Surely Now...

“Surely…now…” Ge 29:32

Leah fully understood Jacob loved her sister Rachel instead of her. She began doing things hoping to gain his love…things that were irreversible…things that she orchestrated that she felt certain would change her circumstances. After each attempt she would comment that this time might be different. This time had a better chance of fulfilling her deepest desire, ‘surely now.’ Leah kept conceiving children trying to fulfill her ‘surely now’ heart cry. Four children to be exact so we can assume her attempts spanned at least 5 years. Finally, after the 4th one she shifted her efforts to praise instead of performance.

I began thinking about all the times my heart has had the same emotional mentality. If I do this, then I will be liked…surely now. If I set up that, then I will be successful…surely now. If I buy this, then I will be happy…surely now. It is so easy to string together these failed attempts as years pass us by. We buy into the lie that we have control over our circumstances. We conceive ideas that might bring our deepest desire to fruition. When God is taking too long it is tempting to take matters into our own hands. ‘Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?’ Isaiah 44:20. We all have lies to which we resort when waiting for a new season. The lie that God is holding out on us…the lie that we know better…the lie that we will never get out of our circumstances.

Like Leah there must come a time when we lay down those lies and lift our hands in praise. When we exchange self-focus for God-focus something shifts in our hearts. He gives us the grace to wait, the confidence to believe and the peace to walk through our seasons. Surely now we will be able to have peace apart from circumstances. Surely now we will believe that God is going before us orchestrating His best plan for us. Surely now we will walk in the confidence that everything flowing into our lives is motivated by the love of God.

“In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." Isaiah 25:9