Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Although you are barren, having borne no children, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor is to come on his head, for the boy shall be a nazirite to God from birth. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, January 10, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Another miraculous birth. The Bible is full of them—so many barren women, some named, some unnamed as Samson’s mother, who are vindicated by divine intervention and finally conceive. In all these stories, or at least the ones that are top of mind, the child of the miracle is to be no ordinary child, but a powerful sign of God’s presence in the world. God shows up in power to open barren wombs as a proclamation of this presence. Sarah birthed Isaac. Rachel birthed Joseph. Hannah birthed Samuel. Elizabeth birthed John the Baptist. And “the woman” birthed Samson, who would be dedicated to God’s service for his whole life, set aside in a special way, as a nazirite.
Today I connect with this concept in a different way. I think of all the ways that my life can seem barren, opportunities that just don’t present themselves, life-giving projects that I just can’t seem to find the time or motivation to bring to fruition, struggles in my personal life that linger stubbornly despite all my best efforts. This simple passage is a reminder that God’s unfathomable love can open us to new ways of being in the world. God has shown up in the midst of my frustrations in the past and transformed situations, bringing life out of what seemed a parched and lifeless desert.
If God has done this before—for me and for countless others—God can and will do it again. God shows up in love for the barren and creates for them a life of promise. May we live in that hope throughout all our difficulties.
Where do I feel most blocked in my life? How can God bring meaning and purpose in the midst of my struggle?
