God My Redeemer

Isaiah 54

4“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.You will forget the shame of your youth    and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

5 For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;    he is called the God of all the earth. 6 The Lord will call you back    as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit—a wife who married young,    only to be rejected,” says your God.

We have many female Bible heroes who have been referenced countless times throughout history—Sarah, Rahab, Deborah, Hannah, Ruth, the woman with the issue of blood, the woman at the well, Priscilla, and the mother of them all, Mary. Yet, we hear less about women like Hagar and Leah. Personally, I feel deeply drawn to these women, not because of what they did but because of who God was to them. Their stories reveal unique aspects of God’s character— His love, compassion, provision, and protection—and the ways He redeems and includes us in His greater story.

Lets start with Leah, she was a pawn caught in a story she didn’t design or desire, her destiny decided by her father who betrothed her to a husband who did not love her. Jacob loved Rachel, Leah’s sister, but as we know, after working several years to marry Rachel, Laban tricked him and gave Leah in marriage instead. Jacob had to work several more years to finally marry Rachel.

Jacob showed no affection for Leah, yet she continued to bear him one son after another. Recently, I found myself wondering why the chosen lineage of Jesus would come from the tribe of Judah, Leah’s son. Judah wasn’t the firstborn or even the second. Then, I came across a commentary that truly blew my mind. For each son Leah had before Judah, the meaning of their names reflected her longing for Jacob’s affection.

• Reuben - Meaning: "See, a son" or "Behold, a son."

  • Reason for the name: Leah said, "It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now" (Genesis 29:32).

  • Significance: This name reflects Leah's hope that her son's birth would finally earn her Jacob’s love.

• Simeon - Meaning: "He has heard."

  • Reason for the name: Leah said, "Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too" (Genesis 29:33).

  • Significance: Leah believed God heard her prayers and blessed her with another son.

• Levi - Meaning: "Joined" or "Attached."

  • Reason for the name: Leah said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons" (Genesis 29:34).

  • Significance: This name expresses Leah's continued hope for a closer bond with Jacob.

    
    

In those times, bearing sons for one’s husband was considered a significant achievement. Leah didn’t choose her marriage; she was placed in a situation she never desired. Still, she tried to make the best of it, hoping to find love in a circumstance she hadn’t chosen. God blessed her with children while Rachel struggled to conceive, yet even this wasn’t enough to earn Jacob’s love. “When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.” Genesis 29:31

The turning point for Leah came when she shifted her focus from Jacob to the Lord—the true source of her worth, the One who truly saw her, loved her, and cared for her. When Leah gave birth to Judah, his name marked this profound change in her heart.

• Judah - Meaning: "Praise."

  • Reason for the name: Leah said, "This time I will praise the Lord" (Genesis 29:35).

  • Significance: With Judah’s birth, Leah turned her attention away from seeking her husband’s approval and instead praised God.

    
    

This time I will praise the Lord. Wow! We don’t know for certain if this is why Jesus came from the line of Judah, but it feels so fitting, so consistent with God’s character as a Redeemer. What a way to honor Leah! It’s as if God was saying, "I see you, my daughter, and this is how I will bless your bloodline. Jacob may not have valued you, but I do, and I will repay the years you were unloved and unseen."

I love this! Truly, I do. It’s such a beautiful reminder of God’s love, redemption, and His ability to use every part of our story for His glory. It reminds us of the importance of keeping Him at the center of our affection and desires, staying rooted in Him, and praising Him for every good gift. It’s a powerful reminder that nothing on earth can truly satisfy us—He alone is the source of our identity and self-worth. When those who should love us—whether a husband, parent, or child—fail to do so, God remains steadfast. To all the women longing for the affection of a husband in particular, I urge you to turn your eyes to Jesus. His love is unfailing, and He will always redeem and restore.

Idolizing Happiness

Life might be be life-ing but God be God-ing!

Although I have often seen good results from the trials in my life, I have always been trial-averse. I’ve been the person who wants to avoid trials at all costs—hop, jump, skip, crawl—anything to avoid facing something hard and difficult. Especially after reaching a certain age, I felt as though I had already been through enough. What more could God want from me? If He loved me, He wouldn’t do this, I often thought. I didn’t want grace to take me through; I wanted to avoid it altogether. It’s been an interesting paradox—these trials have been the foundation of how God shows up and builds my faith, yet at the same time, I’ve found myself not wanting to face them because they’re so hard.

I set myself up for disappointment, always hoping to be happy and avoid trials. This mindset trapped me in a prison, preventing me from living freely, not realizing that God has me, and no trial could ever truly ruin me. So, I sought to escape reality, clinging to what I believed would make me happy. My escape became hours of watching TV and, more recently, turning to food for comfort. My mindset was, “I just need to get into heaven—keep the mansion, as long as I get in!” So short-sighted in my heavenly aspirations.

Did this stop the trials from coming? Oh no! Certainly not! And when they came, I often fought in prayer and supplication to overcome, but mixed in that process was sometimes a whole lot of “Why me, Lord?” I do firmly believe in the salvation of Jesus Christ, so I often get to where I need to be, but it’s often delayed because I'm wrestling with God!

I believed in my salvation, but I struggled to feel loved by God because I tied what was happening in my life to whether He loved me or not. I often saw God as a taskmaster, constantly refining me without tenderness. Oh, how wrong I was! I’m so happy that now I know differently.

It has been liberating to accept that life will have both valleys and mountaintops. Either way, with God by my side, I will be okay, no matter what! Getting to the place where His companionship in the trial is all I need was hard for me. Like I said, I felt that the all-powerful God could stop it instead. Why not stop it, Dad? I always knew that trials were necessary, but now it’s clearer than ever—because of what they will produce in me and for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God. You see, my life is not my own—I’m not central to this story; Jesus is.

The moment I realized this thing called life isn’t about me, things started to shift as my perspective shifted. It’s all about God’s Kingdom agenda, not my comfort. It’s also about who He wants me to become. The sooner you embrace life’s challenges, the more freely you can truly live, knowing that these challenges will never get the best of you, ever—because you know He is with you ALWAYS!

Let’s not idolize happiness but give our attention and praise to the Triune God! The centrality of it all is knowing that a time will come when there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more sickness. We cannot idolize our time here on earth because it is TEMPORARY!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."Jeremiah 29:11

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."James 1:2-4

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."Hebrews 12:11

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."Romans 8:28

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me."John 14:6

"Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."John 11:25-26

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."John 3:16

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

What's in a Name?

When my mom named me, it was a simple suggestion that she agreed to. She didn't delve too deeply into the significance; it sounded acceptable, so she embraced it. I am now in awe, coming to the realization that what seemed like happenstance was a deliberate, purposeful design by God. You see, I've been on an identity quest, quite possibly my whole life. I am always in search of the cliché - Who am I? Why am I here? And what am I supposed to be doing? God has consistently revealed this to me in many ways, one such was simply from my name, Sara.

I always knew I had a derivative of a biblical name, but somehow, I didn’t feel very connected to it the way some people are. But last year during a fast, I was hit by a revelation. The Lord dropped in my spirit, "Walk in the purpose of your name, learn from your matriarch." I was intrigued and went researching. I knew Sarah’s story very well, but I must admit that for me it is her husband, Abraham that was always the star in that story. So Sarah gave birth to Isaac in her old age, a fulfillment of God’s promise to this elderly couple. I was flabbergasted that I had previously not seen the similarity between us. In that, fertility wasn’t easy for both of us, but we both have miraculous sons.

But what could I learn from Sarah, a bible hero that I admittedly didn’t think too much about before now? If you read the story in the book of Genesis, you would see that Abraham’s wife's first name was Sarai, and it means “a princess.” As part of how God’s destiny plan for this couple, he renamed them, and Sarai became Sarah meaning “My princess.”

It may seem simple on the surface but that shift from “a” to “my” meant the world to me. It’s like God saying to me, you are not just a princess, you are my princess. While navigating the challenges of finding a sense of belonging and validation from a father figure, it was significant for me to hear the Lord whisper in my spirit, “You are my princess.” Hallelujah! It gives me a deeper sense of acceptance that has ignited a spirit of purpose. I am royalty in the kingdom of God. Yeeessssssss!

So now when I tell you that my name means so much to me, it has given me a glimpse of how God sees me. I now feel empowered to walk in my princessness. There was so much more I learned from Sarah that I wanted to share.

1. Nothing is impossible with God.

2. God always delivers on His promises.

3. God’s timing is always perfect.

4. Patience is a virtue.

5. Infertility is not a punishment.

6. We all mess up, and God doesn’t hold it against us.

7. There is power in submitting to man whose heart is after God.

8. Following God isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it.

9. Laughter of doubt can turn into laughter of joy.

10. There is nothing to hard for the Lord

God knew the identity struggles I would have and what this name would mean to me in this season of my life and the lessons I could hold in my heart from Sarah. Before I knew myself, this was already set in motion, and it blows my mind. I am so grateful for the purposefulness of God. I am what He says I am, and I am His princess.

Help me to love the girl I see, the one in the mirror staring back at me

Help her know she is not what anyone did to her but everything that you put in her

Help her to see her worth, yes that that girl staring back at me

Help me to love her, yes that girl staring back at me

Help me see what you see in that girl staring back at me! (Written by me Sara)