Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord was receptive to his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. (Genesis 25:21)
In today’s reading of Genesis 25, we see that God calls us to persevere in prayer. Isaac and Rebekah were married for 19 years before they conceived Jacob and Esau. That is a long period of time to be childless, especially back in those days. Especially since God had promised to Isaac that He would multiply his family. How did Isaac respond to God since God’s promise hadn’t been fulfilled? Isaac went to the Lord in prayer for his wife, Rebekah. We would be wise to follow Isaac’s spiritual discipline of daily intercession for he and his wife. The promises of God that He has for our lives does not mean we don’t need to pray about it. Rather, it should encourage us to be even more persistent in our prayers as God develops and grows our faith, reliance, and trust in Him.
What are some prayer concerns that you have for yourself, your family, and your acquaintances? How can you be developing a discipline of persistent prayer? When you are confronted with obstacles in your daily activities, what is your initial response? Is it anger? Are you upset because there is a distraction that you didn’t plan for? Or do you initially view it as an opportunity to draw closer to God and to pray to God for help and wisdom? Let’s make a decision that no matter what we face every day, that we will go to God in prayer for the big and small issues in our lives. Then resolve to share with others how God has answered our prayers so that we can give God all the glory, praise and honor, just like Isaac and Rebekah.