Genesis 30:22-24 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." She named him Joseph, and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."Have you ever heard the ice cream truck coming down the street and in comes your child w
ith excitement on their face begging for a treat. Knowing that dinner is only a short time away, you decide it's best not to let them get the ice cream. But the child continues to ask diligently - so you decide to go ahead and give them the money for the fudgesicle. It's wonderful to see how happy they are and thankful, but all that seems to fall by the wayside when they finish the ice cream and turn around and say, "Can I have some more?"
Rachel had finally been blessed with a son after diligent prayer and follows it up with a, "Can I have some more?" Sometimes we seem to forget what God has done for us, that as soon as we get it, we're on to the next thing. When does true appreciation actually appear? When do we get an answer to prayer and stop and truly thank God for hearing our cry and responding positively? Or have we already moved on to our next item on the wish list? Do you think that may be why God sometimes waits to give you what you pray for, to make sure you understand how truly blessed you are to have a God that supplies your every need.
I want God to know that without Him, my life would be in chaos, I would have no hope and that true joy and peace would be far out of reach. Rachel has helped me see and learn to be thankful for what we have and that beauty can come from the outside - but it's more important to see it come from the inside.
I hope you've enjoyed following Rachel through this time in her life. Post a response if there is someone you'd like me to do next, otherwise - we'll see what happens to pop in this crazy head of mine!
Genesis 6:5-10 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
My husband and I were able to take our very first cruise last weekend. As I looked out across the miles and miles of ocean - it inspired me to pick my next person in the Bible to study - Noah. I start to get excited when someone from the Bible just jumps into my thoughts - I feel like it means God has something very special for me to learn - I hope you get that feeling too.
At the time of Noah - I wonder if he knew how the people around him were living. Do you think he realized how awful they truly were - I mean so awful the God was "grieved that he had made man". That's pretty bad. Even when my kids are being the worst they can be - I've never wished they hadn't been made- not even close - really - I promise.
Noah was living his life, a righteous man with a family. But no one else in the WORLD was living for God. It says they thought evil all the time. Which brings me to this point. . . Have you ever thought that 'what if there was no one else around you who loved Jesus'. What if there were no other blogs proclaiming the truth? What if you showed up at church and your family was the only one there? What if you turned on the television and/or radio on Sunday morning and there was not one sermon broadcast to be found? We need to be thankful for our Christian friends and our church families and even our internet faith pals. Thankful that we were not in the situation Noah was in that he had no neighbors to worship with, or friends to pray with. So today, thank you for staying strong in your walk with Christ and for being here.
ith excitement on their face begging for a treat. Knowing that dinner is only a short time away, you decide it's best not to let them get the ice cream. But the child continues to ask diligently - so you decide to go ahead and give them the money for the fudgesicle. It's wonderful to see how happy they are and thankful, but all that seems to fall by the wayside when they finish the ice cream and turn around and say, "Can I have some more?"
