Have you ever found yourself in a troubling situation, yet growth was visible? How is this possible. In Genesis chapter 30:22-43, this is where we meet Jacob. Many of us can relate to a time in our lives when it seemed like something was missing. Unable to identify what was missing, a sense of yearning filled your thoughts. Your everyday needs are being met. You are surrounded by people who care enough to help when you ask, yet you yearn for something. Genesis chapter 30 sheds light on several human yearnings: Rachel yearning for children, Leah yearning for her husband's love, and Jacob yearning to do right by his family. Laban and his sons yearn for greed.
The flesh seems always to be yearning for something new. In verse 30, we see one continual fact amidst all this yearning that God is ever-present. It reads, "For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my household also?" Don't miss it. You are a new creation 2nd Corinthians 5:17, and when God shows up, things change. The Lord is blessing you wherever you turn. One thing remains steadfast in the middle of everyday life and all the painful, frustrating deviations.
As it was in the beginning, it shall now and forever be God. God is there making a way every day. To all my sisters in the middle of one of life's deviations, one thing is sure; whether it is raining or the sun is shining bright, God has not forgotten you. Genesis chapter 30 is full of some human yearnings, such as the infamous unknown yearning for more, loneliness, longing for appreciation, and love. Self-centered desires, greed, manipulation, deceit, and lies for selfish gain. And in the middle of all this, God still makes way for His children. We often look at our struggles and the struggles of the ones we love and ask why. The only answer is sin. The answer to sin is Christ and the truth of the gospel of Jesus. My favorite bible verses are Psalms 27:13, "I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!" and John 16:33, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. "The dictionary defines the word overcome as "to succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty; defeat of an opponent; to prevail." Imagine reminding yourself that God has prevailed while you are still in the middle of the struggle, that Christ paid it all in full. Imagine the hope of remembering that God prevailed can ignite in your life. When you face another one of life's many deviations, that takes you on an unexpected detour. Remember, God paid for it all; this is a temporary stop.
You are not forgotten. God will use this season and all the seasons of your life for good. I don't know what season of life you are going through right now. But let me reassure you that God is not a liar. His word does not speak of manifesting a pain-free life full of riches. His words say the opposite. God says to trust in him and allow Him to show you the cost of true love. Love without sacrifice is not true at all. The word of God says in Numbers 23:19, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Today in church, Psalm 37 was the chapter preached such a welcome reminder of God's faithfulness. I leave you with this verse from the 37th Psalms 25th verse, "I was young, and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
Remember, God loves you, and so do I.