Eden shares his thought for the week; God’s love hotting up.

I’m not sure about you, but with the weather right now heating up, it’s felt at times to be unbearable. Super hot and humid, our fans trying their best but not really doing a whole lot of cooling us down. Seeing some of the stories this past week of wars, riots and political pressures in the UK hitting boiling point – causing injuries and heartache for many people, in particular in Northern Ireland – got me thinking about how, in times where it feels like things are on top of us and the pressure and heat is getting too much to bear, we can take comfort in the story of Jacob and Rachel.

In Genesis, we see that Jacob is struck by the beauty of Rachel, both in terms of physical appearance and her personality. He’s besotted with her, and he agrees to work for her father, Laban, for seven years in order to gain her hand in marriage. During this time he’s working in intense heat, with little to no breaks and certainly no air conditioning – but he continues to labour because he knows that God has called him to Rachel, and he’s not willing to let outside pressures or difficulties stop him in his pursuit. In fact, Genesis 29:20 tells us that it felt like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

Despite deception from Laban – who tricks Jacob into marriage with Leah, her sister, and forces him to work another seven years for Rachel — Jacob doesn’t give up. In this, I think we can learn great perseverance from Jacob’s story, and take comfort in the fact that God’s love and God’s plan may have a different timing to what we expect, but he always protects us and loves us in a way far beyond our own understanding or expectation.

I pray that God can bless you in new ways this week. May he guide you in his plan for your life and protect you always. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.