Category: Digging Deeper

We’ve reached the end of Abraham’s story – and boy, did he live a full 175 years! When surveying the incredible ways God worked in and through him, it seems so strange looking back on the misstep he and Sarai made in taking God’s promise into their own hands. Don’t you think Abram was elated that his story didn’t end with the foolish decision they made in attempting to short-cut God’s plan?

We have the benefit of knowing how God came through time after time when we read the stories of His faithfulness. We know Abram will become Abraham and will have a son at the age of 100. But at the age of 75, when God made this covenant with him, Abram had no idea he’d have to wait 25 years for the birth of Isaac! He had to learn to trust, just like we do!

And while Abraham and Sarah had to deal with the ramifications of their sin (and those consequences are still felt today), it’s comforting to know that despite this egregious error in judgment, God still delivered, and He also still used Abraham. In fact, Abraham is regarded as the ultimate Hero of the Faith! Not only do we see this unfold throughout his story outlined in Genesis, but also throughout the New Testament, as the Apostle Paul and the writer of Hebrews emphasize his belief over his actions!

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this, he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.” Romans 4:20-22 (NLT)

Abraham did some outlandish things that give us pause. He was deceitful at times, and he tried to bargain with God by using God’s goodness “against Him” to spare lives. But God, being God, saw past this. Instead of hammering Abraham about his mistakes, the Lord commends him for his faith – his willingness to go “all in” on the promises to come – most of which he would never see for himself!

Just like Abraham, you and I are flawed. Sin does that. We make some really poor decisions, even some catastrophic ones. But, also like Abraham, we have the opportunity to put our faith in the One who holds everything in His hands! In the end, we are not given eternal life based on what we did right or did wrong. It’s based on one thing: whether we have accepted Jesus as God’s Son and believe He died and rose again to give us new life!

We’ll never have perfect faith. That’s why we must place our faith in the Perfect One!

My small group just finished a study on the book of Numbers, where the Israelites constantly complain and bring their issues to Moses. Each time, Moses falls on his face and seeks God’s guidance and direction (see Numbers 14, 16, and 27). Bible teacher Jackie Hill Perry talked about this on social media recently. She pondered Moses’ consistent restraint to not respond first by asking, “Have you ever wondered how our responses to things would change if we just prayed quicker? We might pray eventually, but not immediately. How would that change the way we show up in the circumstance?” Perry adds, “I think it would give us a level of compassion, grace, and wisdom that a delayed prayer would not.”

We see this same posture in the servant found in Genesis 24. He asks God for very specific things to ensure he knows who Isaac’s wife will be. When God answers those prayers by bringing Rebekah to the well, verse 26 says, “The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord.” The posture of Moses and the servant is telling of their heart for God. Certainly, they would have thoughts and advice on the needs, but they bow in humility and surrender to seek God’s purpose and plan.

Asking others to pray for us is another posture of prayer. The vulnerability it requires may feel awkward, and it might be difficult to share our needs with others. However, it is very encouraging when you know someone else is praying specifically for you. We have an amazing online Prayer Wall at NorthStar Church, and our team would be honored to pray with you.

Here is how the process works:

• Leave your request on our Prayer Wall at www.northstarchurch.org/prayer.
• The team will be praying over the requests daily.
• You will get an email every time someone prays for your request.
• You can also pray for other requests on the page and send those folks an email too.

As we wrap up this week seeking God’s guidance, may we pray first, believe His promises, and trust His providence to lead us in the way that glorifies Him.

Notable pastor Charles H. Spurgeon said, “God’s providence is always on time! You and I make appointments and miss them by half an hour. But God has never missed an appointment yet. God is never early, though we often wish he were. But he is never late, no, not by one tick of the clock.” God’s providence is His divine hand in our lives. He lovingly guides and transacts all that happens to accomplish His purposes and fulfill His kingdom, and we see it throughout this story of Isaac and Rebekah.

Genesis 24:15 tells us that before the servant finished praying, Rebekah was coming to the well. The servant prayed that the daughters (plural) of the men would be coming to draw water, but God sends Rebekah alone. Then just as the servant prays, she gives him a drink of water and offers to water his camels—his ten camels! That may seem like an insignificant detail, but a search on Google says, “A camel can drink up to 30 gallons of water in less than 15 minutes.” That is a lot of extra work—quite the interruption to what would have been a routine chore for Rebekah. The servant silently watches, not interfering or trying to manipulate the situation, but waits patiently for God’s confirmation.

We also see this contemplative patience in Isaac at the end of our passage. The impact of his mother’s death was great and held more weight than just his personal grief. No doubt he understood the covenant God made with his father, Abraham—that his offspring would number the stars. Yet he is not married, and his father is very old. Instead of pursuing his own plan to keep the covenant, we find Isaac walking and meditating in the fields when he sees the servant returning. Once the servant tells him the story and who Rebekah is, he immediately takes her as his wife. Verse 68 wraps up the passage, saying, “Isaac loved her, and he was comforted after his mother’s death.”

Notably, no one involved in this story is forced to take part in it. Abraham asks the servant to go find a wife for Isaac. The servant asks Rebekah for a drink. Laban invites the servant to their home, and they ask Rebekah if she will go with him. When we trust in the providence of God and His work on our behalf, we can respond to His guidance with certainty. What can you do today to deepen your trust in who God is and confidently obey His direction?

My husband and I were spending some time on the lake recently and saw a momma duck and six little ducklings swimming along the shore in a straight line. Suddenly, the momma began to quack loudly and slowed down. In just a few seconds, we saw two more little ducklings (seven and eight) paddling to the back of the line. Abruptly, the momma stopped moving and began to quack louder again. The eight ducklings all slammed into a pile, and from across the cove, we saw another little duckling, number nine! It was trying so hard to move quickly that its little wings were carrying it over the water one second, and then it was tumbling the next, all while heading straight to its momma. Number nine finally made it, and the momma immediately turned around and began swimming back along the shore as each duckling lined up behind her. It was such a fascinating scene to watch.

Ironically, there are some interesting facts about ducks that remind me of our relationship with God. First, ducklings automatically imprint an image of their momma and siblings on their brains after being hatched. That is how they know who to follow. Secondly, they follow in a line behind the mother on land so that she can remove any obstacles in their path, and on water, she creates a wave that passes through the line, allowing the ducklings to move easily and with little effort. That is why the momma kept calling out to the ducklings to get in line. It is also why it seemed so very hard for the last one to get to her.

In John 10, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So, I sacrifice my life for the sheep” (vs. 14-15). He goes on to say, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (vs. 27). Our Good Shepherd longs to lead us. I pray that, like the ducklings, we will imprint Him on our hearts and minds, knowing that as we do, we can trust Him completely and our paths will be made clearer.

Do you remember playing the telephone game as a child? The one where everyone sits in a circle and a message is whispered from person to person until the last person gets it and says it out loud? It was always funny to hear how much the original message had changed. Genesis 24 has quite a bit of repetition as the oath, the prayers, and the responses are shared from person to person. However, the message remains consistent throughout the story.

In verses 37 and 38, the servant repeats the oath he swore with Abraham to Rebekah’s brother, Laban. He also shares the prayer he prayed, asking God to bring a girl to the well who would give him a drink of water and offer to water his camels too (verses 42-46). The servant wraps up the story by asking Laban if they will indeed show kindness and faithfulness to his master. If not, he will go elsewhere. Worth noting is that Laban addresses the servant as “you who are blessed by the Lord” (v. 31). His faith is obvious to Rebekah’s family right away.

The servant has such an unselfish attitude throughout this story. We learned yesterday that he managed all that Abraham owned. That is a huge responsibility. When he takes the oath, there is no thought expressed about who will take care of everything while he is away. His only question is about what to do for Isaac if the woman won’t come with him. Secondly, he prays on the way to the well, asking God to bless his master, just as he asked Laban to do. Third, when he meets Rebekah, he bows down and worships, thanking God for blessing his master. His focus and concern are always with others.

At NorthStar, one of our core values is “It’s not about us.” Abraham’s servant portrays this beautifully throughout the story. As we reflect on his role today, let us ask God for guidance on where we can change our thoughts and attitudes to be less about us and more about Him and others.

Genesis 24 has the makings of a great movie: honor, respect, intrigue, romance, love, mystery, and drama. Take a few minutes to read it and see for yourself. Certainly, there are historical and culturally appropriate practices in the passage that would most likely not occur today. However, do not let that keep you from seeing how God honors the faith and obedience of each person involved.

The story opens with Abraham asking his servant to place his hand under Abraham’s thigh and swear an oath. The servant is to swear by the Lord, God of heaven and earth, that he will go to Abraham’s family and find a wife for Isaac and not choose one from the Canaanites. The request may seem a bit odd, but it has similarities to how one would take an oath today. Last year, I watched as my daughter took the oath of office to be an attorney. She stood before a judge, raised her right hand, and repeated the oath of office. It begins with these words, “I solemnly swear to …,” and ends with “So help me God.” Law school was completed, the bar exam passed, but to officially operate as an attorney, she had to take the oath of office, swearing to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Georgia.

The servant had passed “initial tests” as well. Scripture describes him as “the elder of his household who managed all [Abraham] owned.” Abraham knew he was a trusted, loyal servant, but finding Isaac a wife required a next-level commitment. Isaac’s offspring will represent the continuation of God’s covenant with Abraham to be the father of many nations (Genesis 12). The Women’s Evangelical Commentary describes it as “maintaining the spiritual formation of the family.” Abraham trusted God to keep His covenant and knew Isaac’s wife would need to share that same faith.

How is your faith being challenged to a new level? Are you opening your Bible daily to learn more about who God is? Are you engaged with a small group that keeps you accountable? Do you regularly attend church? Are you praying with and for your family? My prayer this week is that those questions will help you find new ways to level up your faith and maintain the spiritual formation of your family.