Persistent Prayer
God is pleased when we turn to Him for help.
Genesis(51) (Part of the Origins(50) series)
by Stuart Johns(55) on September 21, 2025 (Sunday Morning(71))
Answered Prayer(2), Grace(5), Omniscient(1), Sovereignty(5)
Origins
Persistent Prayer
(Genesis 25:19-26)
INTRODUCTION
“The doctor told Marsha Mark and her husband they needed to accept the fact they would never have biological children.
Amid the discouragement, Marsha clung to a friend’s words: ‘Somehow, Marsha, God is going to use your struggle with infertility for his glory.’ Marsha began to pray for a glimpse of that glory. In her words:
I'd asked everyone I knew to pray. One 5-year-old gave God suggestions: ‘Dear God, please send Marsha a baby. Maybe someone could give her one, or she could just find one on the street. Amen.’
My husband stopped praying when we realized that I was beginning menopause. Being a scientist, Tom had seen all the facts. And in his lifetime, he'd never seen prayer change facts.
Six months later, I made an appointment for some tests, including one more pregnancy test.
They looked at me with pity and said, ‘No. You haven't had any cycles for seven months. Asking for another pregnancy test indicates you are not accepting things as they are.’
I begged for the extra test and finally convinced them. The test came back positive.
Over the next 14 days, I had four more pregnancy tests and three more sonograms at the hospital's request. I think this time they were having trouble dealing with the facts.
My full-term pregnancy was uneventful, unless you count every day bathed in praise for the answer to our prayer. On October 22, 1996, Amanda Joy was born. We call her Miracle Mandy.”
Source: Marsha Marks, "Special Delivery," Christian Reader (Sep/Oct 2000), pp. 15-17.
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2001/december/13439.html].
BODY
ME
Seth’s lump on his belly
When our middle son was two years old I found a pea-sized lump in the middle of his belly while I was giving him a bath
Our family practice doctor was not too concerned about it initially, thinking it was a lymph node
He was on the lower side of the growth chart, so the doctor was considering putting him on growth hormones
Over several months we watched the lump grow from the size of a pea to the size of half dollar around and raised about a half inch to an inch off his body
While at a family gathering some of Judy’s family said that they were not aware of a lymph node in that area of the body
They recommended a surgeon for us to see for a second opinion
He did not know what it was, but wanted to have it removed
Surgery to remove the lump
Seth was three years old when he had surgery to remove the lump
The lump on his belly was a mesenchymoma (a rare tumor that develops from primitive mesenchymal cells, which are the cells that give rise to various tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, and fat)
The lump had a healthy vascular system and it was growing instead of Seth
We joking tell people that it was his twin that never developed (I’m not sure how we would have handled two boys like Seth)
Persistent prayer
Judy and I prayed a lot during the time that Seth had that lump on his belly
We prayed a lot when he went in for surgery
We had many family and friends praying for him
We did not really want him to start growth hormones
God answered our prayers
After the lump was removed, he began to grow
He never had to go on growth hormones
He is healthy today and taller than me
WE
Many of us can probably remember a time when we prayed persistently/fervently
Perhaps it was about a health concern for ourselves or a family member or friend
Maybe it was about a situation at work or school that had us stressed out and anxious
For some of us it had to do with a relationship
Others may have prayed persistently for a financial concern
All of us have probably prayed for the salvation of a parent, child, sibling, relative or close friend
Continuing in persistent prayer
Many of us may still be praying fervently for one of the situations mentioned above
Keep it up – do not stop!
Isaac knew where to turn when his wife, Rebekah, was struggling to get pregnant. As we will see today, he persisted in prayer for 20 years. Rebekah knew where to turn when she did not understand what was happening with the pregnancy. Both Isaac and Rebekah help us to learn that…
BIG IDEA – God is pleased when we turn to Him for help.
Let’s pray
GOD (Genesis 25:19-26)
Pre-birth (vv. 19-20)
Toledot
This is the account of…
This is the eighth one – there will two more in the book of Genesis
This section begins in Gen. 25:19 and extends to Gen. 35:29
We will be learning about the line of Isaac
Micro-genealogy
Abraham became the father of Isaac
Notice that Sarah is not mentioned here, but that is probably because she is mentioned in Ishmael’s micro-genealogy in Genesis 25:12
The original hearers would have made the connection, since they were following the entire Genesis narrative
Isaac’s marriage
Micro-marriage narrative
This marriage narrative is brief, because we already saw the entire narrative in Genesis 24
The narrator does not need to repeat all of the details of how Isaac and Rebekah met
He does provide the name of Rebekah’s father (Bethuel) and brother (Laban) and their nationality (Aramean)
He also reminded us of where they lived – Paddan Aram
Paddan Aram is probably another name for Aram Naharaim that was mentioned in Genesis 24:10
The location would have been in Northwest Mesopotamia – northeast of Canaan
New information to the marriage narrative
While Isaac’s age, when he got married, could probably be calculated from the other passages it is stated directly in verse 20
Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah [#1 – Young people, how old was Isaac when he married Rebekah? (40)]
As we will see, this section of verses is bookended by the mention of Isaac’s age (he was 40 when he married Rebekah and 60 when she gave birth to twins)
There was a twenty year span of time between verse 20 and verse 26
Isaac and Rebekah are married, but they are experiencing some problems
Prayer (vv. 21-22)
Isaac
Isaac’s problem was that he could not get his wife pregnant
Rebekah was barren just like her mother-in-law, Sarah, had been
How would Isaac and Rebekah handle the same issue his parents faced?
Would they repeat the actions of Abraham and Sarah and rely on a human solution?
God told Abraham that the covenant son would come from he and Sarah, but as the years went by they got impatient and chose their own plan instead of waiting on God’s plan
Isaac prayed, persistently
We are not told when Isaac began to pray on behalf of his wife
Perhaps he started as soon as a month or a year after being married – that would have been a sufficient amount of time to wait and recognize that Rebekah was not getting pregnant
Isaac continued to pray for the next 19 years before the Lord answered his prayers
God answered his prayers
Rebekah became pregnant!
God had been answering his prayers all along, He said, “Wait!”
That must have been so difficult to experience
I’m sure Abraham and Sarah had communicated with Isaac about his miraculous conception and birth
Isaac knew God’s character
God is sovereign (He has the right to rule and He rules rightly)
“The entire Book of Genesis emphasizes the sovereignty of God and the wisdom of His ‘delays.’” [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Pentateuch, 116]
He also knew God’s covenant promise to his father, Abraham, that a great nation would come from he and Sarah, which meant that Isaac, as the covenant carrier, would have children
Genesis 22:15-18, The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand of the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.
Because of God’s character and His promise, Isaac persisted in prayer for Rebekah
God is pleased when we turn to Him for help.
That is exactly what Isaac did, he turned to the Lord for help and cried out to Him in prayer
What an awesome God we serve!
Application
PRINCIPLE #1 – God answers prayer!
It may not be in the way we want
We want God to answer “Yes” to our prayers,
For healing (physical, relational, spiritual)
To fix the situation at work, school, or in our neighborhood
To provide for our financial needs
To deal with the cultural and political divides in our family and country
To provide comfort in our loss, etc.
We have to acknowledge and accept that sometimes God’s answer is “No” or “Wait” [#2 – Young people, what are the three ways that God can answer our prayers? (Yes, No, Wait)]
Those two answers can be hard to accept and can cause us to question whether God hears our prayers or cares about our situation
Let me encourage you today with the truths of God’s Word
Lamentations 3:55-57, I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my pleas: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.”
Isaiah 65:24, Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
1 John 5:14-15, This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.
“It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get our will done in heaven but to get God’s will done on earth.…True prayer means being concerned about God’s will, not our own want, and claiming God’s promises in the Word.” [Wiersbe, 116]
Psalm 34:17-18, The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
2 Chronicles 7:14, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Those are just some of the truths we find in Scripture about God hearing and answering our prayers
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Acknowledge that God answers prayer, even if it is not how I would like.
PRINCIPLE #2 – We can rest in God’s promise until He answers our prayer.
It may not be in accordance with our timing
How many of us would be willing to admit that we have or are questioning God’s timing about answering a certain prayer
We want our family member to turn from their evil ways and believe in Jesus for salvation
We want God to heal us immediately from whatever is ailing us
We want God to provide a financial windfall, so we can pay off debt or pay our bills on time
We want God to provide a spouse for us right now
We want God to heal our land today
We want God to bring comfort from the pain we are suffering because of the loss of a loved one
We want God to bring immediate reconciliation to a broken relationship
We want God to fix the situation at work or school that is causing us fear and anxiety
Take a moment to acknowledge the prayer that you want the Lord to answer immediately
Isaac
I’m sure that Isaac wanted the Lord to immediately answer his prayer concerning Rebekah’s barrenness
He rested in God’s promise until He answered
He did not try to fix the problem through human means
“They had to hold on in faith; every believer has to learn to do that.” [Baldwin, The Bible Speaks Today, The Message of Genesis 12-50, 105]
Us
We can do the same thing that Isaac did
We can rest in God’s promise that He hears our prayers
He is aware of the situation you are currently experiencing
He has not forgotten you
His answer right now is either “No” or “Wait”
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Rest in God’s promise that He will answer my prayer about __________ in His perfect timing.
God is pleased when we turn to Him for help.
Isaac’s problem was that he could not get his wife pregnant, but Rebekah had a problem after she was pregnant
Rebekah
Rebekah’s problem was she did not understand what was happening with the babies in her womb
Jostling
We do not know if Rebekah realized that she was carrying twins
She just knew that there was a lot of movement happening in her womb
The meaning of the word “jostled” is significant
It “means ‘to crush or oppress,’ suggesting that the fetal movements were not normal.” [Wiersbe, 116]
It can also mean “a violent collision, a crushing or breaking.” [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Genesis 11:27-50:26, Vol. 1B, 386]
It was not one-sided – they were both hitting and moving around [#3 – Young people, what were the babies doing in Rebekah’s womb? (fighting/crushing/colliding)]
Perhaps she had talked with other mothers to see what their pregnancy experience had been like – did their babies move around a lot or were they pretty docile and only moved every once in a while
“Events during pregnancy and birth were often considered ominous, so Rebekah inquires of the Lord to try to determine whether the ‘jostling’ is significant.” [Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, Genesis, 548]
Rhetorical question
“Why is this happening to me?”
If other mothers had not experienced this kind of jostling then why was this happening to her, especially since she had been barren for so long
She knew where to turn
She inquired of the Lord
“…she booked a counseling appointment with the wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6)—the only One who could identify the source of her struggle.” [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament, Volume 1: Genesis-Job, 122]
God is pleased when we turn to Him for help.
PRINCIPLE #1 – God answers prayer!
The Lord answered her with a pronouncement, a revelation
Pronouncement (v. 23)
Insider information
The Lord shared insider information with Rebekah, literally
She learned that she was expecting two babies, twin sons
It was more than just two sons in her womb, but two nations
“That the oracle speaks of two ‘nations’ shows that the prophecy and its fulfillment look beyond the brothers to their descendants.” [Mathews, 388]
These two nations would be separated, which explained why they were jostling in her womb
One people would be stronger than the other
The older would serve the younger
The Lord was letting Rebekah know what would happen in the future with the descendants of these two sons
What do we learn about God from verse 23
Application
PRINCIPLE #3 – God is omniscient (all knowing).
God already knew what was going to happen with these two babies
He already knew the future of their descendants
He knew that both sons would form a nation of people
He knew that one people would be stronger than the other
He knew that the older son would serve the younger son, although this would not be fulfilled until the time of David as 2 Sam. 8:12-14 highlights [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 178]
God knows everything about the situation you are currently crying out to Him about
PRINCIPLE #4 – God is sovereign.
God knew which son would be the covenant carrier, before they were even born
By God’s sovereign grace and will, He was already choosing the younger son as the covenant carrier
This was contrary to the culture of the day and the long standing tradition that the elder son would rule over the younger son(s)
“God’s continual overturning of primogeniture rights in Genesis signifies God’s sovereign control and gracious election…” [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 359]
God’s sovereignty also includes His mercy
Romans 9:10-15, Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
God’s sovereign grace and will is seen throughout Scripture in choosing Isaac over Ishmael, Zerah over Perez, Joseph/Benjamin over the older brothers, Ephraim over Manasseh, David over his older brothers, and Solomon over Adonijah [Hamilton, 177]
God knows about the situation you are currently facing and His sovereign grace will guide you through it
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Trust in God’s omniscient, sovereign grace to guide me through ___________.
It was time for these twin boys to enter the world
Progenitors (vv. 24-26a)
Esau
The first to come out was red
“It may refer either to the color of Esau’s skin or to the color of his hair, although the latter is more likely.” [Hamilton, 178]
Imagine giving birth to a baby that was covered in red hair
His whole body was covered in hair [#4 – Young people, what was Esau’s body covered with? (hair)]
They named him Esau, which may mean hairy
Later we will learn that Esau also went by the name Edom, which means red
Jacob
The second son came out holding on to Esau’s heel
They named him Jacob, which literally means “he grasps the heel”
Figuratively it means, “he deceives”
God had answered Isaac and Rebekah’s prayers
God is pleased when we turn to Him for help.
Post-birth (v. 26b)
The other bookend tells us that Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah gave birth to Esau and Jacob [#5 – Young people, how old was Isaac when Esau and Jacob were born? (60)]
Isaac had persistently prayed for 20 years for these wonderful boys
YOU
Are you ready to acknowledge that God answers prayer, even if it is not how you would like?
What prayer request do you need rest in God’s promise and timing for until He answers?
What situation do you need to trust in God’s omniscient, sovereign grace to guide you through?
WE
We need to acknowledge that God answers prayer, even if it is not how we would like Him to answer.
We need to rest in God’s promise and timing until He answers our prayers.
In what area do we need to trust in God’s omniscient, sovereign grace to guide us through?
CONCLUSION
“As a single parent with a full-time job and three young children, I often listen to Christian radio as an extra source of strength to cope with my day-to-day responsibilities. One day, the sermon talked about how children are God's rewards to parents. Several days later a sibling skirmish broke out into shoving.
‘Cut that out right now,’ I scolded. ‘Or you'll go to your rooms until you can cool down.’ Then my youngest piped up, ‘Now remember, Mom, we're your rewards.’”
Source: Violet Hart, Lexington, NC. "Heart to Heart," Today's Christian Woman.
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1996/october/349.html]
