ONE WILL SERVE THE OTHER

DEVOTIONAL-GRAPHIC-1600x900_3

“The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. ‘Why is this happening to me?’ she asked. And the Lord told her, ‘The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.'”

Genesis 25:21-23 (NLT)

For Rebekah, the joy of answered prayer was amiss because of an inward struggle that brought deep concern. However, the Lord revealed that the struggle within wasn’t because something was wrong. Rather, something was incredibly right, but even what was right would require His order and insight.

One of the toughest places to be is on the threshold of answered prayer—when we are just about to realize the intersection of our dream and the Lord’s vision. This is where Rebekah was when she felt a literal wrestling within her, an inner conflict that resonates with many of us today.

As children of God, we experience seasons of sowing and reaping, and the days of reaping may bring with it a plethora of opportunities. Sometimes, taking opportunities positions us where we have what feels like competing priorities. We understand that we are to seek God’s Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), yet we also perceive that the opportunity we have comes from the Lord. The joy of answered prayer is short lived because of the realized struggle within. So, we share Rebekah’s cry, “Why is this happening to me?”

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
At some point, we must recognize that an open door of opportunity is not an invitation from the Lord to leave His vision. Also true is that the struggle we sense within is not an indication that we are on the wrong path. Perhaps, we are like Rebekah, pregnant with two dreams, and instead of abandoning one, one must submit to the other.

One of my dreams was to complete an advanced degree. It was a dream from the Lord, but at the same time, I was involved in God’s vision—winning souls and making disciples. Continuing my education while being involved in church would mean a very productive, flourishing time in my life, but it would probably be a chaotic one, I thought. Often, I faced pressure on my time and resources and felt like something had to yield. However, I learned how to calm the chaos; I let God’s vision for souls win. That meant not drawing back from my involvement in church or as a life group leader. Somehow, everything else would fall into order.

Over ten years of years of post-high education is about to finish for me, and throughout, I’ve continued to grow as a disciple and as a leader. I didn’t think this was possible, but with God, all things are. (Lacey Vasquez)

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I flourish when I submit my dreams to God’s vision.”

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

    • Old Testament: Esther 1; Proverbs 15:1-17
    • New Testament: Luke 19:11-27; Titus 2:1-10

ONE WILL SERVE THE OTHER