“Let’s stop and pray about it.”
That’s not a strange thing to hear if you’re with a group of Christians. The context of this sentence is what’s remarkable.
A group of us were having lunch in college. A friend was a few minutes from the start of her next class. She had to turn in a major report she had printed. She gave it one last look, but it was missing several pages at the end. There was no time to reprint, and she was starting to panic.
Realizing what was happening, someone interrupted us and said, “Let’s stop and pray about it.” We prayed she would find the pages.
And she did find them.
Last week, we witnessed Abraham’s request to his loyal servant: find a wife for Isaac. As we pick it up in Genesis 24:10-27, we see the immediate aftermath of that charge.
10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.
Genesis 25:10-27, New International Version
12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.
17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”
18 “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 27 saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
The servant was very specific about the sign he needed for confirmation. This sign is unique. This young woman would offer the servant a drink and the camels that came with him. Offering the man a drink would not have been strange. Most cultures have social rules of hospitality. However, offering water to his animals was far above what any culture would have expected.
No sooner does he pray this prayer than the young girl who fulfills it comes into view. She fulfills his prayer exactly. Once again, the Lord had the solution before the need was presented.
Scripture doesn’t leave us here. Instead, we see how generous Rebekah is.
We also see a proper response to the Lord’s blessing. The servant immediately worships the Lord, giving Him praise and thanking Him for providing this meeting.
The Lord hasn’t given me what I wanted every time I prayed. This includes prayers like those of this servant or my friend in college. But what about when we do and the Lord provides? Do we worship Him and thank Him?
A few months ago, I was reminded, “You are currently living at least one of the prayers you used to pray.”
Worship Him. Thank Him. Rest in Him.
Life Meets Theology 