“When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”
Genesis 29:31 ESV
Life can sometimes be a disappointment. Not all of it, mind you. But there are often aspects of life that we’d like to be different.
Yet, no matter how often we go to the Lord about it, asking for his help, nothing seems to change. Things remain as disappointing as they’ve always been. And we begin to feel that God is withholding his hand of blessing.
This isn’t true, however, as we see in the above account. Leah found herself in difficult circumstances that never changed. And the Lord’s work in her life can give us hope.
Although she was married, she felt that her husband didn’t want her. He was with her out of obligation. And this caused her great sorrow.
He had, in fact, been deceived into marrying her. He followed through with their marriage to get the wife he truly desired. And this other woman was none other than Leah’s sister.
But, as we look at the above passage, we see something interesting. Even though Leah was hated, even though she was not loved, the Lord blessed her in another way. The Lord opened her womb and blessed her with sons.
Her disappointment didn’t go away. Her desire to be loved by her husband remained. And this, I believe, is normal. It makes sense.
Each time a son was born, Leah hoped that things might get better. She hoped that this might cause her husband to love her. But it didn’t. In fact, it created a rivalry between the sisters to see who could bear more sons for their husband.
However, the fact remains that, although Leah was never loved, although she was never desired, God blessed her in ways outside of a husband’s love. He blessed her with many children and descendants. Jesus, in fact, was born of the line of Leah.
The same can be true in these areas of our own lives. Even if these disappointments never end or never get better, God can bless us in spite of them. And he often does.
Perhaps our family life is far from ideal. But God may bless us in terms of our service, and the lives we touch. Perhaps we never find satisfaction in our work, but God blesses us in terms of family. The examples are endless.
The point is that, in spite of our disappointments, God has not forgotten us. He has not withheld his hand of blessing. He blesses us in spite of them and in ways we’d never imagine.
The greatest blessing, of course, is that of forgiveness and life everlasting. Even if this life remains disappointing, we have a great hope. He’s prepared for us an eternity where all of these disappointments will be no more.
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