Most of us know what it feels like to be overlooked.
Maybe it’s at work when your effort goes unnoticed. Maybe it’s in your marriage or your family when your love feels one-sided. Maybe it’s online, scrolling past other people’s “perfect” lives and wondering why yours seems so messed up.
Our world is obsessed with being seen, being liked, and being validated. Yet Genesis 29:31-35 tells the story of a woman who was seen by the Lord when no one else cared to look her way.
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” 33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. 35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
Genesis 29:31-35, New International Version
Leah’s story is painful. Her father, Laban, tricked Jacob into marrying her instead of her beautiful sister Rachel. Jacob never wanted Leah. His heart belonged to Rachel from the very beginning. And so Leah entered marriage already in second place, already unwanted.
Jacob didn’t see her, but here’s the stunning thing: the Lord did.
When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He acted. He opened her womb. And with each son she bore, you can hear her heart’s longing:
- Reuben — “The Lord has seen my misery; maybe my husband will love me now.”
- Simeon — “The Lord heard that I am not loved.”
- Levi — “Now my husband will become attached to me.”
Each time, Leah hoped that motherhood might finally win Jacob’s affection. But it never did.
Then something shifts in verse 35. She gives birth to a fourth son and says, “This time I will praise the Lord.”
Leah names this fourth child Judah, meaning “praise.” It’s as if Leah finally realizes: I don’t have to chase Jacob’s love. I already have the Lord’s.
That moment is the turning point not just in Leah’s story, but in redemption history. From Judah’s line would come David. Eventually, from Judah’s line would come our savior, Jesus.
Leah, the woman no one wanted, became the matriarch of the Messiah. Her pain wasn’t wasted. The Lord turned her rejection into redemption.
Maybe you’re in a “Leah season” right now. Maybe you’re giving and giving, but you feel invisible.
Here’s the truth Genesis 29:31-35 whispers: the Lord sees you. Do you need to read that again? Slowly this time. Breathe it in.
He knows the ache of your heart and the tears you don’t talk about. He doesn’t just notice you; He moves toward you.
Like Leah, you have a choice: will you keep chasing the love you don’t have, or start resting in the love that never leaves?
Leah’s declaration can become yours: “This time, I will praise the Lord”.
You might not have the affection, approval, or applause you hoped for, but you can still lift your eyes and say, “This time, I will praise the Lord.”
When your worth is rooted in God’s love, not human validation, everything changes. Leah’s story reminds us that being unseen by people doesn’t mean the Lord forgets you.
In fact, it might mean you’re standing right where He can do His best work.
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