Something Good

Verse
Isaiah 66:7-9
“Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this?” … “Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God.

Devotion
In context, these words come from Isaiah who is describing the formation of a new nation with Jerusalem as its center. Isaiah is astounded that a new country could be formed without a long period of hard work and struggle, and the closest comparison he can think of would be a woman giving birth without going through the pain of labor. Who has ever heard of such a thing? To which God gives the remarkable response: “Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” In other words, “Are you shocked that I actually finish what I start?”

In this, I can’t help but see a broader characterization of God and the way He works in you and me today.

Over and over again, Scripture insists that your heavenly Father has started some good thing inside of you. Something new and life-giving and future facing is being formed inside of you. Something very good that God wants to come out.

But the delivery of anything new is preceded by a time of pain and labor. God most often uses pain and struggle in order to forge His work inside of you. The verse above essentially asks, “Who gives birth without having pain or going into labor? Who has ever heard of such a thing?” All of the difficulties and struggles in life are necessary to complete and birth what God is doing in you. Notice the words, “I bring” in verse 9. “I bring to the moment of birth. I bring to delivery.” God says, I am responsible for what is growing inside of you. I am the one who is using your excruciating, unwelcome labor pains to bring you to something.

Imagine being pregnant and coming right up to the moment of delivery, and then…nothing happens. Your doctor says, “HA! Gotcha! There is nothing going on inside of you. The previous nine months never happened.” Can you imagine going through nine months of pregnancy, right up to delivery…and then being denied? In all the annals of history, I’ve never heard of a doctor or midwife saying to a mother about to give birth, “Nope. We cannot let it come out. You’re going to have to figure out how to reverse the effects of this pregnancy.” It’s a ridiculous notion – as ridiculous, God says, as you believing that what you’re going through will not birth something new. “Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” Don’t be ridiculous! Of course everything you are going through will end up birthing something new that God is creating inside.

You can have hope that what you’re going through right now are labor pains, that something good is happening inside of you, and you can trust your Creator that something new, exciting, and full of life will emerge.