Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, January 11, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
God redeems us. Yes, on the cross, obviously—a once and for all liberation from death. But also in the day-to-day. We are all subject to the unpredictability of life. We all face challenges. We all carry baggage from our pasts. In the time of the Psalmist, the highest joy a woman could experience—the proof of her value and God’s blessings to her—was to bear children. A barren woman was to be pitied; she was whispered about by the other women, who wondered what she had done wrong that God had closed her womb. Of course that’s not how God works, but even now in our modern context we look at people who are experiencing challenges or who don’t quite fit into societal “norms” or who never seem to be able to catch a break and our instinct is to blame them for their misfortunes. Without being explicit, we wonder what they’ve done “wrong” that God seems to have abandoned them. It’s easier to default to that explanation than to accept the randomness of life—that’s scary, because we could be next!
No, God stands with us in the midst of our challenges. God opens the barren woman’s womb and makes her the mother of children—metaphorically this means God redeems us in our pain and leads us toward healing. There is a part for us to play in this. It’s not magic. God calls us into a covenant relationship in which both parties are responsible to one another. God wants us to be healthy, joyous, and free, and for that to happen, God calls us to make choices that are life-giving and lead to flourishing. Sometimes (often?) we all need help figuring out what these are, and God is quick to provide people with wisdom and insight who can help lead us in that direction.
No matter what is happening to us or around us, we can lean into God, seek help, and trust that God redeems us one way or another.
How have I experienced God’s redemption in my life?
