Missed Opportunities
From the Armor Series
“When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!’” Genesis 30:1
Hey Mama!
What insecurities do you struggle with? Do you tend to look around at other mamas and think you missed the bus to the “land of supermom?” It’s easy to look around at others and think that God has failed us in some capacity - especially when the enemy is whispering lies and deception in our ears.
I’m reminded of a woman in the Bible who struggled with this issue. Well, actually two sisters named Rachel and Leah. Their story is fascinating, to say the least, and could actually be the storyline for a major soap opera. Seriously! You can read about them in Genesis 29-31.
We can be tempted to look elsewhere for answers to our complicated situations when we aren’t grounded in the truth of who God is. The very insecurities that constantly roll like a movie reel through our minds can send us questioning God’s activity and presence as we begin to doubt who He is and what He’s doing, ultimately leading us to take matters into our own hands.
We see this temptation play out in Rachel’s story. “When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!’” Genesis 30:1
See, Rachel was desperate to have a child. Her sister Leah had already had several children while Rachel was still barren. Instead of running to God first with her problem and insecurities, she ran to her husband Jacob instead. And when Jacob couldn’t solve her problem, she took matters into her own hands. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?
Control and comparison are thieves, working together to seamlessly infiltrate our hearts. And because Rachel and Leah chose to focus more on their situation rather than their God, they missed the opportunity to solely rely on His trustworthy character. Let’s not follow in their footsteps. Let’s put on God’s armor and lock our gaze on Him.
Heavenly Father,
Forgive me for all the times I ran to someone else instead of you when I had a problem I was dealing with or felt insecure over something. Help me to put your armor on each and every day. Teach me how to run to you for every situation I am facing. You are so good and I love you!
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
Did you know that the armor God has provided us to wear is His (Yahweh’s) very armor? The armor described in Ephesians 6 speaks to the image of Yahweh described as a Divine Warrior.
“Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered. The Lord saw that there was no justice, and He was offended. 16 He saw that there was no man—He was amazed that there was no one interceding; so His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness supported Him. 17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and He wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18 So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and He will repay the coastlands. 19 They will fear the name of Yahweh in the west and His glory in the east; for He will come like a rushing stream driven by the wind of the Lord.”
Isaiah 59:15-19 HCSB