When God Remembers
Genesis 30:22-24
Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my shame.” She named him Joseph: “May the LORD add another son to me.”
After granting Leah six sons of her own and two through her slave, He finally remembered Rachel and listened to her. The fact that He listened to her must have meant that she cried out to Him. We must all come to the point where we no longer try to manipulate our own blessing and cry out to God for an answer. Rachel could not conceive on her own; her child was a gift from God.
Rachel certainly bore the shame of having no son of her own, and she believed this son was God’s answer to take away her shame. A married woman without children was scorned by the community, and this child released her from public humiliation and gave her reason to rejoice. Just as God had a heart for Leah’s pain, He also had a heart for Rachel. He did not allow her to continue to hurt.
While God may allow us to go through seasons of pain for some reason, He does not allow us to stay there. We may have to learn – like Rachel did – that He is the source of all good things. We cannot manipulate a blessing nor make ourselves worthy enough to receive a blessing from God. Everything from His hand is a gift of grace. He has a heart of compassion for His children, and He is always just a cry away.
The word, remembered, here means to mark, as in to be recognized. God had not forgotten Rachel. He simply chose this time to recognize her by giving her the son she so desperately wanted and needed to take away her shame. He paid attention to her. When both Leah and Rachel came to the end of themselves and could help themselves no longer, God paid attention to their need and gave them sons. Leah could do nothing to make her husband love her, so God recognized her by blessing her. Rachel could do nothing to conceive a son on her own, so God recognized her. When we can do nothing to meet our own desperate needs and cry out to God, He will recognize us and bless us in a way that only He can. He will give what truly satisfies. Every good and perfect gift is from Him (James 1:17).
Whatever you can manipulate, you must maintain. If God grants it, He sustains it. Cry out to Him and wait for Him to respond. Suffering is not His ultimate goal for you. He wants you to overcome and be a reflection of His glory. At just the right time, He will remember you, listen to you, and open the right doors for you to receive a blessing that only He can give. At that point, His glory shines upon you, and you will find everything worth the wait!
Have a blessed day!