, or Sarai at this time, felt that Abram, later to become Abraham, should lay with her servant. She thought that by having her servant Hagar bear a child for Abraham was better than waiting for God to deliver his promises. Hagar conceived a child and Sarah did not take it well. Hagar resented Sarah and Sarah Hagar. This caused Hagar to flee in Genesis 16. An angel of the Lord appeared to her and urged her to return to Sarah and Abraham. She did as she was told and bore Abraham’s son when he was 86 years old. He was named Ishmael. 

Sarah’s infertility affected her greatly. She struggled to keep her faith strong in God.  

Over the next 13 years, the Lord kept returning to Abraham and telling him to continue trusting him. He would still come through on his promises to Abraham of a son with Sarah. Sarah still was struggling to see this promise as truth during all this time. When the Lord appeared to them she was inside the tent listening in on the conversation between Abraham and the Lord. The Lord promised “I will surely return to you about his time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son” Genesis 18: 10. In response to this, Sarah laughed, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” Genesis 18:12. 

“Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” Genesis 18:14

God’s Promises

God can make promises to us and we can struggle to believe them. That is our human mind believing what the world tells us.

The following year, Sarah gave birth to the promised son. In Genesis 21, Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham was 100 years old. Sarah was 90 years old. 

God makes good on his promises to us. Learning how to surrender and submit to Him is our duty. We don’t know when the promises will come to fruition, and that is not what we are called to know. We have to learn to trust in his goodness. 

Struggling with infertility is hard. Many women keep their stories close to their hearts and don’t share with others. Other women are more open about it. There is no right or wrong way, no one story is the same. No one who struggles with infertility, no matter how long or how intense, is better than another woman struggling too. God has placed this on your shoulders for a reason. We may not always know that reason. It may be years or never. But trust in God to deliver us in what we need. 

Tell me, sister, do you trust in God’s promises? Do you trust in His timing? 

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