NIV Once-A-Day Bible Worship and Praise DevotionalSample

FAITH, NOT FEELINGS If there were such a thing as a time machine and we could use this device to go back in history to the events described in Genesis 28 – 30, what would Leah tell us? Surely she would describe feeling overlooked, unhappy and dissatisfied. Perhaps she would tell of poignant moments of rejection, of tearful times of prayer, of wrestling with deep-seated jealousy, of heart-wrenching, unanswered questions. All this is, of course, speculation. What we know for sure is the little bit that God’s Word tells us. Leah gave Jacob four sons. And in naming each one, Leah expressed her stubborn faith and desperate hope that maybe Jacob would finally develop deep affection for her. It didn’t happen. Leah’s younger sister Rachel remained the delight of Jacob’s eyes. A bitter pill to swallow. When you’re reading this passage for the first time, you expect resentment to begin to fill Leah’s heart. It doesn’t. Instead, at the birth of her fourth son, Leah names him Judah, which means “let him (God) be praised.” Living by faith isn’t easy. But it’s the only way to show that we believe that God wants only the best for us. Today when events or your feelings pull you toward fear and cynicism, remember Leah and choose faith. O Father in heaven, I choose to focus on you, rather than . . .