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Gen. 29:34 Levi, “This time my husband will become attached to me.”

The name Levi means attached.  This third son of Jacob represents a period of increased devotion and commitment that must come to every believer’s life is they are to become fruitful for the Lord.  We are drawn to God by His lovingkindness and the Gospel of love, but along with this love relationship there must come a foundation of commitment.

Feelings of love do not always last.  The Lord knows we will need to make a quality decision to serve Him regardless of our feelings, so He brings His disciples to a point of decision whereby we are attached to the cause.   For the multitudes that followed Him, He says, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life within you.” (John 6:53) This was a hard saying, the disciples remarked, and it tested their resolve.  Will you follow the Son of Man even when the stakes are high, and it goes against what you think is convenient and easy?  Are you with Him only for the food and fish, or are you willing to commit for better or worse?  Are you attached?

Every ministry leader will come to a point whereby God tests your resolve.  I remember our young convert in Belarus, Vitaly.  He was only 16 when he first heard about God’s love for him, and he began following Christ at that age.  There came a point, however, when God called Vitaly into full-time ministry with Youth With A Mission, Belarus.  This call was not a feel-good tender wooing, but an invitation to commit.

Vitaly remembers saying very clearly to the Lord, “I will commit to serve you with YWAM for 10 years.”  He attached himself to the Lord and was willing to stay the course no matter the consequences.  18 years later, Vitaly is still serving full-time with YWAM and seeing fruit all over Eastern Europe because of his decision to commit.

Times will come in ministry where we are tempted to quit.  The romantic feeling of love for the Lord will sometimes be quiet and cold.  Difficulties in finances, relationships, ministry partners, and familiar foes will all come and ask us the same questions Jesus asked His disciples in John 6:67, “Do you also want to go away?”  Do you?

Peter’s only response was “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You alone have the words of eternal life.”  (John 6:68) These two truths cement our attachment.  First, that you are Lord and I am obliged to obey whatever you say.  One cannot say “No, Lord.”  Secondly, you have the words of life, eternal life.  For me to turn away from the would be forsaking the very source of my joy, sustenance, eternal destiny, and life.  We cannot flee from Thee, but rather we are forever attached.  Settle this.

God hears prayer.  That is the overwhelming testimony of Scripture.  From the beginning of Genesis when Adam “walked with God in the cool of the garden,” to Revelation when the “prayers of the saints” are poured out as incense on the earth, prayer expressed God’s longing and love to be with His people.

We must approach prayer from these two foundational truths:  God hears us, and God loves us.  Beginning with these simple steps like a little child, we are ushered into the presence of a welcoming, Almighty, Heavenly Father who delights to listen to the cries of His people.

We are not bothering, begging, manipulating, or cajoling God do answer our prayers.  Instead, we must begin with faith that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

So many Christians never even reach this first foundational stage of prayer whereby they enjoy coming to God and look forward to His love coming to them in the process.  Our Husband will love us.  There can be no doubt.  Like a bridegroom passionately desiring the affection of the bride, Jesus is referred to throughout the Scriptures as our beloved Husband who jealously longs for intimacy and love with us.

Have you settled this truth in your heart?  You are heard by God, and you are loved by Him, passionately.  This relation is the foundation of a steady and intimate prayer life.  1 John 5:14 says, “We have this confidence before Him, that whatever we ask Him, He hears.”

Hearing and loving are actions intertwined within this mystery of husband and wife that mirrors our intimacy with Christ.  Our spouses love to just be heard, and in hearing them we are loving them.  God as well is patient in His listening ear to the bride.  He does not disdain or dismiss her concerns, but “will avenger His elect who call out to Him day and night.”  God’s listening ear is the most privileged part of prayer.

As a young believer, and even as a seasoned “prayer warrior,” this posture of prayer is one we should master above all others.  Come to God as the loving Husband willing to hear your cries, and you will come from God more loved and secure that your needs will be met.  Love is the foundation of all successful interactions, particularly that of prayer.

Gen. 29:32 Reuben, “She conceived and bore a son,”

This first child of Leah and Jacob is a precursor to Christ.  Reuben literally means, “Behold, a son.”  He is the firstborn over all creation, and all things are given to Him as the pre-eminent Son of God.  Jesus is the Beginning and the End, Alpha and Omega.  In knowing Him, we enter in our relationship as believers and accepted children on the Father.

If you are to begin your prayer life with God, the Son must be the first entrance in.  He is the gate and source from which all blessing flow.  No matter how “advanced” or mature we become in our ministry and prayer life, we can never lose sight of the Son.  He ushers us into the presence of the Father.  He is our Advocate and Intercessor.  In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

We see Christ in Genesis when God sacrificed animals to cover the sin of Adam and Eve.  We see Christ in Exodus as the Passover Lamb whose blood was spread over the doorposts of the house.  He is the Angel that led Moses in the desert, the Rock from which the water flowed, the whisper to Elijah, and the wheels within the wheels of providence that Ezekiel saw above the river Kebar.

Christ’s omniscience and prescience are holding all things together. When Reuben is born, his parents echo the cry of heaven, “behold a son.”  This firstborn is the entrance into the kingdom, and we will never plumb the depths of His love, grace, and wisdom.

Begin with the Son and hold Him closely near throughout all the seasons of your life and ministry.