At a little funeral home in a small town in rural Missouri a group of people were standing in a circle engaged in light heart-ed conversation.  Among them were the funeral director, a middle aged man who was the son of the deceased and his pretty young niece who is in her late teens to early twenties.

             She has a bubbly personality and is telling a story, I don’t remember the story but I do remember, to express her excitement, she used the phrase, “I could have died!”  At that point the funeral director, who was well known by all, looked at her, rubbed his hands together and with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye and dragging the words out like Vincent Price he asked, “Are you going to die?”  She got suddenly quiet and hid behind her uncle.

         She didn’t mean it, but Rachel did!  “Give me children or I die!” Rachel thought death would be better than bearing the shame she felt.  She was blaming Jacob for the providence of God.

              If we look at how things were working out for Rachael we can understand her frustration. Jacob loved Rebekah and worked 14 years for her.  Laban deceived Jacob and gave him Leah.  So Jacob ends up with two wives; Rachel whom he worked for and Leah who was given to him.  As in the case of Sarah and Hagar these to ladies represent two covenants.  Rachel represents righteousness by works and Leah righteousness by Grace. Paul said these things were written for our learning.

              These types are meant to teach us, not those who were actually involved.  They had plans and dreams like we do today, and their free will was never taken. Yet God in his infinite wisdom shapes all of history to reveal himself to us.

              Paul speaking of this very subject had to stop his discourse and praise the Lord when he said, “Oh the depths of the riches of both the wisdom and mercy of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways passed finding out?”  This working of God behind the scene is what theologians call the providence of God.

               While the providence of God truly is a wonderful thing, this would not be a good time to tell Rachel.  She is very angry because her, happy ever after story with her prince, just keeps going horribly wrong.

                     “All things work together for the good of them that love the lord and those that are called according to his purpose.”  This is the promise of God but there is a part of providence that works against us. This is when our faith comes under fire.  The part of providence that is against us, wrestles within us, against our faith in the promises of God.  Abraham after many years of waiting asked God, “What will thou give me seeing I go childless and the steward of my house is this Eliazer of Damascus.  To me you have given no seed and one born in my house will be my heir?”

               That’s what we’ve got to learn to do, bring it to God, tell him of our doubts and fears. He will either open our eyes that we might see the angels that are, “Sent forth to minister to those who are the heirs of salvation,” Or he will strengthen our faith so that we can say, “Not my will but yours be done.”

                God’s answered Abraham, “This shall not be your heir, but he that comes forth out of you own body shall be your heir."   And he brought him forth abroad and said look now and tell the stars if thou be able to number them so shall thy seed be.