What lessons on patience and faith can we learn from Rebekah's experience? Rebekah’s Long Wait—Patient Trust in Action • Genesis 25:20, 26 shows twenty quiet years between marriage and childbirth. • The delay was real: “Isaac was sixty years old when the boys were born” (Genesis 25:26). • Lesson: genuine faith is willing to sit in God’s waiting room without shaking its fist at the clock (Psalm 37:7). Prayer Sustains Patience • “Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren” (Genesis 25:21). • Prayer shifts the burden from our shoulders to God’s (Philippians 4:6-7). • Rebekah herself “went to inquire of the LORD” when the twins struggled within her (Genesis 25:22). • Waiting plus prayer equals spiritual stamina (Colossians 1:11-12). Faith Grabs Hold of God’s Promises • Isaac and Rebekah anchored their hope in the covenant promise first spoken to Abraham (Genesis 17:19). • Romans 4:20-21: Abraham “was fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised.” That conviction flowed down to Isaac and Rebekah. • Hebrews 6:12 urges us to imitate “those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” God Answers in His Perfect Time • “When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb” (Genesis 25:24). • The phrase “her time came” underlines divine scheduling: not early, not late (Ecclesiastes 3:1). • 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.” Expect the Unexpected • God gave not just a child but two nations: “Two nations are in your womb” (Genesis 25:23). • Ephesians 3:20 celebrates a God “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” From Waiting to Witness • Rebekah’s story encourages believers to: – Seek God first in seasons of delay. – Hold promises tighter than circumstances. – Trust the divine timetable. – Anticipate outcomes larger than requests. • Her faith-filled patience became the cradle for Jacob, through whom the covenant line continued (Genesis 28:13-15). In Rebekah, we see that patient faith is not passive; it prays, trusts, and waits until God’s appointed “time came.” |
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