“He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord.”
– Psalm 113:9
Oh, whenever I read this Psalm 113:9, I think about the birth of our second son. So some of you may know some of my story, my family’s story. Many of you probably don’t. But my wife, Heather and I, for many years longed to have children, and God was not providing in the way we were hoping. And that was a faith journey for sure. Very heavy. Just month, after month, after month, praying for God to provide and not seeing him provide and wondering if we were ever going to have children.
Psalm 113:9 Reminds Us that God Provides
“He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!”
And he used that journey in our lives to lead us down a path of adoption, which I would probably have said at the time, I at least thought it, I think I would have said it, like adoption is kind of second best. Since we couldn’t have children biologically, well, kind of adopt is second best. We learned real quick though, that adoption was just as best. And we, by God’s grace, had the pure joy of adopting our first son Caleb from Kazakhstan. Then we came back, and a couple weeks later found out that Heather was pregnant, and nine months later, our second son Joshua was born.
And we were there in the hospital room getting ready. Heather just hours from then was about to give birth to Joshua, and we read together Psalm 113:9, “He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.” And we just worshiped.
This Verse Reminds Us to Praise God
We did what Psalm 113:9 says, we praised the Lord for answering our prayers in a way far beyond what we could have asked, or imagined, by giving us not just one child but two children, in a way that grew in the coming years as we adopted again, and Heather gave birth again. And now we are adopting again, like I look around my table and I see five kids, one who we are about to adopt. And I just think praise the Lord. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joys mother children.
I share that because I know there’s somebody, some people who are listening to this right now who I’m guessing are walking through infertility, just walking through a longing for children. So maybe even a single brother or sister who longs for a spouse, longs for children with that spouse. But you long for children, and God, for whatever reason has not answered your prayers at this point. And I just want to pray for you. I obviously don’t know what story God is weaving in your life, or how that story will unfold in the days to come. But I do know this, well, I just want to pray.
Psalm 113:9 Leads Us to Praise God
God, I do know that you are all wise, and you are good, that you are all powerful, that you are merciful and loving. And so God, I praise you. I give you praise for the story you have written in my family, God, in a way that for months and years I couldn’t have imagined. And I just confess, even as we’re praying, just all the moments I was doubting you, and wrestling before you like, “God, why this, why that?” And God, I praise you for not answering those prayers in the way that I was asking in that moment. I praise you for the plan you were weaving together that was so much better than my plans.
This Verse Leads Us to Ask For Forgiveness
And so I pray that you forgive me. I’ve asked for forgiveness for this, but just even as I’m confessing this before others in prayer, I thank you for your forgiveness, as you were leading and were guiding and were directing. And so God, I pray for that reality to be felt, and known in the hearts of everybody who’s listening to this right now, particularly those, and if I could just even broaden it to those who have a longing right now and are asking you to do something and you’re just not answering or providing in the way that they desire, God I do pray specifically for families, couples who struggle with infertility.
I pray for sustaining faith in them. And God, I pray for your provision. God, if I could pray Psalm 113:9 over them that you would give barren women a home, and make them the joyous mother of children. God I ask for that. I pray that you would do that. God, I pray that you would provide spouses, children, according to your good design. Please, oh God, do that. And God at the same time as I pray that, I know that you are all wise, far wiser than I am or any of us are, and you are working all things together for the good of your people. And you know what is best.
This Verse Reminds Us to Trust God
And so we trust in you. We trust in you. And I pray that you would give for every one of us listening right now, including myself, you would just give us a deeper spirit of trust in you, knowing that as we trust in you, you will lead, you will provide, in your time, in ways that are most glorifying to you and in ways that are really, really good, ultimately best for us according to your wisdom. So we ask, we pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
