The Secret Strength of Private Faith

Rebekah—The Strength of Discernment

(Part 4B) The Silent Struggle

While I continue to write and put together this part of Rebekah’s story, it is clear that the Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament, in that it’s not the big stories that God looks for; it is the smaller things that are hidden or covered up, so we lose sight of being Christ-centered.

Revisiting the Road to Negev

We witnessed and read the bold external “YES.” We saw her “Secret Strength” in action at the well—watering ten camels with a servant’s heart and a marathon-runner’s stamina. She recognized the call of The-Way and stepped off the edge of her known world, traveling 500 miles into a future she had never seen. Genesis 24:55-58 recalls her “yes” to go with the servant to meet Isaac, a man she knew nothing about.

The Silence After the “Yes”

What happens when the wheel meets the road and reality sinks in? After the dust of the 500-mile camel trek settles? What happens when the “mountain-top” moment of the wedding fades into “the quiet, repetitive rhythm of the valleys” of daily life?

In Part 4B, we peel back the layers of Rebekah’s discernment. We move from the physical strength of the journey to the spiritual stamina of the Silent Struggle. We bridge the gap from her ancient desert paths to our modern-day endurance, exploring what it takes to keep the faith when the adrenaline of the “Yes” is gone.

The Wait

Genesis 25:21: …because she was childless. As Sarah had been. Rebekah was barren for 20 years.

Some people will be able to relate: when a couple gets married, they normally conceive a child within two years. That is an exciting time for a couple. In Isaac and Rebekah’s case, they were childless, just like Sarah. But the difference was that Sarah tried to assist God by giving her servant, Hagar, to conceive an heir in order to ensure the lineage of Abraham and to help fulfill a promise. Rebekah, on the other hand, chose patience—a Secret Strength of Faith.

Imagine traveling over 500 miles from your home to a distant land to marry a person unknown to you, only to wait two decades before conceiving. Do you have the patience to wait on God and remain steady in The-Way?

Rebekah’s discernment told her that God’s timing was not a denial, but a preparation—a preparation such as the one at the well, where she gave a stranger water and then watered the camels in readiness for the long journey. While the world around her measured worth by immediate results, her “Secret Strength” was the ability to carry the weight of an unfulfilled promise without letting it crush her spirit.

Hebrews 10:35-36 (Endurance and Promise) “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

The Struggle of Private Faith

While Abraham saw the heartbreak and misery of Sarah, he was okay because he had an heir in Ishmael. Isaac, on the other hand, saw the struggle of his wife Rebekah—the struggle of private faith—and much like Christ, who is our advocate, Isaac interceded with prayer (Genesis 25:21).

21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

This was a couple who not only shared the bed but also shared the same private faith. Because of that, like Abraham, they were found to be righteous in the sight of God, not of good works but in a shared private faith. Their reward was an answer to the promise.

Inquire of the Lord

The “Silent Struggle” eventually gave way to a different type of challenge. When the twenty years of waiting finally ended in conception, the relief was short-lived. A new struggle began, but this time, it was internal. Rebekah felt a jarring conflict within her womb, a wrestling that felt more like a battle than a blessing.

Rebekah didn’t wait for a mediator. Her “Secret Strength” was her boldness. She had cultivated such a deep, private relationship with God during the twenty years of silence that when the storm hit, she knew exactly where the shelter was. She went straight to the Source.

Rebekah’s private faith became quieter as Esau and Jacob grew. Once again, she had to prepare for the eventual moment when she would be needed to step up.

Genesis 25:22-23

The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”

25:22 jostled each other. The struggle between Jacob and Esau began in the womb.

Once the Lord revealed the destiny of the two nations within her, Rebekah’s private faith became quieter and more observant. She carried that divine secret in her heart, much like Mary, the mother of Christ, who “pondered these things in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Both women faced the challenge of knowing a future that others did not—a path that, for Mary, would eventually lead to the heartbreak and triumph of the crucifixion.

As the boys grew, Rebekah remained in a season of watchful preparation, waiting for the eventual moment when she would be needed to step up and act on the revelation she held in secret.

The Conflict: A House DividedThe Battle of Two Natures

The friction in Rebekah’s household was a physical manifestation of a spiritual truth that Paul would later describe in Romans 7. Just as the boys wrestled in the womb, the “old nature” and the “new nature” wrestle within us.

Esau: The Voice of the Flesh Esau represents the “Old Nature.” He was a man of the field, driven by his senses, his hunger, and the immediate demands of the physical world. In the economy of the flesh, Esau was the favorite—he was strong, capable, and the firstborn. But as Romans 7:18 reminds us, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” Esau’s willingness to trade his eternal birthright for a temporary bowl of stew proved that the flesh can never sustain the Promise.
Jacob: The Seed of the Promise Jacob represents the “New Nature.” While he was far from perfect, he was the one through whom the Spirit was moving. Rebekah’s discernment allowed her to see past Jacob’s quiet nature and his flaws to see the The-Way that God had ordained. She understood that the Promise wouldn’t be won by the strength of a hunter, but by God’s election.

The Romans 7 Wrestling

The conflict Rebekah witnessed in her home is the same one we feel daily: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19)

Rebekah’s life shows us that we cannot be passive in this conflict. Just as she had to eventually “step up” to protect the promise from being given to the flesh (Esau), we must be vigilant in our private prayer to ensure our “new nature” in Christ remains the priority.

The Blindness of the Flesh: Isaac’s physical blindness mirrored a spiritual blind spot; he loved the “savory meat” of the old nature.
The Vision of the Spirit: Rebekah, through her Secret Strength, remained spiritually sighted. She knew the “older would serve the younger”—meaning the flesh must always be subject to the Spirit.
The-Way: This section shows that the path of the believer isn’t a peaceful stroll; it’s a constant “jostling” in which we must choose, through prayer, to feed the Spirit and starve the flesh.

The Power of the Smallest Act

Rebekah’s life teaches us that the greatest victories are won in the smallest, most private spaces. Her “Secret Strength” wasn’t found in a public display of power, but in twenty years of quiet endurance, a silent prayer during a turbulent pregnancy, and a watchful eye over her household.

The Altar of Private Prayer

In a world that demands we post, share, and perform our lives for others, Rebekah reminds us of the power of the unseen. Your private prayer life is the “shelter” you build before the storm hits.

Do you have a “Secret Strength” cultivated in the quiet?
Are you inquiring of the Lord when your “blessing” starts to feel like a “battle”?

The Weight of the “Least of These”

We often wait for a “500-mile journey” to prove our faith, but God is looking at how we treat the “least” in our own circles. The Lord sees the smallest things:

The cup of water was given to a tired neighbor.
The patience shown to a difficult family member.
The silent intercession for a friend who is struggling with their own “old nature.”

Just as Rebekah served the camels—a small, humble task that led to a divine destiny—the Lord sees the small seeds of kindness you plant in the lives of your family and neighbors.

Vigilance in the Daily Struggle

The conflict of Romans 7—the wrestling between our flesh and our spirit—doesn’t usually happen on a battlefield; it happens in our kitchens, our offices, and our conversations.

The Challenge: Be vigilant. Do not let the noise of the world overwhelm the “still, small voice” of the Spirit.
The Promise: When you are faithful in the “private,” God is faithful to sustain the “promise.”

Closing Thought: Rebekah’s story concludes with a woman who was ready to step up because she had never stopped leaning in. Whether you are in a season of “The Wait” or “The Conflict,” remember that your strength is not found in your own works, but in your private adherence to the One who sees it all.

Be vigilant. Pray always. And know that the Lord of the Promise sees you in the secret places.

A Closing Prayer for Secret Strength

Heavenly Father, We thank You for the life of Rebekah—for the “Yes” at the well and the “Wait” in the wilderness. We ask for that same Secret Strength today. When our lives feel like a battlefield, and the struggle within us is overwhelming, teach us to draw near to Your throne with boldness. May we be found righteous not by our own striving, but through a shared and private faith in Your promises.

Help us to be vigilant in the small things. Let our kindness to our neighbors, our patience with our families, and our silent prayers in the night be an altar unto You. Like Mary and Rebekah, may we ponder Your Word in our hearts and be prepared to step up when You call. Keep us steady in The-Way as we watch for the coming of Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His holy name we pray, Amen.

Tomas

Footnotes & Resources

Scriptural Citations:

The Call: “I will go.” (Genesis 24:58, ESV)
The Intercession: Isaac’s prayer for his barren wife. (Genesis 25:21, ESV)
The Inquiry: Rebekah’s direct question to God and the prophecy of two nations. (Genesis 25:22–23, ESV)
The Reflection: Mary pondering the divine secret. (Luke 2:19, ESV)
The Struggle: The internal war of the two natures. (Romans 7:18–19, ESV)
The Confidence: Drawing near to the throne of grace. (Hebrews 4:16, ESV)

Study Notes:

Cultural Context: The twenty-year barrenness of Rebekah and the significance of “jostling” in the womb as the beginning of the struggle between Jacob and Esau. (NIV Study Bible, p. 367)

Bibliography

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025. Zondervan. NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020. Kindle Edition.