This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons….(Ge 30:20).
Leah had a problem, similar to one that I’ve dealt with in my life. She thought she could change the circumstances around her to manipulate and change a person. That person being her husband, Jacob.
She thought to herself, “Surely, my husband will honor me now that I have borne him six sons.” However, we never read about that becoming a reality for Leah. She certainly thought it would though.
I’ve done that too. Thought to myself, “If this person just listens to this sermon, talks to this friend or listens to what I have to say, that will change them,” or maybe I’m just hoping that it will because that’s how I want God to answer my prayer. Sometimes I think, or maybe I just hope, that God will use what I have to say to turn them around, but why do I always think that my voice is the one they need to hear? Did I ever pause and think that maybe my constant need to step in is actually not helpful, but harmful? Maybe the Lord does want to speak to that person, but that sermon, your voice or that friend is not how He’s going to do it.
Can I be really honest? That’s hard for me to accept. I have a difficult time resting with the Lord when I feel like people around me need to change.
But, we don’t melt human hearts with words. We melt them with prayers sent to the throne room of God that rain down from above on that person’s heart and soul as we wait for God to work.
It’s much easier to talk and take action then it is to wait, listen and pray, isn’t it? At least, that’s what I find to be true for me.
What if God is trying to get your attention too. What if the sermon isn’t for them, but for you? What if the words of wisdom that you think you’re speaking for God are actually words that your own heart needs to heed and obey? What if we stopped worrying so much and started waiting, resting, hoping and persevering in prayer?
What if Leah had chosen to love God more than her need for approval from her husband? It’s quite possible that some of our prayers are purely selfish because we feel like we lack something in our life and so we try to use other people to fill it. Friend, that will never work. That’s what I am learning for my life. Won’t you join me on the journey?
Lord, I don’t want to be like Leah who tried to manipulate her circumstances to fill her life with significance. I want to be like you. Shower me with you love each day, I pray, in Jesus name, Amen.
Heather Quiroz 