Genesis 29 & 30
The Old Testament is full of stories that rival any soap opera, or shocking news story, or even our own stories when the consequences of sin (ours or others) run deeper then we even think possible. The story of Laban, Jacob, Rachel & Leah is no different. And while as I read their story I could spend time thinking of Laban’s deceit, or Jacobs disappointment and anger, or Leah’s loneliness, or Rachel’s barrenness and jealousy more then anything I’m reflecting on how God shows up in the midst of all the messiness that goes on! Each of them had their own sin to deal with in response to the hand that was dealt to them. Laban’s deceit. A father who promises the love of Jacob’s life, Rachel in return for 7 years of service only to bring him Leah on his wedding day and tell him that the oldest (Leah) must be married first but he would have to wait a week for Rachel and then work 7 more years for him. It is no wonder the drama that unfolds between Jacob, Leah & Rachel. Yet in the midst of the drama and messiness of these relationships there is a thread of a story God is weaving for each one of them that includes redemption upon redemption. The Lord SEES that Leah is hated and opens her womb (Gen. 29:31). God LISTENS to Leah, and she conceives (Gen. 30:17). Then God REMEMBERED Rachel, and God LISTENED to her and opened her womb (Gen. 30:32). I do not know how He will redeem the broken parts of your story or mine this side of Heaven. I do not know if it will mean He heals Dasah fully and we get to spend a lifetime with her, if it will mean that He gives us strength and grace upon grace to walk through what’s ahead, if it means that He will fulfill the longings of our heart for children in some unexpected way. But just as in Leah and Rachel’s story I see THE God who steps into the messiness of our lives and continues to be intimately involved in every detail and just as He saw and listened and remembered Rachel and Leah in their greatest heartaches, so He is the same God today. He SEES. He LISTENS. And He REMEMBERS. And I can trust His unchanging character in the midst of the circumstances of our lives that highlight the ache in our heart for things to be different.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do you know that He SEES you, that He LISTENS to your cry, that He REMEMBERS the longings of your heart? If not, ask God to help you know these truths of His character today.
- What would it look like to entrust your fears and devastations, your disappointment and heartache into the arms of a God who sees, listens and remembers you today?
Tomorrows Passage (Day 32)
Over the next few days I’m going to be studying the story of Joseph because it’s a little longer and I know too good to just spend a day in. You can find his story in Genesis 37-50.
Take your time reading through it and enjoy getting to see God shows up in the life of Joseph!
I’ll write my thoughts on the chapters I get through tomorrow (I assure you it won’t be all of them!)
*and on a side note our scheduled C-section has been changed to the morning of November 13. Mark your calendars and please be covering that day and the days leading up to in prayer!
34 week baby Dasah bump
- A Time to be Silent and a Time to Speak - October 29, 2020
- Teaching Them to Hope, Birthday After Birthday. - January 15, 2020
- A Taste of Hope Fulfilled – Briella Dawn’s Birth Story - August 3, 2018
