You.

When the Lord saw that Leia was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 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. Genesis 29, verse 31, and Genesis 30, verses 22 through 23. These verses formed the bookends that framed the story of Rachel and Leah. Their stories illustrate, among other things, that God is not oblivious to our feelings, hurts, circumstances, or even our wants and desires. He cares about us. Troubles confronted by both sisters help us understand that the focus of our lives needs to shift. Instead of pursuing what we believe will bring us happiness or trying to manipulate circumstances to our advantage, we are to put ourselves in the hands of the Lord rather than feeling sorry for ourselves because things don't work out as we hoped they would. We are, as Peter states it, to cast our cares on God and to trust him to do what is right. That is easier said than done, of course, but we must resist the temptation to think that we are alone in our frustration, that our personal circumstances are unique, that everything and everyone is against us, and that there is nothing in the world for which to be thankful. From both Rachel and Leah we learn that we can't help God out with our own plans and schemes because doing so results in further complications and heartaches. The lives of those we meet in the Bible suggest that blessing follows faithfulness in our relationships with the Lord. Real meaning, purpose, and satisfaction in life come from praising and serving God, no matter the circumstances we face, and not from the passionate pursuit of personal happiness. Our happiness is, in fact, not the point. We exist first and foremost to serve, honor, and bring glory to God, and we must do so in spite of our circumstances and personal tragedies. When we read the stories of Rachel Leia, we may become so sympathetic with the human tragedy that God's will and work are obscured from view. We must understand, though, that these individuals are but a part of the bigger story of redemption, and their stories are recorded for us primarily for the purpose of illustrating God's power, intent, and plan for all mankind. One major lesson that we should learn from the story of Rachel and Leah is that we cannot always see what lies beneath the story itself. It is the invisible hand of God that is at work in those stories. Drawing conclusions based solely upon what we see with our eyes must be done with caution, because we are likely not given all the information needed to draw such conclusions with complete accuracy. Yes, the story of Rachel layer inspires us. We must remember, though, that their story is recorded because of its role in God's plan of redemption and must always be viewed from that vantage point.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to [email protected]. Have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.