3 Lessons Learned About Infertility from Father Abraham

One of the most famous stories of infertility in the Bible is that of Abraham and Sarah. Last month I shared some insights about Eve, "the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20) for mothers day. Since fathers day was this past week, I felt it appropriate to look at Father Abraham and some of the things we can learn from his experiences about infertility. Most of us can link our lineage to Abraham as Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Abraham and Sarah experienced infertility for over 25 years, yet they still held to their covenants, remained faithful, and trusted God would keep his promises. These same attributes of Abraham can help us face our infertility struggles.

Note: This post is the second of many posts about men and women from the scriptures who experienced infertility. Also, you may note that in this post, I will be using references from The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, The Pearl of Great Price, and quotes from modern-day revelation. Please click on their titles or reference links below to learn more about these sources.

Founding Father of the Covenant (priesthood)

Early in Abraham's life, we see his desire to be a righteous father, receive the blessings of God's priesthood, and make covenants with God. While living in the land of Chaldeans, Abraham realized that the false priests were worshipping "dumb idols" (Abraham 1:7). I don't know what pushed Abraham in this direction, but he must have been facing some tough stuff. I love what Abraham says in Abraham Chapter 1, "finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers..." (Abraham 1:2). I can relate to what Abraham feels in this verse in my own life. I've felt a lot of stress and anxiety, especially concerning the state of world events and my fertility. While I've experienced stress, anxiety, and depression, I've always believed there is peace, happiness, and rest in God's plan for our lives. I think what Abraham means when he is seeking the "blessings of the fathers" is that he desires to have God's priesthood power given previously to Adam and Noah and many of their descendants.

I want to stop for a moment to share a short quote to describe what I believe God's priesthood is, as it may be different depending on your religious background.

The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood, He created and governs the heavens and the earth. By this power, the universe is kept in perfect order. Through this power, He accomplishes His work and glory, which is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Our Heavenly Father delegates His priesthood power to worthy male members of the Church. The priesthood enables them to act in God’s name for the salvation of the human family. Through it, they can be authorized to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and govern God’s kingdom on earth. (Gospel Principles, Chapter 13: The Priesthood)

As we continue in Abraham 1:2, we see more of Abrahams's pure intents of his heart. "...desiring also to be one who passed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions and to keep the commandments of God..." (Abraham 1:2)

Because of Abraham's pure desires, we can read in the scriptures that God promises Abraham the blessings of the priesthood, property, and posterity. Most importantly, God promises Abraham eternal life. (Abraham 2, Genesis 12) These promises are also promised to Abraham's posterity if they are willing to keep their covenants with God.

Father of the Prince of Peace (property)

After God gave Abraham all these promises through the covenant, he asked Abraham to take his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot to Canan. Lot's father, Haran, died, so I guess Abraham took a father figure role in caring for his nephew. As they lived together in Canan, Lot's herdsmen for his cattle conflicted with Abraham's. It became apparent that they could no longer live together. So Abraham decided to split his property with Lot. I love how we see Abraham's desire for peace as he tries to resolve the conflict:

8. And Abraham said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren.

9. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if though depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. (Genesis 13: 8-9)

What do you do if you have ever had a pan of brownies with one brownie left, but two people want it? One person usually cuts it in half, and the other picks which half they want. That is more or less what Abraham proposes to preserve a peaceful relationship with his nephew. God promised Abraham this land, so in all rights, it is his property. Abraham could have picked first, but he lets Lot pick which half he wants. Lot picks the half that is well watered, and Abraham takes the other half that was more barren.

While this story doesn't have anything to do with infertility, I love how we see Abraham's inner peace that whichever side of the land he gets, he knows it will be fine. As we go through infertility, we can learn from his example that no matter what trials we have, we can find the inner peace that it will all be okay. Interestingly, Jesus Christ, the prince of peace, can trace his lineage to Abraham. Because of Christ we can have peace that all injustices in this life will one day be made right.

Father of Many Nations (posterity)

As I've studied the chapters in Abraham and Genesis that cover the story of Abraham, I find it interesting how many different times God promises Abraham a great posterity. In one verse, God says that Abraham's seed shall be as the dust of the earth! We lived in the desert near death valley in California for a couple of years, and it seemed that no matter how hard I tried, there was always a layer of dust on the window sill. I can only imagine how much dust was in my house, let alone all the "dust of the earth" (Genesis 13:16).

One of my favorite parts of this story is when Abraham asks God directly when this blessing will happen. "Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless...Behold, to me thou hast given no seed" (Genesis 15:2-3). As I read this section, I felt a lot better about some of my infertility prayers, where I have been quite frustrated with God. Can anyone else relate? God answers Abraham by again promising posterity as many as the stars in the heavens. "Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." (Genesis 15:5)

After living in Canan for about ten years, Sarah gives her handmaid Hagar as a second wife so she can bear him children. I know in our modern-day culture, this may seem strange, but back then, it seems it was a common practice for the handmaid to act as a surrogate. Through Hagar, Ishmael is born, and he eventually has 12 sons. So through Ishmael alone, Abraham would have a great posterity.

After the birth of Ishmael, God again promises Abraham a great posterity. Abram, which in hebrew means "exalted father," has his name changed to Abraham as God renews his covenant with him. Abraham means "father of many nations" in hebrew. God then gets very specific in saying that Sarah, who is 90, will have a son and that they should name him Isaac. Not only does God tell him that it's going to happen, but it's going to happen in "the next year" (Genesis 17:21).

As we know, Isaac is indeed born to Abraham, who is 100 years old, and Sarah, who is 90, fulfilling God's promise. It was nothing short of a pure miracle. Abraham is also known as the Father of the Faithful. Many prophets have taught that faith proceeds the miracle.

In April of this year, our Prophet Russell M. Nelson invited us to "Seek and Expect Miracles":

Moroni assured us that “God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.”(Mormon 9:15) Every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him. (John 20:31) He parted the Red Sea for Moses, helped Nephi retrieve the brass plates, and restored His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Each of these miracles took time and may not have been exactly what those individuals originally requested from the Lord.

In the same way, the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, “doubting nothing.” (Mormon 9:21) Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ “giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” (Isaiah 40: 29) Few things will accelerate your spiritual momentum more than realizing the Lord is helping you to move a mountain in your life. ("The Power of Spiritual Momentum", Russell M. Nelson, April 2022)

Despite being faced with infertility for over 25 years, Abraham and Sarah continued on their covenant path with God. They continued faithful and trusted that God would fulfill his promises. We can hold to our covenants with God, trust him, and have faith in miracles, just as Abraham and Sarah.

Takeaways

Finding the faith to believe in a miracle is hard, but I know if we find the faith to believe that miracles are possible, God will prove himself. What miracles have you witnessed in your life? What miracles are you seeking? What other lessons have you learned from the story of Abraham?