The purpose of every unfavorable condition we face is to draw us closer to God, to increase our faith and establish a greater level of trust in Him.  Are you drawing closer to God, or are you allowing the lack of answered prayer to create a barrenness in your spiritual landscape? As Phil Pringle states in his book Faith (39) If our delight in God begins to fade, our faith will fade too.

My family and I moved to California from New York in 2012 as my husband had been offered a job. Life in New York had a nice ebb & flow. I was an established consultant in the nonprofit sector, I was volunteering at church, and we had great friends and neighbors. Then everything was different and we were starting over in a new city that I didn’t care for too much and I felt “ripped off.” I felt justified in my anger and disappointment. Not to mention blame and judgement – wow what a picture.

It took me a very long time to “settle” and I realized today that my words and attitudes during this time were not always faith filled, nor did I always “delight” in the Lord as I normally had. Two and a half years later my eyes have been opened to see that my attitude and response to this change had created a barrenness in many areas of my life.

We see in 1 Samuel 1:5 – 6 referring to Hannah that the Lord had closed her womb. We see in Genesis 29:31, referring to Leah and Genesis 30:22, referring to Rachel that the Lord opened her womb. These three occasions confirm that God was in the midst of the circumstances. Each of them were barren and each of them had children: Hannah 6 including Samuel (1 Samuel 2:21), Leah 7, and Rachel 2.

The desire to have children is put in our heart by God. Whether God has closed your womb or whether you have created a barrenness, the key here is to delight in Him. His word promises in Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (NKJV). Therefore, by continuing to delight in Him, regardless of the circumstances will result in answered prayer.