God's Will

“O LORD, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.” [Genesis 24.12-14]

This is a very revealing prayer.

Instead of just asking, "What?" Abraham's servant actually defined a detailed circumstance in his request that, if it happened, would confirm the will of the LORD.

Enter Rebekah.

When Rebekah came to the well, Abraham's servant proceeded to see if she might actually meet the criteria he defined. She did and then...

The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the LORD had given him success in his mission. Then at last, when the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists. [Genesis 24.21-22]

I think it is important to understand the care with which the servant qualified the circumstances. After witnessing Rebekah doing exactly what the servant had defined in his prayer, still he watched in silence ...wondering whether or not the LORD had given him success in his mission.

Apparently, at some point in his "silence" and "wondering" there was a point of confirmation.

The takeaway from all this is that we need to approach God's will with patience and care. We need to be thoughtful, but also proactive. It is not wrong to lay out conditions, but it is prudent to remain "silent" and to "wonder" as we witness the circumstances unfold until we are sure it is indeed God's will.

Simple, right?

Father, I know there always remains the element of faith when seeking and acting upon Your will. Help me - help us - to lay our requests out there. Then, help us to silently ponder whether or not You are confirming a particular direction.