In Genesis healing is about fertility. It is God’s promise to those who live by his commands. It is his blessing. And this first book of the Bible teaches us that God can answer prayers for fertility, to remove the sadness of infertility.
As usual, I write to learn. Let’s learn together.
I use the NIV in this post. If you would like to see many more translations please go to biblegateway.com.
Let’s begin.
The blessing of children is seen in the very first chapter. God speaks to humankind, which includes us:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. (1:28a)
Prayer can change things, even when mistakes were made. God prevented Abimelech’s household from conceiving because he had taken Abraham’s wife to be part of his harem. Abraham had lied and told the king of Gerar that Sarah was Abraham’s sister and not his wife. God sent Abimelech a dream and told him that he was as good as dead for taking Sarah. He relinquished her and scolded Abraham. When the conflict was resolved, Abraham prayed for the king and his household:
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, 18 for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah. (Gen. 20:17-18)
Pray for your infertility so that you may become fertile. Ask people to intercede for you, as Abram did for the king of Gerar.
God said to Noah’s sons after surviving the flood:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. (9:1)
God promises Abram that his descendants will greatly multiply:
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you […] (12:2a; see also 17:16; 22:17a)
God even promised that Abraham’s son Ishmael through Hagar, his wife’s handmaid, will be blessed with numerous descendants:
And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. (17:20)
God now promises Abraham’s son Isaac, the child of promise through Sarah, that he too will be fruitful and multiply:
3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, […] Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham. (26:3-4, 24)
Now Isaac speaks to his son Jacob:
3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. (28:3)
Jacob blesses his son Joseph:
15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life to this day,
16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm
—may he bless these boys.
May they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
and may they increase greatly
on the earth.” (48:15-16)
So in those above verses you can speak blessings over your reproduction.
God can answer prayers for repairing infertility:
21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. (25:21)
As we saw in 20:17-18, intercession can work.
Leah is one of Jacob’s wives. The Lord has compassion on her because she was not loved:
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.
Rachel is one of Jacob’s wives. In this context Dan means “he has vindicated” (me):
6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan. (30:6)
In this verse Issachar sounds like “reward”:
17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar. (30:17)
Now it is back to Rachel’s turn:
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” (30:22-23)
To conclude:
Exodus 23:25-26 and Deuteronomy 7:14-15 place the removal of barrenness and infertility in the realm of healing. You can pray for your barrenness and ask God to bless you with children. Ask God to heal you, stay obedient, and watch what he can do.
SOURCES
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 