Some years ago I prayed for a lady who had experienced several miscarriages. The Lord prompted me to share His Word with her and today she is blessed with three children.  There was another lady who had been severely sexually abused to such an extent that her physician told her that she could not bear a child.  She has a beautiful healthy child today.  There have been others who have had difficulties in their marriages, and God had closed their wombs.  However, when God brought restoration in their marriages, he also gave them children.

    Many couples struggle because they don't have children.  Also many churches struggle in their efforts to bear children in the Kingdom.  There may be physical, psychological, and spiritual factors involved.  However, God is the one who closes and opens the womb.   "And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb" (Genesis 30:22).  "And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb" (I Samuel 1:6).   (concerning Hannah).

    We should also note that the following outline applies to a couple as a whole, not just the woman because in marriage the couple becomes one flesh.  "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).  "And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh" (Mark 10:8).

I. God gave us a command to bear children.

"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Genesis 1:28).   "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Genesis 9:1).  God told Jacob,  "And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins" (Genesis 35:11).

Spiritually also:   "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19).   "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).    "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

A. Lack of intimacy in a marriage.

This is obvious.  "It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house" (Proverbs 21:9).    "It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman"  (Proverbs 21:19).   Husbands can also be bitter with their wives.     "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them" (Colossians 3:19).    "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:15).

B. Disobedience to the Word of God.

"But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee" (Deuteronomy 28:15).   "Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep" (Deuteronomy 28:18).  Generational curses may also be a factor here.

C. Hatred toward others.

"And he [Jacob] went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.  And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren" (Genesis 29:30-31).

D. Deception and adultery.

"For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife" (Genesis 20:18).  (What about spiritual adultery?)

E. For the Glory of God.

1. Sarah, the mother of Isaac, was 90 years old and Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.  "And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him" (Genesis 21:5).

2. Elisabeth  became the mother of John the Baptist.   "And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years"  (Luke 1:7).

Note:  "Is there anything too hard for the LORD?" (Genesis 18:14a).

A. Intimacy is essential.

Although this is obvious, the article on "Sowing Seed In Marriage" may be of value.

"Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.  Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of  frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee" (Song of Solomon.1:1-7).

"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:7-8). (spiritual reproduction also).

B. We must have love toward one another.

(Spiritually we must also have love for the lost as well as the saved).   "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee" (Revelation 3:7).

C. Faith is a critical factor.

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him"  (Hebrews 11:6).

"Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable" (Hebrews 11:11-12).

D. Obedience is very important.

"Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.   For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table" (Psalms 128:1).

"And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God" (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).   "Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep" (Deuteronomy 28:4).

There also may be a need to break generational curses.  See the book, "How To Destroy The Evil Tree".     "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:   That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:13-14).

"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:    Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it" (Isaiah 58:13-14). I believe that a part of the heritage of Jacob is being fruitful and multiplying.

"Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.  Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.  If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them ...." (Leviticus 1:1-3).   "For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you" (Leviticus 26:9).

Note: We are not under the bondage of the Law, but God gives us "grace" to obey the Law and  to receive "the blessings" if we do.

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" ( Psalm 37:4).

E. Prayer is most important.

1.  "So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children" (Genesis 20:17).

2. "And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived" (Genesis 25:21).

3. "And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son" (Genesis  30:17).

4. "And it came to pass, as she [Hannah] continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth" ( I Samuel 1:12).   "Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him" (I Samuel 1:17).   "For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him" (I Samuel 1:27).

5.  "And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before" (Job 42:10).  "He had also seven sons and three daughters" (Job 42:13).

(Also note a prophecy)   "And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old" (II Kings 4:14).   "And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son.   And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life" (II Kings 4:16a, 17).

A. "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward" (Psalm 127:3).

B. David said, "He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children"  (Psalm 113:9).

C.  "Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table" (Psalm 128:3).

D.  "And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son" (Judges 13:2-3).  [Sampson was the son to be born]

E. "Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep" (Deuteronomy 28:4).

F. "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.  Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;  For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited" (Isaiah 54:1-3).

G. (Spiritual application)   "For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise" (Galatians 4:27).  The New Testament application is those spiritually born into the kingdom.

H. To whom are the promises given?

The promises are given to all believers in Jesus.  "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (II Corinthians 1:20).

A. "And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken" (Genesis 21:1).

B. "And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD" (I Samuel 2:21).