When God’s Timing Doesn’t Match Yours: Lessons from Isaac and Rebekah
Life can feel like a game of spiritual disorientation. Just like pilots who lose sight of the horizon and can no longer distinguish up from down, we sometimes find ourselves in circumstances where our emotions tell us one thing, but God’s Word tells us something entirely different. In these moments, we must learn to trust our spiritual instruments rather than our feelings.
The Power of Persistent Prayer
When Prayers Take Decades to Answer
Isaac’s story teaches us something profound about prayer and patience. When Isaac married Rebekah at age 40, he began praying for children. The Bible tells us that Rebekah conceived when Isaac was 60 years old. This means Isaac prayed faithfully for 19 years before seeing God’s answer.
Nineteen years of wondering. Nineteen years of feeling like God was saying no. Nineteen years of disappointment and waiting. Yet Isaac never stopped praying.
Why God Sometimes Makes Us Wait
Isaac understood something about infertility that many of us miss. His own mother, Sarah, had given birth to him when she was 90 years old after a lifetime of being barren. Isaac had witnessed firsthand how God works in His own timing, not ours.
Perhaps God isn’t delaying just to make us wait. Maybe there’s faith to be learned in the journey, wisdom to be gained in the waiting, and timing that only makes sense from God’s eternal perspective.
When Answered Prayers Bring New Challenges
The Struggle Within
After 19 years of prayer, God finally answered Isaac’s request. Rebekah conceived – but not in the way either of them expected. The Bible says “the children struggled within her.” This wasn’t gentle movement; these children were jostling, bumping, and pushing each other in the womb.
Rebekah found herself asking, “If everything is well, then why this?” Her husband’s prayers had been answered, but things weren’t turning out as she had anticipated.
Two Nations in One Womb
When Rebekah inquired of the Lord about her condition, God revealed something remarkable: “Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples who will be separated from your body. One will be stronger than the other. The older will serve the younger.”
What seemed like a problem was actually part of God’s greater plan. The struggle in the womb was a preview of the struggle that would define these two children – Esau and Jacob – throughout their lives.
What We Learn About God’s Character
God is the Giver of Life
The text reminds us that conception is not merely a physical process but a spiritual one. When the Bible refers to “the children” in Rebekah’s womb, it affirms the sanctity of life from conception. These weren’t just biological tissue – they were children with souls, known by God before they were born.
God’s Plans Are Bigger Than Our Plans
Isaac and Rebekah’s story shows us that God’s plans often don’t match our expectations. Isaac prayed for a child; God gave twins. Rebekah expected a normal pregnancy; God was orchestrating the birth of two nations. The older would serve the younger – the opposite of cultural expectations.
The Birth of Two Nations
When the twins were finally born, their very births told a story. The first came out red and hairy, so they named him Esau (meaning “hairy”). The second came out grasping his brother’s heel, so they named him Jacob (meaning “heel grabber” or later, “deceiver”).
Even from birth, these brothers were in competition. What began as a prenatal war continued as a neonatal war and would define their relationship throughout their lives.
Living by Faith When Life Feels Chaotic
Trusting God’s Instruments Over Our Feelings
Just as pilots must learn to trust their instruments rather than their feelings during spatial disorientation, we must learn to trust God’s Word over our emotions when life feels chaotic. Our circumstances may tell us one thing, but Scripture provides the reliable truth we need to navigate life’s storms.
The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Formation
Both Isaac and Rebekah turned to prayer in their times of need. Isaac prayed out of need and conviction that God would answer. Rebekah prayed out of burden and confusion about what God was doing. God answered both prayers, though not in the way either expected.
Prayer isn’t just a routine or habit – it’s an act of spiritual formation, spiritual combat, and spiritual discipline where we seek God’s presence and power in our lives.
Life Application
Isaac and Rebekah’s story challenges us with three crucial questions that we must answer in our own faith journey:
- Will you keep trusting God even if His timing is not yours? Isaac prayed for 19 years before seeing God’s answer. Some of you have been praying for something for years, and God hasn’t answered in the way you expected. Others may have grown weary and stopped praying too soon. The challenge is to keep trusting God’s timing even when it doesn’t match your timeline.
- Will you keep trusting God even when difficulties come? Both Isaac and Rebekah faced real struggles and difficulties. Unlike his father Abraham, Isaac never tried to “help God out” by taking matters into his own hands. He maintained persistent faith through the long season of waiting. When difficulties come – and they will – will you trust God through the struggle?
- Will you keep trusting God even when your plans don’t go your way? God’s plans are often deeper, bigger, and better than our plans. Faith means trusting God even when we don’t understand what He’s doing. When things don’t turn out the way you thought they would, will you continue to trust that God is working according to His perfect will?
This week, consider these questions: What have you been praying for that seems to be taking too long? Are there areas where you’ve stopped trusting God because His plans don’t match yours? How can you develop the kind of persistent faith that Isaac demonstrated through 19 years of waiting? Remember, challenges are just words without the commitment to put them into practice.