Daily a new Bible text for devotion - EZBB

Genesis 30:22-24

After exhausting all her schemes and stratagems and failing to bear children, God grants Rachel the desire of her heart.

Then God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach”; and she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the Lord add to me another son!” (vv. 22-24).

Prayer does not immediately occur to Rachel as the solution to the stigma of barrenness; rather, it appears to be her last resort. I never cease to be amazed at how we still regard prayer as a "last resort." I often hear people say, "Oh, I have done everything I could; now all that is left is to pray." And I think to myself, "Why did not you pray first before anything else?"

Only after all those futile efforts had been thwarted and proven fruitless did God open Rachel’s womb and this may well have been an answer to her prayers. Rachel would eventually have another son, but he would come at the cost of her own life (35:16ff.).

It is worth noting that, in those days, a woman’s worth and sense of fulfillment were measured by her ability to bear children. Today, however, children are often viewed as a burden that hinders professional and personal fulfillment. Consequently, contraceptives are seen as the key to women's freedom, and abortion as a necessity for their happiness.

The meaning of life should not be equated with either of these things. We must seek our worth, significance, and approval in God, not in any man, including a husband. Worshiping God is the highest and noblest purpose for humanity; neither children nor careers can replace it. The Biblical perspective appears to be that mothers who raise their children to be faithful worshippers of God have fulfilled their calling in life (cf. 1 Timothy 2:15).