"...the pattern that began with Abraham continued: Isaac married a barren woman, as did his son Jacob. The esteemed matriarchs of the covenant-Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel-all spent their best childbearing years slender and in despair. They too experienced the blaze of revelation, followed by dark and lonely times of waiting that nothing but faith would fill.
A gambler would say that God stacked the odds against himself. A cynic would say God taunted the creatures he was supposed to love. The Bible simply uses the cryptic phrase "by faith" to describe what they went through. Somehow, that "faith" was what God valued, and it soon became clear that faith was the best way for humans to express love for God."
[Disappointment with God, Phillip Yancey]
Years of silence. Dark and lonely silence and waiting, supplemented by stark, naked faith. They waited for God to fulfill his promises. They believed God. What I wouldn't give to talk to one of these women, to know how it felt to live a life that depended on an invisible God. I wish I could talk to Jacob, who wrestled a blessing out of God.
These stories are full of drama: messy people, trying to figure out what it means to worship an invisible God and walk with him by faith. I wonder how far removed they felt from their creator? I wonder how often following God actually made sense to them? I wonder if the wives ever rebelled...well, actually, we know that Rachel had idols that she brought from her father's home, right? I wonder what God thought of that...?
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