I recently finished reading thru the bible for the second time so I decided to go back to the beginning again. Genesis can be summed up for me (at least this time) as a long thought-provoking history lesson. In Chapter 24, Abraham sends out his servant to bring back a bride for his son Isaac. As I read I felt my mind wandering - I've already read this before. I caught myself & asked God to reveal to me what HE wanted me to take from my quiet time. God's faithfulness to reveal things to people when they ask is a humbling revelation.
Abrahams servant was sent to the land of Abraham's father - his ancestors - to find a bride for Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham made his servant vow that he would not let Isaac marry someone from the Canaanite tribe & that he would not bring Isaac with him. How was this servant supposed to deliver this bride?
The servant vowed to Abraham to follow his instructions & departed on the journey. Outside the city of Nahor, the servant prayed to God, asking for success & for further direction.
v11-14
And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.
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 he finished speaking God answered his prayer - to the very last detail - & because God is so awesome God even covered the bases on the little details that weren't requested. The bible described the woman as being pure & very beautiful to behold. After the servant makes Abrahams request for her to return with him to her family, she departed of her own free will to leave & go marry a man she never met - far away from her family, her friends, all she ever knew. The servant was able to complete the (probably seemingly impossible) errand for his master all within the vow he promised to follow.
God spoke to me from this chapter very intimately - that my faith & my trust must rest soley upon God. I don't need to do anything but listen for HIS voice & to be obedient in HIS ways.
I feel like I do this in some areas of my life but I realized in others, like with complicated relationships or in murky, unclear situations I grab the reigns from God because I feel uncertain in the way God will lead me. Proverbs 16:3 says
Commit your works to the LORD and your thoughts will be established.
This goes along with my previous post. If I allow doubt, outside voices, distractions, forces to take my focus off God, it only makes sense that I will be filled with anxiousness, stress, & I will lose my trust in God's direction for that moment in my life. If I am faithful to follow God, to trust in Him - no matter how unrealistic it may seem; my life will be filled with the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control).
Romans 8:5-6 says
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things,
Those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
If your sinful nature controls your mind there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.
I'm so thankful that even though God has needed to teach me this lesson many times before in my life - he continues to show me & allows me to grow, even when I falter or stumble.
