Masamang balita’y hindi nagigitla, matatag ang puso’t kay Yahweh’y tiwala.

Awit 112:7

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him,” the psalmist said in Psalm 127:3 (NLT). But what about those who want to have children but can’t have them? Nakalimutan na ba sila ng Diyos?

There are many reasons why some couples are prevented from having children. It could be because of age, a medical condition, or other factors. But whatever the reason could be, a childless couple should not feel inferior to those who have children. Ito ang naging problema ni Hannah, wife of Elkanah, of the Old Testament. His husband’s other wife, Peninnah (who had children), “kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat” (1 Samuel 1:6–7). To make a long story short, God answered Hannah’s prayer and she gave birth to a son named Samuel, which means “heard by God” in Hebrew. God had a purpose. Samuel grew up to become one of the last ruling judges in the Old Testament and anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and then anointed David.

Not all stories of childless people, however, end like Hannah’s. God’s answers to prayers do not always mean “yes to all” requests. Pero makasisiguro tayo na ang Diyos, na Siyang may likha sa lahat, ay mas matalino sa atin. The Giver chooses what gifts to give, and to whom. Whatever we are given, we can trust that He — our loving and sovereign Father — has given us what’s best, without us needing to know the reason why.