In our previous post, we traveled with Eliezer, Abraham’s oldest servant, to Abraham’s homeland1. Abraham, desperate and determined that Isaac not marry a Canaanite woman, had sent Eliezar on a mission to find a wife for his son Isaac from among his own people. Eliezar took the mission seriously, promising Abraham that he would do just as he had requested. He not only relied on Abraham’s promise that God would send an angel to help him, but when he arrived in the land of Abraham’s brother, he prayed a very specific prayer. We read it on yesterday’s journey and again today as he recounts both the prayer and God’s answer to Rebekah’s family.
And I came this day unto the well, and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
44 And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master’s son.
45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.
46 And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
47 And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
48 And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son. ~Genesis 24:42-48
Friends, praying ‘specifically’ not only builds a more personal relationship with God, but it also enriches our prayer life with trust, confident boldness, and joy. Last year, when I was going weekly to the knee doctor and my knees were really bad, I would pray for God to save me a parking place. I would remind Him of my pain and how the parking lot gets so crowded, and the steps in the parking garage were excruciatingly painful. I would pray the day before, the morning of, and on the way to the appointment. I learned to watch for His answers and would often laugh and rejoice as I pulled up and saw an empty spot or a car backing out of a spot very close to the door. A smile would line my lips, and praise would flow forth.2
This is similar to how Eliezar responded when God so specifically answered his prayer: from
- Rebekah showing up at the well
- to her offering not only Eliezar a drink
- but also his camels, just as Eliezar had prayed
- and then finding out she was the daughter of Abraham’s brother
26 The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,’ he said. ‘The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.’
Genesis 24:26-27
~God’s attentiveness to the prayers of His people is evident and a tremendous encouragement, not to mention a source of motivation for us to pray specifically. Even more so would it have been an encouragement to Rebekah and her family when they sat together hearing Eliezar recount his prayer concerning a wife for Isaac, his master’s son, and how Rebekah (not knowing his prayer) had responded just as he had prayed. Now she had listened as Eliezar retold why and how God had led the servant to them, and why he believed Rebekah was the one God intended for Isaac. So, when given the choice to stay or go, she said, “I will go”. As we will see in the remainder of our Journey, “Rebekah has many blessings awaiting her because of her willingness to do what the Lord had purposed for her”.3
Rebekah also serves as an example of what can be found when we are willing to go where the Lord directs.
~She, Volume 4/p54
Reflection and Application
Where is the Lord directing you to go?
Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” ~ Isa. 6:8
- Abraham’s homeland ↩︎
- The Rest of the Story…Make no mistake, there were days when there was no parking place available within a comfortable walking distance – yet, even on those days, I learned to praise Him. I learned to trust that there was a reason for the answer I had received (yes, “no, not today” is an answer). On one of those days, as I was wondering why He had me park in the garage, nowhere near the elevator ~ I was blessed on the walk out of the garage to be able to share the love of Jesus with a young man who was having a rough day. My guess is I will never see that young man again, but I fully believe that God parked me in the garage for the purpose of talking to that man. I continued to pray for the close spots, but I trusted and watched each time for His better purpose, and praised Him just the same. ↩︎
- She, Volume 4/p54 ↩︎
Me From the Inside Out 