Blog Layout
A Plan of Significance
Andrea Lende • September 26, 2021
Genesis 25:21-23
A Plan of Significance
Genesis 25:21-23
“And Isaac prayed much to the Lord for his wife because she was unable to bear children; and the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife became pregnant.”
“[Two] children struggled together within her; and she said, If it is so [that the Lord has heard our prayer], why am I like this? And she went to inquire of the Lord.”
“The Lord said to her, [The founders of] two nations are in your womb, and the separation of two peoples has begun in your body; the one people shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger.”
Interestingly, both Abraham and Isaac had wives who had difficulty conceiving children.
Abraham was about one hundred years old when Sarah had Isaac.
And Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to twins.
The Lord had a plan for both men to have children.
And not just children to bring happiness and satisfaction to their parents, but He had a huge plan for both their offspring.
Abraham would be the father of many nations through his son.
And Isaac was blessed with twins who would be the “founders of two nations.”
Imagine these grand blessings inside years of suffering with the pain of infertility.
Sarah and Rebekah desperately wanted children.
And they were blessed with extremely significant sons.
I can hardly imagine what it would have been like when the Lord told Rebekah she was holding the founders of two nations in her womb.
An answer to a prayer which reaped results she could not have possibly imagined.
Sometimes we pray for things, and we get more than what we prayed for.
Or we get things we didn’t pray for.
The Lord had an amazing plan for these families back then and He has an amazing plan for us today.
A plan for each one of us.
A plan of significance.
We may feel like we get lost in the shuffle sometimes and are unseen by the Lord.
But the Lord does see us.
Today I choose to seek the Lord and His plan for my life because He has a plan of significance for me.
May you find the Lord desires to answer your prayers in a significant way.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me You are the God Who sees. Thank You for reminding me I am important to You. And just as You answered the prayers of Your people in years past, You desire to answer my prayers. Help me be patient and wait for Your best for me. Don’t let me get out ahead of You, Father. I pray Your desires become my desires. Replace the longings in my heart with the longings of Your heart. Bend my will to Yours. Don’t stop using me, Lord. Help me serve in all the ways You ask me to serve. May You put joy in my heart, Father. Strengthen me and increase my capacity so I may serve You more than I am currently able. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you My child and I have a great plan for your life. Just wait on Me.
Response: Grant me the courage and strength to do all that You have for me to do.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.