Friday 3 June 2005

Asking God

...and she [Rebekah] said, “If all be well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.” - Genesis 25v22 (NKJV)

Abraham has died. All of his possessions have been passed on to Isaac and he and Rebekah settled in the wonderfully named area of Beer Lahai Roi (You are the God Who sees). How important it is that we remember the lessons of Beer Lahai Roi in our homes. “Unless the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it,” we read in the Scriptures. Let's make sure that we set up our lives and our homes on the basis of Beer Lahai Roi.


That is not our thought for today though. Like her mother-in-law, Rebekah had difficulty conceiving. Isaac may very well have thought, “Here we go again. I don't want to wait until I am 100 to have a son.” When Isaac prayed for his wife she conceived. What joy must have filled their hearts!


Rebekah's pregnancy was difficult. The Bible tells us that the “children struggled together within her.” Unable to get a scan, Rebekah was apparently unaware that she was carrying twins. She didn't understand what was going on. Why was this pregnancy so difficult. “If everything is okay,” she asks, “why am I having all this trouble?”


We don't always understand our own difficulties of life. Why does everything end up being a struggle? Why does it seem that everything we attempt for God seems so difficult?


Rebekah set a pattern for us all. The dear lady of God did the right thing - “...she went to inquire of the Lord.” Rebekah had the right focus. Instead of whining and complaining she simply went to inquire to the Lord. She took her burden to the Lord. She knew the principle of Philippians 4v6-7; “Be careful [full of cares] for nothing, but in everything, with prayer and thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God that passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”


When we feel those struggles in our own lives, may we follow the example of Rebekah and simply “inquire of the Lord.”

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