Struggling? Inquire of the Lord

"And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD." (Genesis 25: 22)

Rebekah, the chosen wife of Isaac, did not conceive until twenty years after her marriage to Abraham's child of promise.

Yet unlike his father, still growing in faith, Isaac went right to God and asked for help:

"And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived." (Genesis 25: 21)

Because Isaac knew that he was a child of promise, he knew that he only had to ask God for something.

 We have a greater standing than Isaac:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1: 12)

In Christ, we can enter boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4: 16), and we can be sure that God hears us:

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

"And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." (1 John 5: 13-15)

Now, Rebekah felt the intense struggle within her womb. God explained why:

"Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. " (Genesis 25: 23)

The two sons are types of God's grace (Jacob) and God's law (Esau). In every believer, we have the Spirit of God who leads us (Galatians 5: 16), yet there exists in us the temptations to justify ourselves by our actions, the flesh:

"For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7: 5-6)

Whenever we struggle, it is a sign that we are trying to what God wants to do through us. We are called to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5: 7).

If you are struggling with anything, trust in your righteous standing before God as a child of God, and ask for wisdom. The Lord will guide you in what area of your life where He wants you to cease from your own efforts and rest in His grace!