The promise in the barren womb

From the beginning GOD has brought redemptive destiny out of the barren womb. Sarah waited well in her old age before conceiving the gift of Isaac, and even Abraham had to show himself willing to sacrifice the son of promise on which his entire destiny depended so that there could be no personal or fleshly ownership of the purposes of GOD.( Gen 22 ). Barrenness devastated Rachel, Jacob's wife, until the birth of Joseph. In joy she cried out, " GOD has taken away my reproach ( Gen 30:23)Hannah pleased with the LORD believing that He had forgotten her ( 1 Sam 1:1 ) and like Abraham she surrendered her son to the LORD as soon as she had weaned him, owning nothing of herself. Samuel grew up to become both priest and prophet, anointing and commisioning Kings. Elizabeth childless in her old age, conceived and bore John the Baptist Luke 1:25 Thus hath the LORD dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. Her son became the forerunner for Jesus, the first prophetic voice to arise in four hundred years! Over and over again GOD uses redemptive history and the destiny of His people to unfold out of the agony of the closed womb, the delayed promise , so that the pregnancy that brings eternal fruit is clearly the LORD's and not of human origin.What comes forth out of a barren womb is the agent of Israel's greatest blessing.