“He said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show loving kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; now may it be that the girl to whom I say, “Please let down your jar so that I may drink, and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also,’ may she be the one whom You have appointed for your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown loving kindness to my master Abraham.'” – Genesis 24:12-14
There are many stories in the Bible that intrigue me. But this one is especially relevant because we all can relate.
Abraham sent his servant on an important mission: to find a wife for his son. Once he reached the faraway land, the servant paused at a well to pray, asking God to show him a remarkable sign. While not quite in the league with a burning bush, the servant’s request was, nonetheless, pretty ambitious. He asked that the bride-to-be reveal herself by volunteering to water all of the camels he had brought along. Perhaps that does not sound like much of a sign to you, but you may not realize that camels were the SUVs of the ancient world. While they could go a long time without water, when they finally did drink, they could gulp about 25 gallons at once. Ten camels, 250 gallons of water, that’s a lot of trips to the well. It would take a real miracle for a woman to volunteer for such a task!
But that’s what happened. Rebekah walked up while the servant was still praying. When he asked for a drink of water, she agreed and then she added, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” With that, she made countless trips to the well until the camels had filled their tanks. But that’s not the amazing part of this story. Look at what happened next. “Meanwhile, the man (Abraham’s servant) was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.” You really have to wonder about that guy!
He sounds like some of us. God answers a prayer clearly and quickly. What do we tend to think? Do we wonder, “Is this just a coincidence or did God actually answered my prayer?” Here are some points to ponder:
- If God answers your prayer, then He has answered your prayer. Get moving.
- If He doesn’t give you the sign you’ve asked for, perhaps He is saying, “No.” or “Wait a while.”
Either way, His purpose is never to confuse or bewilder you. God is never the author of confusion. He just wants us to pray with faith, listen with anticipation, and then act our His will.
