Finding a life partner can seem a difficult task. People generally have a list of prerequisites which vary considerably. Thinking back to my own experience, I know that if I had left the whole process to chance or based my choices on looks, career, charm and wealth, I would not have had such a wonderful marriage! My number one prerequisite was that the man I marry be a Christian who was serving the Lord. Where would I find someone like that? The most likely place would be in a Christian setting and sure enough, God had someone for me in my very own church, in fact in my Bible study group! God's timing was perfect! We were both waiting on the Lord to bring the right person into our lives and that is just what He did!
Isaac was now at an age to marry but Abraham, who was very old by this time, knew that he must not allow his son to marry a Canaanite from the land where they were living:
"Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac." The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?" "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. "The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. 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. 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, " Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful 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 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." 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. 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. The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink." 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. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor." And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night." Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 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.""
Genesis 24:1-27 NIV
Following the procedure for swearing an oath shows us how serious the task of finding a suitable wife for Isaac was. Abraham had walked closely with the Lord for so many years that he knew his servant would have to return to his homeland to find a wife for his son. Abraham also knew that the most important thing was that it would be a woman God had chosen for Isaac. His son was not permitted to leave Canaan, so Abraham was entrusting his senior servant with the task of bringing the right woman to him.
Abraham had confidence that the trip would be successful because God had promised 'To your offspring I will give this land' and God had always kept His promises!
Furthermore, Abraham told his servant that God would send an angel ahead of him so he would find the right woman. I don't imagine that Abraham sat at home worrying whether his servant would return with a wife for Isaac, as he trusted God. I do think he would have continued to pray for his servant and probably felt excited to meet the one that God had chosen for his son to continue the bloodline.
Notice that the servant doesn't just go on his way under the instructions from his master but on arrival, he prays to God himself, requesting assistance. The most exciting thing here is that 'Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder'! What a great comfort to us to know that before we finish praying, God is already sending an answer!
The servant did not have to wait for hours or interview several women before finding the one God had chosen in advance. I love the way he responds to God's answer: 'Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master'. It reminds me to remember to thank God for answered prayer. How wonderful it is to be able to rely on God to lead us and guide us in all sorts of situations!
Again this verse comes to mind:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for all the answers to our prayers, both spoken and unspoken. You meet all of our needs and know what is best for us. Thank You that You always keep Your promises and we have this encouraging account to remind us. Thank You that when we pray, You are always listening and even though we may not see it, You are working on an answer, even before we say Amen! We see from Your Word that You will even send angels who will guide us!
Lord help us to be patient and to wait for Your timing and to be sure that You will always answer our prayers! Bless all who are currently waiting on You regarding finding their life partner. May they continue serving You and trust in Your perfect plan for their future.
Lead us and guide us we pray,
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
Psalms 36:9 NLT
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Light and Life for Today
SpiritüelA daily devotional for your time alone with God. In an increasingly dark world, more than ever, we need to look beyond what we can see, past our present circumstances. In order to see the light and experience life as our Heavenly Father intended, I...
