Rachel's Rejoicing
(based on Genesis 29 and 30)
It was after midday on a beautiful, sunny, spring day before I was able to get away from the chaos of home and escape to my favourite place of peace. After the hustle and bustle of a house filled with family and all the chores that come with it, it was pure bliss to be able to sit in solitude. I was in my favourite place; next to the stream, under the shade of a blossoming apricot tree, close to my beloved companions, our sheep, and rest. The sheep were used to my company and to my voice. They had heard my prayers. They were silent witnesses to my pleadings to God for a child, and they didn’t mind my presence. They accepted me far more readily than most of my own family.
But today I wasn’t pleading. Today I was praising! I had a secret. I had a child growing inside me. A much longed for child. At times I thought I would perish with longing and the grief of being barren. I had even demanded of my husband, “Give me children or I’ll die!(1)” While my sister, Leah, and our maids produced sons year after year, seemingly without effort, I waited month after month, hoping each time for an absence of blood, an absence of those familiar cramps. It was so hard to keep hope alive when every 28 days your dreams are dashed, and disappointment threatens to drown you in a sea of despair.
I had taken comfort in my husband’s lineage. Jacob’s own mother, Rebekah, had been barren before bearing him and his brother Esau. And his grandmother Sarah, the same, and finally God had answered her heart’s cry. And now it was my turn!
I looked forward to the day, not too far away, when I could tell Jacob my news. I knew Jacob loved me very much, and as much as I wanted his love to be enough, it had not filled the hole which was being taken up now by this little soul. Why did life seem to be a continual test of trusting God, depending on Him Who creates life and giving Him the glory for the gifts He bestows? This unborn child of God, I prayed now, would always bring glory to His Mighty Name. This God, My God, Who loved me, Who had listened to me and given me the desire of my heart. Surely this God would protect my child and watch over it all the days of their life?
As I reclined on the bank, soaking up the warmth of the sun’s rays, and enjoying the gentle sounds and movements of the sheep, my heart was filled to overflowing with thankfulness to my Father in heaven. I had a good and loving husband, and soon I would have a child to hold in my arms.
(1) Taken from Genesis 30:1 New Living Translation
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