Nov 26

By the time Leah saw the need for praising God in the midst of her trials and troubles, she had borne her husband three sons, naming each of them for some aspect of her sorrows.

But once she saw the light and truth of God, she quit focusing on herself and her own problems and began concentrating her attention on God and what he wanted her to do.

God says in Malachi 2:15 that He wants godly offspring. All along, Leah should have seen that she was producing children for the Lord, not just for her husband. She needed to have her vision expanded, to see beyond the everyday life she lived to encompass the infinite vision of God. Perspective and vision are crucial to overcoming the pain we suffer from our circumstances at times in life.

But, whether early or late, praise God that Leah did finally see the whole truth of who she was and what she was doing by providing children for her husband and for God. So it was that she named her fourth child Judah, which is associated with the Hebrew word for praise.

Our lives are all about praise, whether we seek the praise of men or seek the praise of God and praise him.

Judah is the tribe from which Jesus came. When Leah began to praise God and focus on him, the very Son of God himself came into her life and our lives as well. For centuries later, Jesus was born in a manger, the descendant of this same Leah, of the tribe of Judah.

Scripture for today: Genesis 29:31-35
Thought for today: When we begin focusing on God instead of self, good things come -- for ourselves and for others.
Prayer for today: I praise you, Lion of Judah, and for the great wisdom of your ways.

NOV 26