Hope for the Barren

We have hope because the end of our story is guaranteed.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Many of the mountain communities of Colorado display amazing sculptures. Vail is one of those communities.  It is possible to spend an entire day traveling though the city viewing these sculptures.

Vail, Colorado

Vail, Colorado

This sculpture of a mother and child caught my attention. As with all good pieces of art, there is a story in this sculpted bronze. What you see in this mother and child, what I see, and even what the artist depicts might be different from each other, yet there is a story told for all of us.

Psalm 113 reflects the story I see in this mother and child:

“The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens…
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 113:4,9 English Standard Version

The Bible tells stories of barren women whom God graces with children. Sarah, Rachel and Hannah come to mind. Through this picture of barrenness God gives us hope when hope is absent.

God’s story for sinful human creatures is ultimately a story of hope. God used barren women to advance his plan of salvation for all humanity showing us that hope is not something we create, but a gift from God.

Our hope is rooted in Jesus. I’m not promising that God is going to make everything turn out wonderful for you this side of eternity, but the end of the story is guaranteed. The gift of heaven is a present day reality that we will one day fully experience.

We many not shake the dust of barrenness from our lives here, but the day is coming when God’s salvation will make us joyous.

I pray that you taste this joy today!

Copyright Douglas P Brauner

About Douglas Brauner

I'm a retired pastor, blogger, and photographer. (Oh, and did I mention husband and father?) I encourage people who wrestle with life to focus on Christ so that they experience hope and joy on life's treadmill.