I’m steeped in thought about this matter this morning – not just bcz of celebrating another birthday in our home and not just bcz I wrote about some non-optionals yesterday… but bcz another day passes that reminds me that the season of childbearing has passed on by and I’m beginning to walk through the leaves and am no longer sitting under the shade trees of summer.
So, I think further on non-optionals – and today: the non-option of the lordship of the womb. The womb belongs chiefly and solely to the LORD, our Creator. We were created by Him for His glory. He is our Creator and He *is* creative in and through us! Wow. It’s both humbling and exhilarating to even catch a glimpse of the power of this thought-this Truth. He is the Creator-He is Lord. He is Lord of our lives, Lord of our homes, Lord of our marriage, and Lord of all that concerns us. And that… that should naturally be followed by the acknowledgment that He is also Lord of the womb. One would think that above all people on the earth, Christians would stand in awe of this Truth (and live it out!). But, no, Christians— (should be) followers of Jesus Christ— seem, on the whole, to be least likely to embrace this Truth.
I think this is part of the fallout from the teaching and preaching that says, man is created with a god-shaped whole in his heart that only God can fill and that man needs to embrace God for a life of lasting happiness, yada, yada, yada. No… man is born in sin and eternally separated from God and cannot escape death and eternal judgment apart from a life redeemed in salvation by faith and trust in and through Jesus Christ. So teachers/preachers do an incredible disservice (and actually preach a different little “g” gospel) to their hearers when they teach health, wealth, prosperity and lasting happiness – instead of teaching/preaching the Truth of the Supreme Righteousness of God and life and salvation through faith in Him alone. It is then that believers walk in Truth that God is sovereign, that He *is* Lord and He *is* to be feared and He *is* to be trusted and He *is* to have the preeminence in our lives and we *are* to honour, obey, seek, serve and worship *Him!*
Instead… today we have a misinterpretation —a social gospel— that man decides what’s best for man, man decides what *he* thinks seems right and what feels good for wherever he’s at at the time through his version or fluid interpretation of what he wants God’s Word to say and mean. Dangerous. Relativism is probably the most destructive element in the church today… but, interestingly, it really doesn’t matter what man thinks, does or says… bcz God *is* still on the throne and He *is* still Lord of all – whether *all* or few or none think so or not. God is the LORD.
Now why is all that important to the topic of Lordship of the womb? Bcz and incorrect or an erroneous view of God leads to an erroneous view of the Christian walk and, more specifically, a flawed foundation for marriage.
Today, and I am speaking of Christian marriage here, we see a great deal of the infiltration of worldly thought. Consider: young couples marry. Brides, for the most part, look *just like* the world, not sacred and covered, are prepped for their life ahead by the standards of the world, thus, marriages begin on a foundation set by the standards of world. Both work outside the home -roles are blended or are interchangeable. The marriage bed is defiled. The plan is not for God to bless the home and the womb – but rather the couple sets out to make the plan–seeking “their own way” for their marriage. The first step taken before marriage (even if they physically-relationally stay “pure”) is to be sure and get some barrier for the marriage bed. There seems to be no thought for the biblical standards or design of marriage – though they are clear. From the beginning, the standard of, or the design for, marriage is very clear. But, since we have an enemy of our souls, the enemy of God, it surely stands to reason that marriage will be the clearest target—especially when we know that God says that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church. Whew! That’s big–that’s tremendous! So the distortion of marriage, of the home, and centrally: the destruction of godly seed, is the chief aim of the enemy of our souls–the enemy of God. But remember, satan is a defeated foe (else the death, resurrection and life of Jesus was for naught) and death has no more dominion over the believer in Jesus. That is the record.
I share all that bcz I see more and more that when the foundation is incorrect or flawed, then the whole building is out of kilter. And this is seen nowhere more clearly than in the way and working of the Christian home. The enemy will use all sorts of tactics to destroy the home… if he can’t do it through simply breaking down the marriage through by lust, pornography, etc., etc., then he’ll go through the wife by fear, covetousness, discontent, etc., etc., and the place of greatest attack will be in the womb.
Many years ago we sat in a forum where people were discussing the greatest threat to the Church. People threw out ideas as to what those threats might be. After a couple of hours and much debate, I sheepishly contended that birth-control is one of the greatest threats to the church today. That was close to twenty years ago – and I thought I felt pretty strongly about it then – but today… this many years later, I couldn’t be more resolute in that stand. I actually liken it to the abortion holocaust in America (and around the world); it (along with its close cousin: pornography) is the holocaust of the Christian marriage.
I know that’s a bold statement. I know it’s a strong position to take—that birth-control has no place in the Christian marriage. It’s a strong and loaded statement to say that birth-control is for people who shouldn’t be getting pregnant. And who shouldn’t be getting pregnant? People who are not married. So who shouldn’t be in that position? Anyone who is not married… and on and on. Birth-control is license to sin. Yeah. Just like pornography is license to commit adultery. Yeah. It’s all man-centered… it’s the infiltration of secular humanism… man does what man thinks is best and it’s according to man’s interpretation of what is.
So… no birth-control. Then should Christians try and have as many babies as possible? No. Should Christians work their situation to make fertility favourable? No… not really. For that is as man-centered manipulation – not faith. We are called to walk by faith, not by sight. I never think that couples should try and have as many babies as *they* can. That’s (to me) a roundabout form of birth-control. I think and say that Christian couples should *not* fear what God will do in and through them and should *wait* on Him for *His* provision —whatever that is. And… amazingly, that might be many, it might be none, it might be few, it might be one: child/ren. What is true is that it’s God’s creation. His and His alone. If we believe He is God (and He is) and we say we trust Him, then we trust Him. Period. We trust Him.
His ways are not our ways, His ways are higher than our ways. We cannot see. Period. We cannot see… the great and marvelous things He has planned for us, the ways He has for us to bring Him glory and honour. Some will have many, some will have few, some will have none… BUT! we should all be glad for His blessings… whatever they are. And children are a blessing… God says they are. We should live in, or seek to live in, agreement with what *He* says is true. I’ll write more about this tomorrow… for the topic is great and it’s importance cannot really be measured.
I have this on one of my pages on our website:
So again I say, sisters: pray… study, pray, research and trust God for His direction, plans and purposes in your life and trust Him for the outcome! Do this: Pray! Prove all things, hold fast that which is good!! I do not believe that there is a drug, an herb, a method or a formula or any other performance that can be prescribed and followed in order to bring about or “make” conception happen outside living according to God’s marvelous design for marriage. It is and will only be: God. It is God who opens and God who closes the womb. It’s all God. I simply believe He gives us understanding, nutrients, etc., to be prepared for His ways should He choose to so move and bring about pregnancy.”
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Pamela ~ I have to be honest, I’ve been so offended over the years by well-meaning ‘quiverful’ Christians, though I happen to be one, but didn’t/don’t have “much” to show for my belief. Thank you for this well-balanced post. After three live births and four miscarriages (along with an incredible amount of doubting my faith) I’ve finally come to know that God simply *IS*. ~ The great I AM. And if He says three is enough, who am I to argue? I don’t see or hear of many Christian women speaking as balanced as you have with this post. How refreshing.