“Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.”
– Genesis 30:22
What a powerful, simple sentence here in Genesis 30:22. It even goes back to what we were praying through when we prayed Genesis 29:11, as we praised God for His answers to our prayers.
In the midst of the hardship, we may be tempted to think God has forgotten us. The story of Jacob reminds us that God is present and ever present.
And this was a long time coming for Rachel. It’s interesting, this is a story that repeats itself over and over again in the first book of the Bible, pretty uniquely that Abraham and Sarah struggled to have children, and wait for many, many years until God opened Sarah’s womb. And you have Isaac and Rebecca, and then here, Jacob and Rachel. Rachel waiting for such a long time for children. And then, verse 22 says, “God remembered Rachel.” Not that God had forgotten about Rachel in any way. God does not forget. Yes, God is omniscient. God is all-loving. He knows everything about us at all times. He loves all who trust in Him. The whole picture here is God’s love for Rachel. God shows Rachel that He has not forgotten about her. That He has heard her. God listened to her and opened her womb.
God Hears His Children
I think about my own family and how, for a number of years, five-plus years, Heather, my wife, and I struggled through infertility. And I remember just for those five years, I think about Sarah for decades, how long that must have felt. And for five years, just month after month, and year after year wondering, “Is God hearing me has God forgotten us? Does God have any desire to answer our prayers? If He does, then why isn’t He answering our prayers?” We knew God had the power to provide children. And He’d given us the desire for children, so we were just asking Him day after day, month after month, year after year, “Show Your power or take away this desire.”
Yet in the middle of all of that, God was working in a way that led for our family to adopt our first son, and then have a child biologically, and then to adopt again, and then have a child biologically, and now to be in the process of adoption again right now, and to find ourselves waiting. It’s a little over a year ago, we just passed the anniversary, so to speak, of the day that we were supposed to travel to go pick up our son from another country. And that travel was canceled last minute because of what has, now, become known as COVID. And we’ve been waiting for the last year to go, and get him.
Genesis 30:22 Is a Reminder that God Knows Our Desires
I share all of that to say to any one of you who is listening to this right now, who is in a time of waiting, maybe it’s waiting for children, or maybe it’s waiting in some other way, I just want to remind you that God has not forgotten you. That God knows your needs. God knows your desires. Yes, God loves you. God listens to you. And God will provide according to His wise, and good, and loving will. You can trust Him. You can trust His love, and believe, know that He is working in your waiting.
So, God, we call out to you in all kinds of ways that we are waiting right now. God, I pray that You would make a way for us to go get our son. God, we pray that You would provide for our family to be together. And God, I don’t know all the other ways that people are waiting as they’re praying right now but, God, we pray for Your provision. We pray for Your help. We pray for Your leadership, for your guidance. Show Your power. God, we pray for Your mercy, for answers to our prayers.
Genesis 30:22 Praises God for Not Forgetting His People
And as we pray, we trust that You are wise, that You see things we don’t see. That You are working in ways we don’t realize. That as we wait, You are working, and You are good, and You are loving. We praise You that You don’t forget Your people. That You know us, that You see all our needs. You know our needs better than we even know them. And You listen to us as we pray, You listen to the cries of Your children. So, we cry out to You in all kinds of waiting in our lives. And we say, we trust You. We express our desires, our cares, our concerns, we cast them all upon you. And we know, we believe You care for us. And we believe You provide according to Your wisdom, and Your power and Your love.
So, we give You glory for remembering Rachel, listening to her and opening her womb. And God, I pray specifically for those who are praying for open wombs for children. God, I pray that You would provide. That we pray together for Your provision. And as we pray that we say we trust in You. I trust in You. And we’re so thankful that You’re in control and we’re not. We’re so thankful that You are the One with all wisdom, and all power, and all love are in control and we are not. So, we gladly yield to You even as we lay our hearts out before You. Lord, please work in our waiting for our good, for the good of others and, ultimately, for the Glory of Your name in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
