# 271 A Blessing Or Not?

The Book of Genesis

Day 271

Ge 29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

The twelve tribes of Israel (the Old Testament church if you will) are about to come into existence through Jacob’s wives and their maids.  It’s not necessarily a pretty story as the two sisters vie for the love and affection of Jacob. Nonetheless, the children come at God’s pace and through the wombs of His choice.

Let’s be sure to catch the look into the heart of God as He brings forth His Old Testament church! When He saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb. Believe it or not an open womb was considered a blessing! Imagine that! Children were actually considered a blessing of the Lord! I look at the state of affairs in our world today and I wonder when God changed His mind about that.  It’s clear that few people, even in the church today consider children a blessing.

Oh, it’s not that we aren’t thankful for our kids, but it seems that we have come to a point where we consider children a blessing only if WE plan them. So, we chemically and mechanically attempt to remove them shortly after their God-orchestrated conception, or we set up barriers to prevent conception in the first place.  We have had great success in this area. The birth rate is rapidly declining in our country, and somehow, we have been lulled into believing the false notion that WE are in charge of opening and closing the womb!

The stark reality of this mindset is we have said to God, “Don’t bless us with children, we’ll decide what is a blessing and what isn’t!”  And God has said, “Okay, I’ll take that blessing away from you.” The repercussions of this mindset have yet to play out, but one day it will be revealed to us the reward we have missed because we have failed to trust God for the size of our families. We reap what we sow!

Ps 127:3 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward.” 

Are we going to believe that, or should we crumple up yet another page of our Bible and throw it out, as casually as we throw out our unborn children?