EFFECTIVE PRAYER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 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.

Then he prayed, "O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, '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."

Genesis 24:10-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Abraham’s servant had taken an oath to go to Abraham’s country and find a wife for Isaac with the only real requirement being that she not be a Canaanite.

And so he set out with ten camels and other goods, arriving in the town of Nahor and kneeling the camels near a water well where the women would soon come and draw water. Of importance, the servant didn’t know if this was the place where he would find the wife for his master’s only son but he did know this. He knew that he served an awesome God who would help him in the situation he was in and make sure he selected the right woman, the woman God wanted to be Isaac’s bride.

The evidence of this truth is found in the servant’s actions as he is near the well of Nahor for we finding him praying to God there:

"O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, '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."

When we break down the servant’s prayer and look within, what we find is simply incredible and reveals some elements that we should incorporate in our own exchanges with the Lord.

First, we find the servant acknowledging God’s supremacy.

The opening of his prayer places his Lord in His proper place of authority. Abraham may be the servant’s master but Abraham himself had a Supreme Master and that Master is the Lord God Almighty. He and He alone is Master over all of creation and He expects all created beings to testify about His sovereignty every time we communicate with Him or about Him, whether in prayer or otherwise.

The second thing we see the servant do is petition God for what was needed.

In this case, the servant hoped to be able to successfully complete the task given to him by Abraham. The servant invoked the Lord’s intervention knowing that if God would enter into the matter, then things would work out perfectly, resulting in Abraham’s satisfaction and happiness. The servant would be filled with joy and satisfaction as well because he would have experienced the goodness of the Lord through answered prayer.

Considering the things we need help with today, let us follow the lead of the chief servant and ask God to enter in and bring success, showing His loving kindness through working things out for our good.

Finally, we need to always be looking to experience how God’s work is revealed.

The servant knew that if he asked the Lord to show certain signs through the woman He wanted chosen for Isaac then he would be able to immediately recognize the right candidate. And so the servant asks God to reveal the woman by having her not only offer him a drink but offer water for his camels as well. This would serve as the sign that would assure the servant that the Lord had moved in the matter as requested while continuing to fulfill His covenant promise with Abraham.

So as in yesterday’s message, we continue to learn more from this servant, still nameless but showing us that the name of the person doing God’s work isn’t as important as the work he accomplishes. Let’s keep that in mind as we prayerfully consider all that the Lord would have us do this day and forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.