relationships (Genesis 25:19-34) Pray! And Do Not Have Favorites!

(Genesis 25:19-34)  Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham became the father of Isaac; 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 The Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb;
And two peoples will be separated from your body;
And one people shall be stronger than the other;
And the older shall serve the younger.”

24 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them.

27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; 30 and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. 31 But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” 33 And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Isaac did the right thing in asking God to help them conceive.  God wants us to give everything to Him in prayer.  So of course, as a married couple, why not pray for a child.  Then we should rest in the Lord - trust that He will accomplish His will.  God does answer.  Maybe we are not meant to have kids.  Maybe there's a reason we should wait.  Or maybe we are meant to adopt.  No matter what the outcome, relax and have fun trying.

I have seen so many scenarios where couples were desperate to have children.  After some time trying to conceive, they adopt.  AND THEN - because they are not desperate any more - they conceive.  Now, if adopting is something you feel led to do, adoption is a very wonderful thing to do!  Be in serious prayer for that decision.  My point here is that being desperate in anything is anti-productive.  We are told...

(Philippians 4:6-7)  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

So - not just in some things - but in everything.  Everything!  Our walk with God.  Friendships.  School.  Work.  Finding the right spouse.  Marriage.  Conceiving.  And once there are children, now we need to pray like crazy to help us raise them in God's will.  We actually see Rebekah doing just that - at the very beginning!  But what about along the way and as they got older?

Just because God gave Rebekah a prophecy about her sons, didn't mean she was supposed to help "create" the events.  But God is all-knowing, and knew that the actions and choices of the parents would only exasperate and encourage their sons into pitting themselves against the other.  To have favorites is a terrible thing to do!  Yes, each child is different and we might have to alter how we deal with each of them, but having favorites will only generate frustration, jealousy, hatred, rivalry... 

I can only imagine Rebekah telling Jacob, her favorite son, that one day he was going to rule over his brother, and therefore Jacob kept his eye open for opportunities to take take advantage.  Eventually we will see that he makes an enemy of his brother, to the point that Esau wants to kill him.  Even after they themselves reconcile, Esau's descendants would still become enemies of Israel.

My takeaway from all of this:  Pray!  About everything!  And wait for God to give us clear guidance, understanding and results!