God Has a Plan

“And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.” Genesis 24:11.

Abraham sent his servant back to his homeland, to find a bride for his son, Isaac. Feeling the weight of this responsibility, he knew he needed direction from the Lord to choose the right girl. Before he entered the city, he knelt down by a well and asked the Lord to give him a sign, because there would be several young maidens coming to the well to draw water.

Before he had done speaking, Rebekah came to the well with her pitcher on her shoulder. No doubt she was hoping to get her water quickly and return to her home. As she came up with her full pitcher, the servant ran to her and asked her for a drink. She had no idea who this man was, nor of the prayer he had just prayed. But, without hesitation, she gave him a drink and then offered to draw enough water for his camels as well. This would be no easy task. A typical camel can drink 200 liters (53 gallons) of water in three minutes.

When the camels had done drinking, the servant gave Rebekah gifts, and inquired whose daughter she was. How happy he must have been to find out that she was a relative of Abraham. She offered him and his camels a place to stay. I like what happened next in Genesis 24:26-27 “And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”

There is so much more to this story, but we will just look at a few lessons we can learn from this beginning:

• God had a plan and knew just who should become the wife of Isaac.
• The servant obeyed Abraham and went to do his bidding.
• He realized that He needed direction from the Lord.
• His first step was to pray.
• When his request for guidance was answered, He took time to praise and thank the Lord for it.

God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives, and if we will seek His face and obey Him, He will lead us step by step. We can go to Him for prayer for guidance, and when He answers our prayers, we should always give Him praise and thanksgiving. Take time to read the whole story in Genesis 24, and let it be a blessing to you.

Prayer: Jesus, we appreciate your Word, and all the wonderful things we can learn from it. Help us to trust you and to find your perfect will for our lives.

Devotion by Anne Johnston