Emmanuel God With Us in Her Story Part 1

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Welcome to a special two -part Christmas series

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of Her God Story, Emmanuel, God with us in her

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story. Together we'll journey through the series

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of women in the family line of Jesus, discovering

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how their struggles, longings, and faith point

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us to the hope of Christmas. Merry Christmas,

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dear friends, and welcome to this special episode

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of Her God Story, where you will always hear

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stories to encourage and inspire you in your

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walk with the Lord. I'm your host, Jodie Chiricosta.

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ministry leader at Somebody Cares America and

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international author and traveler on this incredible

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journey of faith. Scriptures quoted in this episode

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are all from the New International Version. Now

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Christmas is one of my favorite times of year,

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not just because of the lights and the music

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and the gifts, but because it reminds us of something

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far greater that God himself came near. From

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the very beginning, Ever since Adam and Eve's

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choice brought sin and sorrow into the world,

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every human heart has carried a deep cry for

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rescue, for justice, for peace, and for restored

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closeness with our Creator. Romans 8 tells us

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that all creation has been groaning as in the

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pains of childbirth waiting for redemption. Can

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you feel it in your soul? That longing has echoed

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across generations. You can hear it in the ancient

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carol, O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive

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Israel. that mourns in lonely exile here, until

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the Son of God appear. That cry is not only Israel's,

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it's ours too. Come Lord, rescue us, redeem us,

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restore us, be with us. Through the ages, people

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have lifted their voices with the same yearning.

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O come, thou wisdom from on high, and order all

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things, bar and nigh, to us. The path of wisdom

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show and teach us in her ways to go. From generation

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to generation, the same cry rose from the hearts

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of men and women alike, longing for freedom,

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peace, justice, restoration, longing for God

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himself. And God answered, Emmanuel came, God

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with us. But before that holy night in Bethlehem,

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God was already weaving redemption in the lives

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of his people. Men and women whose struggles,

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longings, and faith pointed us forward to Christ.

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Today, we'll look at four women in the lineage

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of Jesus. Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Tamar. Each

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of them knew what it was to wait, to struggle,

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to feel rejected or wronged. And yet through

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every circumstance, they discovered that God

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was near. Sarah's story is found in Genesis chapters

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12 through 21. She was married to Abram, later

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called Abraham, and together they followed God's

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call into an unknown land, trusting his promise

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that their descendants would one day be as numerous

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as the stars in the sky. But as years passed,

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that promise must have felt harder and harder

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to believe. Now Sarah was beautiful. She was

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admired. She was wealthy. but her heart carried

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a deep ache. She was barren, and in her culture,

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childlessness was seen as very shameful. Every

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month, every year, must have been a reminder

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of what had not happened. In her pain, Sarah

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tried to fix things herself. She gave her servant

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Hagar to Abraham to bear a child in her place,

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but that plan only brought jealousy and division

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and sorrow. Still, God did not withdraw his promise,

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even in her failure. When Sarah was nearly 90

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years old, the angel of the Lord came and told

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Abraham that she, yes, Sarah, would bear a son.

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Sarah laughed. Who wouldn't? Her laughter was

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part disbelief and part self -protection. She'd

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stop daring to hope, but God gently asked, is

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anything too hard for the Lord? And at the appointed

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time, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the child of

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promise. Her laughter of disbelief turned to

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laughter of joy. She said, God has brought me

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laughter. And everyone who hears about this will

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laugh with me. In Genesis 21 six, Sarah's story

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shows us that waiting does not mean God has forgotten

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us. His timing is perfect. We may not think so.

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But his promises are sure. Christmas reminds

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us that at just the right time, God sent his

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son, born of a woman, to redeem the world. Just

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as he gave Sarah her promised child, he gave

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the world his promised savior, Emmanuel, God

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with us. So if you're waiting, if it feels like

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God's promise to you is delayed or impossible,

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remember Sarah. Her story teaches us that God's

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word never fails. and his presence never leaves

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us even in the waiting. Rebecca's story told

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in Genesis chapters 24 through 27 reveals a God

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whose purposes cannot be thwarted. When Abraham

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sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac, he

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prayed for a specific sign that the right woman

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would offer not only him, but also his 10 camels

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water to drink, which was a very tall order.

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And before the servant could even finish praying,

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God had already answered. Rebecca came to the

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well and did exactly that. It must have taken

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her hours. She was strong, generous, full of

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grace, traits that would mark her life. Leaving

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her family behind, Rebecca journeyed to a distant

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land to marry Isaac. It was an act of bravery

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and obedience. Like Sarah, she also faced the

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pain of barrenness. But when Isaac prayed for

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her, God answered. She conceived, but her pregnancy

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was difficult. The twins inside her seemed to

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be at war and she cried out to God asking, why?

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The Lord answered that two nations were in her

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womb and that the older would serve the younger.

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You can find that in Genesis 25, 23. God's purpose

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was clear even before the boys were born. But

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as the boys grew, favoritism divided the family.

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Isaac favored Esau. Rebecca, remembering the

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promise, favored Jacob. The household was filled

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with tension and competition, and in her anxiety

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to protect the promise, Rebecca took matters

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into her own hands, deceiving Isaac so that Jacob

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received the blessing meant for Esau, which poured

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fuel on their rivalry. Fearing for Jacob's life,

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Rebecca convinced Isaac to send him to her brother's

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home far away to find a wife within their clan.

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putting him and her hopes into God's hands. Her

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interference brought heartache and separation,

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but even so, God's covenant promise remained.

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She must have felt like a failure as a mom, but

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nothing. Not her mistakes, not her family's dysfunction.

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Nothing could stop God's plan. And that's a comfort

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for us today. Like Rebecca, we sometimes try

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to force God's hand and control outcomes we can't

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see clearly. But God's promises are bigger than

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our errors. His faithfulness runs deeper than

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our failures. Emmanuel, God with us, means His

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presence is working even when we can't see how.

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Christmas reminds us that the same God who worked

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through imperfect families and flawed people

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brought forth the Messiah from their family line.

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If He could weave redemption through Rebekah's

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complicated story, He can do the same in ours.

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His purposes always stand firm. Leah's story

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found in Genesis chapter 29 through 35 may be

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one of the most sad but tender stories in all

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of scripture. Leah was the older sister of Rachel

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and the Bible tells us that while Rachel was

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lovely in form and beautiful, Leah had weak eyes.

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We don't know exactly what that means, but we

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do know this, she was not the one her husband

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Jacob wanted. And it seemed no other man did

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either. Because after Jacob served the father

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Laban for seven years for Rachel's hand, Laban

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deceitfully and secretively married Leah to him

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instead. When morning came and Jacob realized

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it was Leah, he was furious. And after their

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forced bridal week, he was quick to marry Rachel

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too. So Leah, existed in the shadow of her younger

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sister, feeling disappointed and even rejection

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from her husband. Imagine living day after day

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beside your sister, knowing your husband's affection

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was never yours. Leah longed for love that never

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came. But the Bible says in Genesis 29, 31, when

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the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled

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her to conceive. With each child born, Leah hoped

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her husband's heart would turn toward her. She

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named her first son Reuben saying the Lord has

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seen my misery surely my husband will love me

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now Her second son Simeon meant the Lord heard

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Because she said the Lord heard that I'm not

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loved with hope she named her third Levi saying

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now at last My husband will become attached to

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me But Jacob's heart remained with bear and Rachel

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Then something shifted when her fourth son was

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born Leah said this time I will praise the Lord."

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And she named him Judah. It was as if she finally

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realized that even if human love failed her,

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God's love never would. From that moment, her

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focus turned from her husband's affection to

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her creator's faithfulness. And God chose Leah,

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not Rachel, to be part of the lineage of Christ.

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The Messiah came through Judah's line. Jesus

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Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the savior

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of the world, descended from the woman everyone

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overlooked. If you've ever felt unseen, undervalued,

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or unwanted, Leah's story speaks straight to

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you. God sees you. He knows your name, your pain,

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and your worth. The Lord who saw Leah's tears

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sees yours too. And Emmanuel, God with us, has

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come to dwell with the humble and the forgotten.

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The Christmas story began in a manger, not in

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a palace, reminding us that no one escapes God's

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notice. Tamar's story is not an easy one. It's

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filled with pain, betrayal, and deceit. You'll

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find it in Genesis 38. Tamar was married to Judah's

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oldest son, but he died before giving her a child.

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By law and custom, Judah's second son, was to

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marry her and provide an heir, but he refused

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and he died too. Judah then promised that his

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youngest son would marry her when he grew older,

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but Judah broke that promise. Tamar was sent

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away, forgotten, and left vulnerable in a culture

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where a woman without a husband or children faced

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poverty and shame years past. Judah went on with

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his life, but Tamar had no protection, no future,

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and no hope. Desperate, she disguised herself

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as a temple prostitute and positioned herself

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where Judah would pass. He did not recognize

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her, and so he slept with her, leaving behind

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his seal and his staff as collateral. Later,

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when Tamar was found to be pregnant, Judah condemned

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her until she revealed that he was the father.

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Then in Genesis 38, 26, he said, she's more righteous

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than I. Through their union, twin sons were born,

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Perez and Zera, securing her place, her protection,

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and a very unexpected future. It's a messy story

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riddled with broken promises and injustice, but

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it's also a story of vindication and redemption.

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God did not abandon Tamar. He took what others

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meant for harm and he wove it into his redemption

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plan. It's through Perez that her name was etched

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into the lineage of King David and ultimately

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of Jesus the Messiah. In Tamar's cry for justice,

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Emmanuel, God with us, drew near to rewrite her

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story. Tamar's courage in the face of injustice

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became part of God's redemptive plan. Her story

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reminds us that God sees every wrong and every

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betrayal. He is the defender of the vulnerable

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and the restorer of the forgotten. At Christmas,

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we celebrate the one who came to set things right.

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Emmanuel, God with us, came to bring justice,

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to heal what's broken and to rewrite stories

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marked by pain. So if you've been treated unjustly

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or overlooked, take heart. The God who redeemed

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Tamar's life and wrote her into the lineage of

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Jesus Christ is still at work today. His justice

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may take time, but it will come. His presence

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will sustain you until it does. Sarah, Rebecca,

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Leah, and Tamar remind us that God is not distant.

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He is near in our waiting, in our struggles,

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in our rejection, and in times of injustice.

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Each of these women's lives was woven into God's

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grand story of redemption, each one pointing

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us to the birth of Christ. So with them, we can

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rejoice. God keeps his promises, just as he did

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for Sarah. God's promises stand firm as he showed

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Rebekah. God sees the overlooked as he saw Leah

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and God brings justice as he did for Tamar. Rejoice!

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Rejoice! Emmanuel has come. He came for Sarah

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who waited in barrenness. He came for Rebekah

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whose household was torn by strife. He came for

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Leah who lived in rejection. He came for Tamar

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who suffered injustice. And he's come for you

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too. If God can weave their stories into His

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plan, He can weave yours too. So this Christmas,

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echo the carol's refrain. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

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has come to thee, O Israel, and rejoice that

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Emmanuel has come for you too. This Christmas,

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may you rest in this truth. Emmanuel, God with

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us, is near. His promises stand firm. His love

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still redeems. His presence is still with us.

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Let me pray for you. Heavenly Father, thank you.

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Thank you for sending Emmanuel, God, with us.

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Thank you for Sarah and Rebecca and Leah and

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Tamar, whose lives show us that you keep promises,

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that your purposes always prevail, that you see

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the overlooked, and that you bring justice where

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the world has failed. For each listener today,

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Lord, I ask that you draw a mirror in their waiting.

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and in their struggles, and in their loneliness,

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and in times of injustice. Remind them that Emmanuel

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has come for them, and that you are still writing

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their story with hope. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Friend, as you go, I bless you with this truth,

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God is with you. May you experience His peace

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in your waiting, experience His comfort in your

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struggles, experience His love when you feel

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unseen. and know His justice where you've been

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wronged. This Christmas, may you rejoice in Emmanuel,

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God with us. Thank you for joining me for this

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special Christmas episode of Her God Story. This

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is just the beginning. In our next episode, we'll

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continue with the stories of Rahab and Ruth and

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Bathsheba and Mary, women who also discovered

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that Emmanuel had come and who point us directly

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to the birth of Christ. As you prepare your heart

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for Christmas, download your free companion devotional,

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Emmanuel God With Us In Her Story, as well as

00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:39.759
a devotion for men, Emmanuel God With Us In His

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Story, both at hergodstory .org. They will guide

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you day by day through the stories of these men

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or women who are in the lineage of Christ to

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help you reflect on how God is present in your

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life. And remember, you are not walking alone.

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If you need prayer, We'd love to stand with you.

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Call or text our Somebody Cares 24 -7 prayer

00:17:00.340 --> 00:17:07.339
line at 855 -459 -CARE or email prayer at somebodycares

00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:11.000
.org. At Christmas, we also reflect God's love

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by caring for the vulnerable. Through our Widow

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and Orphan Fund, Somebody Cares provides help

00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:18.539
for widows and orphans in crisis around the world.

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When we give, we join God in weaving redemption

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into someone else's story. You can learn more

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about it and give at HerGodStory .org. Until

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then, may you rejoice in Emmanuel, God with us.

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And remember, God is still writing your story.

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From all of us at Her God Story and Somebody

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Cares, Merry Christmas. May the joy of Emmanuel,

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God with us, fill your heart and home this season

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and in the year ahead.