Origins: The Promise (Genesis 12–25)Sample

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out . . .” Genesis 24:15 (NKJV)

Abraham’s servant had just arrived at the ancestral hometown of his master. If he was going to find a woman descended from Abraham’s family tree, this was the place. But he still had no idea who this bride to be was. So he proposed a scenario that only God could fulfill. If there was a woman willing to water his thirsty camels, then she must be “the one!”

Scripture tells us that before the servant had even finished saying this, Rebekah steps onto the scene. We’re told she was Abraham’s distant relative, fulfilling one important criteria. But was she really the one? Watch: “And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her and said, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.’ So she said, ‘Drink, my lord.’ Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, ‘I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking’” (Genesis 24:16-20 NKJV).

As if on cue, Rebekah does exactly what the servant had hoped for. She obliges his request for water, and as he drinks from her pitcher, we can only imagine the anticipation that must have been filling him. He hands the pitcher back to her, and then the longed-for words are heard, “I will draw water for your camels also . . . ” There was no doubt—this was the one! And he sat in stunned silence at how God had responded to him; “And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not” (Genesis 24:21 NKJV).

What’s the lesson to be learned? The servant’s proposed scenario was really a prayer, and he had been extremely specific with it. So specific that all doubt was dispelled, and it inspired awe when God fulfilled it to exact detail. Likewise, our prayers should be specific, not generic or vague. The more specifically we pray the more we will know that God has moved on our behalf. He is the God who sees and hears us, and even responds to us, resulting in an assurance and awe that we won’t know any other way.

DIG: How did God specifically respond to Abraham’s servant?

DISCOVER: Why should this example move us to be more specific in our prayers?

DO: Take some time today to pray more specifically than you normally do.