Thus far, we’ve been doing an in-depth study into people in the Bible and the lessons they learned in their lives and what they can teach us. We did Eve, Adam, Abel, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Sarah, and Lot’s wife. Today, we’ll be taking a deeper look at Abraham’s servant.
Some of you may not even realize who I’m talking about. In Genesis chapter 24, Abraham is well advanced in his years. Sarah has already passed away, so Isaac is of the age to get married. So, Abraham sends his servant to a distant land to find Isaac a wife. The servant made the journey, then stopped his camels at a well outside the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia. That’s when the servant prayed.
Verse 12 says, “Then he said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day; and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, “please let down your pitcher that I may drink,” and she says, “Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink” let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.’”
Before the servant did or said anything, he prayed. Likewise, in our own lives, when we make a decision whether it’s big or small, we should pray to God first and seek His guidance on the matter. Second, this servant tested God, in a good way. He wanted to make sure that he chose the right woman to marry Isaac, so he said a prayer to kind of double check and make sure he found the one God intended for Isaac to marry.
In some situations, we may even ask God for help and it seems like He’s quiet. It’s okay to pray and ask Him to make sure you’re doing the right thing, or following His will. God wants us to stay on the path He chose for us and He wants us to follow His Guidance. We still have free will, but He wants us to trust Him, and just like this servant trusted God to deliver the right woman, we should also trust God in every area of our lives. He knows best, so seeking His guidance and staying in prayer to make sure we’re following His guidance is always a good thing for us to do.
Have you ever followed God’s guidance in a big decision before? Or have you not? Take time today to pray through any decisions you have in your life—whether they’re big ones or small ones. See where God leads you.
