“And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord, but they had no child because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.”
– Luke 1:6–7
So, these verses are describing Elizabeth and Zechariah, a wife and husband, who, listen to the description in Luke 1:6, “They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.”
Luke 1:6–7 Describes Elizabeth and Zachariah’s life and faith
What a description. Don’t you want that to be the description of your life? Righteous before God. Like, just that. Oh God, may it be so. And walking blamelessly in all his commands and statutes. Then, you get to Luke1:7 and it says, “But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.” So, they were older with no children. Elizabeth, barren. I just immediately think about the journey of infertility that my wife Heather and I walked for what seemed like so long, but it was not as many years as Elizabeth and Zechariah. And I know so many couples who have walked through that journey and some who are walking through that journey right now. I’m sure there are some listening to this who have walked, or are walking that road.
I would even include single brothers and sisters who long to be married, long for children through marriage. And regardless, the end is the same. God’s not providing children in the way you long for, whether in singleness, or in barrenness in marriage. And I just want to pray specifically over couples like that, over couples who are walking through infertility, and over singles who long for marriage and children who God is not provided in that way yet. And I just want to encourage you in light of Luke 1:6… That’s why I read both verses six and seven.
Luke 1:6–7 Encourages Spiritual fruitfulness in spite of Physical or Material Barrenness
So, this picture of barrenness in verse seven is accompanied by this picture of fruitfulness in Luke 1:6 They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in his commandments and statutes. So, I just want to pray. God, I pray and we, together right now, pray for couples who are struggling with infertility, who maybe at the beginning of that journey, or may have, like Elizabeth and Zechariah, walked through that journey for many, many years, and knowing the faith-struggle that can be, knowing the range of thoughts and emotions and doubts and questions.
God, I pray for your strength, for your grace, for your help, for your comfort, for your sufficiency. Lord, we don’t presume to know your will regarding whether or not you will provide children to couples who are walking through infertility right now, we ask for that. God, I know that longing in my own heart and my wife’s heart. We pray together, then for our brothers and sisters who are walking through infertility. God, we ask that you would provide, that you would do what you did all throughout the Bible, including in Zechariah and Elizabeth’s life, Rachel’s life, Sarah’s life from the beginning of the Bible, that you would provide like you have done throughout history in surprising ways, in miraculous ways.
Praying for Christians who struggle with Infertility
God, we ask for children that will be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, that will be raised to know you and love you and be instruments, arrows, and a quiver sent out into the world for your glory. Lord, we ask for that.
God, we pray for single brothers and sisters who have a longing desire to be married and have children. Lord, we ask that you would provide in these ways for them. And in all of this, we say, we trust you. God, I pray for faith on days when faith is hard, to trust you, and your wisdom, and your goodness that you will provide in ways that are best. And sometimes those ways are not what we would envision, but in that way, God, I pray what I know you desire in every couple’s life who is walking through infertility, and every single brother or sister, and every one of our lives for that matter.
God, I pray this specifically. God, we pray this specifically over those who are experiencing unfulfilled longing, that they would be righteous before you. They would walk blamelessly in all your commandments and statutes, that this would be the description of their lives and all of our lives, that we would trust you and be counted by faith as righteous before you, blameless in our obedience to you no matter what may come, no matter how you provide, no matter how you lead and guide our lives. We pray all this according to your word in Luke 1:6–7. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
