“Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud.”
– Genesis 29:11
I want to give some context into why this verse is so significant and why this scene in Genesis 29:11 is so powerful in a way that leads us to pray. At this point in Genesis, Jacob is on a journey to find a wife from among his kinsmen, much like Abraham’s servant did when he went to find a wife for Isaac, and he found Rebecca. If you remember that story in Genesis when the servant found Rebecca, it says on a couple of different occasions there in Genesis, he fell down on his knees and worshiped. He worshiped aloud. It was this picture of praise to God for His provision.
Well, now we have Jacob going to find a wife from among his kinsmen, and he comes across Rachel. He realizes that Rachel belongs to his kinsmen, that she is a potential wife, and verse 11 says, “Jacob kissed Rachel,” Don’t picture a romantic kiss. Picture just more family affection and greeting. And he wept aloud. I just want you to see this picture of Jacob weeping, and as you do, think about the joy and the elation that comes when you realize God has provided. That God has answered your prayer.
Genesis 29:11 Reminds us that when God provides, we should respond with rejoicing.
How often do we pray for things, and then God answers or God provides, and we don’t stop to give Him glory. We don’t do what Abraham’s servant did. We don’t fall on our knees and on our faces and just worship God for His goodness and His grace in a way that Jacob does here, just weeping aloud in gratitude and awe. So I just want to remind us that as we pray and as we walk with God, it is right and good along the way to pause, even to the point of tears, with gratitude for God’s grace and mercy and provision in our lives.
God, I want to lead us now to pray in this way. You are so gracious, oh God. You are so good in so many ways. God, I am overwhelmed by your grace in my life. God, I shudder to think of where I would be apart from your mercy. Even over recent days, you’ve just brought to my mind different people in my life over years, decades ago, who you showed your love for me through. God, I praise you for them.
Praise God
God, as I don’t know everybody’s circumstance who’s praying right now, I do know that you have been gracious. You have been merciful. You have been kind. And you have given far more than we could ever deserve. So we pause now to praise you. God, even as we think about specific people in our lives, specific circumstances, specific ways you have provided, we say to you, ‘All glory, be to your name for your grace and your mercy and your provision.”
And we trust you even with things that we’re praying for in our lives right now, even in ways that we are waiting for your provision. God, we look forward to seeing how your provision unfolds because we know you are faithful. We know you hear our prayers, and we know you answer according to your wise will and providence. And so we say, We trust in you, and we worship you.”
We trust in your promises of future grace, even as we look back and praise you for past grace, and we live today in total dependence on your ever-present grace and provision in our lives. We love and worship and thank and praise you, God. In the name of the one who is our ultimate provision, you have provided forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. All glory be to your name, oh God. In Jesus’ name. 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.
