O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from
the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all
wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the
way of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In our first reading this morning we
heard the wonderful story of the first meeting of Rebekah and Isaac. Isaac
needed a wife from his own people, and Abraham had instructed Laban to find a
woman with a compassionate heart for his son. He finds the prescribed woman at
the well one day, and they lived happily ever after. Except, they didn’t. As
the story continues, we learn that Rebekah is unable to conceive a child. And
though this was disheartening to the couple, it also put God’s promise into jeopardy.
Abraham was promised that his descendents would be as numerous as the stars, and
Isaac was the heir. The entire fate of the Hebrew people was dependent upon
this marriage between Isaac and Rebekah. As we all know, life is never quite as
simple as “happily ever after.” Life, for all of its joys and blessings, is
also full of trials and challenges. Most of us can handle good news, but how we
respond to the struggles of life will not only say a lot about who we are, but
will also dictate how we experience life.
