Yahweh: The God Who Hears Series

c. She treated her husband like a male prostitute because she thought these "love apples" would help her conceive.

7. So how does this show us that God hears us in spite of our mistakes? It shows us this in two ways.

a. God was fulfilling His promise to Jacob that he would have many descendants.

b. Eventually, once Rachel repents of her lack of faith, God answers her prayers and gives her a son.

B. Forgiveness

1. Now wait a minute! Doesn’t the Bible say that if we regard sin in our hearts that God won’t hear us?

2. Yes it does, but it also says that when we repent he forgives our sins and forgets they ever happened.

3. Illustration: A pastor’s son and his mom had been to a shopping and the boy had not behaved himself. As they were driving home, he could sense her displeasure and said, “When we ask God to forgive us when we are bad. He does, doesn’t he?” His mother replied, “Definitely, yes.”

The boy continued cautiously, “And when he forgives us. He buries our sins in the deepest sea, doesn’t he?” The mom replied, “Definitely, yes.”

The boy was silent for a while and then said, “I’ve asked God to forgive me, but I bet when we get home, you’re going fishing for those sins aren’t you?” The mother replied, “Definitely, yes!”

4. We serve a loving and forgiving God. He loves us and hears us in spite of our mistakes.

5. He is full of compassion, loving-kindness, and His mercies are new every morning.

6. Even when we make mistakes God hears us.

Transition: Another thing we learn about prayer is...

III. God Hears Us When We Are Persistent (22-24)

A. God Remembered Rachel

1. Read Gen. 30:22-24

2. Finally, Rachel’s prayers are answered. The text says "Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb."

a. Finally, Rachel gave birth to Joseph (yôsēp) but not by the mandrakes.

b. This shows that births are given by God, not manipulated by people. —Bible Knowledge Commentary

3. Finally, she started doing things God’s ways. She said "God has taken away my reproach."

a. She began trusting instead of scheming.

b. She began believing instead of envying.

c. She persevered and God answered.

4. Rachel’s firstborn, Joseph (24), would be the most powerful of all, and the father of both Ephraim and Manasseh. - New International Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM

5. We must also notice the change in Rachel. Verse 24 says "So she called his name Joseph, and said, "The LORD shall add to me another son."

a. She learned through perseverance that the way to receive the blessings of God was to have faith.

b. We can see her faith, because she says "The LORD shall add to me another son."

B. Never Give Up

1. We should be like the 3-year-old boy (that Paul Harvey told about) who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, "Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask."

She put him up in the cart & he sat in the little child’s seat while she wheeled down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. He saw the chocolate chip cookies & he stood up in the seat & said, “Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all.” So he sat back down.