PRAYING WITHOUT DISCOURAGEMENT

The text says that Isaac prayed for his wife because she was barren. (Gen. 25:21.) This is today’s reading; yesterday’s discussion was about prayer, and today, we see a demonstration of the power of prayer.

The text states that Isaac prayed for Rebekah, his wife, and God granted his request. (Gen. 25:21.) Do not think that he invoked God and was immediately answered. He spent a long time praying to God. If you want to know how long, I will tell you precisely: twenty full years spent in prayer.

What proves this? The sequence of events itself. For Scripture, wanting to show us the faith, patience, and wisdom of the righteous man, revealed even the duration, albeit subtly, to awaken our drowsy minds. However, it did not want us to be misled. Listen, then, and see how it subtly revealed the duration.

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Syrian. (Gen. 25:20.) Did you hear his age when he got married? Forty years, says the text. Now that we know his age at marriage, let us also learn at what age he had children, how many years he was when he fathered Jacob. This will show us how long his wife remained barren and will also reveal that during all that time, Isaac prayed to God.

How old was he when he fathered Jacob?

Jacob, the text says, was born holding his brother’s heel. That is why he was named Jacob, and the other, Esau. Isaac was sixty years old when these two children were born to him. (Gen. 25:25-26.) So, if he was forty years old when he married Rebekah and sixty when his sons were born, it is clear that his wife remained barren for twenty years and that during all this time, Isaac prayed to God.

Well then! Do we not feel ashamed, are we not humbled, when we see this righteous man waiting for twenty years without losing hope, while we, too often, after one or two requests, grow discouraged and indignant? Yet, this righteous man was highly favored by God; he patiently endured the delay of the gift and waited with patience. But we, laden with countless sins, tormented by a restless conscience, and lacking true affection for the Lord—if we are not answered immediately after we speak, we lose heart, grow indignant, and abandon prayer.

This is why we always leave empty-handed. Who has prayed to God for twenty years, always making the same request, as this righteous man did? Or rather, who has even prayed for twenty months? Nothing is more valuable than prayer, dear listeners (or dear readers), nothing is more powerful than faith.

Hannah (1 Samuel 1) taught us these two truths the other day. Armed with such offerings, when she came to plead with God, she obtained everything she desired: she overcame the infirmity of her nature, opened her closed womb, rose from her humiliation, was delivered from the insults of her rival, and gained great honor in her household when a barren rock bore a beautiful grain. You all heard how she prayed, how she pleaded, how she persevered, how she obtained, how she bore Samuel, nursed him, and dedicated him. One would not be mistaken in calling this woman both the mother and father of her child.

Indeed, although her husband contributed the seed, it was Hannah, through her prayer, who gave that seed its power and made Samuel’s birth even more honorable. For his birth was not simply the result of sleep and marital relations, as with others, but also of tears, prayers, and faith. And glorious above all was the birth of the prophet, which came about through his mother’s faith.

Thus, one could rightly apply this verse to her: “Those who sow in tears will reap with joy.” (Ps. 126:5.)

Men, let us follow her example; women, imitate her. For Hannah is a teacher for both sexes. Let barren women not despair, let mothers raise their children in the same manner. Let us all imitate Hannah’s wisdom before childbirth, her faith during childbirth, and her zeal after childbirth.

Hannah, setting aside all earthly help, ran to the Master of nature and did not cease to pray to Him until she persuaded Him to end her barrenness, open her womb, and transform the barren wife into a mother. She was blessed not just because she became a mother, but because she had not been one before. For the first state is common to all women, but the second joy was reserved for Hannah. Blessed because of her childbirth, yet no less blessed because of everything that preceded it.

Indeed, men and women, you all surely know that nothing is more unbearable for a woman than infertility: no matter how much happiness she may otherwise enjoy, the sorrow caused by this affliction remains inconsolable.

Hannah’s prayer was brief. She did not make long speeches, nor did she prolong her supplication indefinitely. Her words were short and simple:

“Adonai, Lord, Eloi, Sabaoth, if You look upon the humiliation of Your servant, if You remember me and do not forget Your servant, but grant Your servant a male child, I will dedicate him to You for all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.“ (1 Samuel 1:11.)

She continually repeated the same request, never tiring of spending long hours saying the same words. And this is precisely how Christ teaches us to pray in the Gospels. For, when He tells His disciples not to pray like the pagans, He teaches us not to be wordy in prayer but to maintain moderation: showing that it is not through a multitude of words but through the wisdom of our thoughts that we succeed in being heard.

But someone might ask: If we should pray with few words, why did He teach the parable about the need to pray always—the one about the widow who, through persistent pleas and frequent visits, moved a harsh and inhumane judge who neither feared God nor respected men? And how do we explain Paul’s exhortation: “Continue steadfastly in prayer,” and “Pray without ceasing?”

If we must not use too many words and yet must pray constantly, do these two teachings not contradict each other? No, they do not contradict each other—far from it, they harmonize wonderfully.

Indeed, both Christ and Paul prescribed making prayers that are both short and frequent, at brief intervals. For if you prolong your prayer too much, you may often lose focus, thereby making it easier for the devil to approach, catch you off guard, and distract your mind from the words you are speaking. If, on the other hand, your prayers are continuous, frequent, and separated by short intervals, it will be easier for you to remain attentive, and your prayers will be more effective.

This is exactly what Hannah did: she did not multiply words, but she kept returning to God, again and again, moment after moment.

After she gave her son to God, He gave her another child in return. Or rather, not just one, nor two, nor merely three or four, but far more. “The barren woman bore seven children,” says Scripture. (1 Samuel 2:5.) Thus, the return exceeded the initial offering. This is how transactions with God end: He does not repay with a small portion of what was given, but with a multiplication of the capital. And not only did He give her daughters, but He blessed her with children of both genders, so that her joy was complete.

Do you now understand the power of prayer—how it triumphs over nature? Let us all imitate this; let us also be persistent in our prayers. Let us be wise and humble.

Let us heed Paul’s warning: “Lifting up holy hands, without anger or disputing.” (1 Tim. 2:8.) Let us always strive to free ourselves from the passions that trouble us so that our soul may be at peace, especially in prayer, when we most need God’s mercy.

For if He sees us praying in accordance with His laws, He will hasten to grant us the abundance of His gifts. May we receive them, through the grace and goodness of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belong, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, glory, honor, and dominion, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Saint John Chrysostom, Homilies

This text is an excerpt from the book “God’s Answer to the Infertility of a Couple” by Dr. Eric ADEROMOU.

We invite you to read the following article: “TESTIMONY: A Man Miraculously Healed from Infertility”.

Infertility of a Couple. Infertility of a Couple. Infertility of a Couple.

Infertility of a Couple. Infertility of a Couple.