One of my goals this year is to read the entire Bible in chronological order. To help me absorb more of what I read as well as to help with accountability, I plan to post weekly about what I read the previous week.
Last week's reading was Exodus 7-27. A lot happens in the middle chapters of Exodus: the plagues, Moses parting the Red Sea, manna in the wilderness, the ten commandments and other laws. There's plenty I could write about, but there's one verse I've been kind of fixated on this week. Under a section my Bible describes as "The promise of God's protection," Exodus 23:26 reads (using the New Living Translation, to put it into contemporary vocabulary):
"There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives."
I realize this verse was a promise to the children of Israel at that time and not a promise for all future generations, but why? Why did this have to change?
Miscarriage and infertility have caused me to ask "Why, God?" over and over. I have not experienced either, but that's part of why they are such big issues for me. Why the unfairness?
I know Sarah and Jen are both dealing with losses right now. It was Jen's story that really got me set on this verse this week. Then there are those I know in real life who have had miscarriages and who have dealt with infertility. I know there are women right now who desperately want to be pregnant. Who knows how many others I don't know about.
I think of these women often and pray for them. And I ask God why. Why does it have to be this way? As I said in last week's post, only He can see the big picture. But this little piece I can see just doesn't make sense sometimes.
We know, of course, that we can not truly answer that question. It would be like asking God why there are murderers or why bad things happen to good people. As you said, God promised this for that particular time. Further on in the Bible, it speaks of women being barren. I haven't experienced infertility, but I have experienced miscarriages...4 to be exact. God also tells us to take care of the widows and orphans. All we can do is guess, but maybe this is Gods of making that happen. Maybe those who can't have children are wired specifically to be more compassionate towards orphans. I would have never thought anything of it because I had my own children. I can't imagine the pain of not being able to have a child, but we all have to believe that God has a plan and give everything to Him, our joys and our pains, and trust that He will work all out for good. A pastor once told me it is ok to ask God why...as long as we are doing it with a humble heart searching for answers and not shaking our fists in His face with anger.
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