Bible verses for reflection and prayer
God’s faithful old warrior Abraham wanted to obtain a wife for his son, born in his extreme old age, through a miracle of God. He felt that the only fit wife for Isaac would come from his own country, far away. He sent his loyal long time servant, with precise instructions, upon where to go, and whom to seek for Isaac’s wife. The servant had arrived at his destination, the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia, and waited outside the city by the well until the young woman came out to draw water for their animals. Genesis 24: 12 “Then he said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.” Then his request of God became more detailed, V 14 “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.” So very often God is answering our prayers right as we are asking in faith, and so it was for the servant. The very beautiful, virgin woman, Rebekah born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came with her pitcher to the well. She fulfilled all the prayed for requests of the servant. V 26, 27”Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord.” And he said, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of my Master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.’
I have found God does care about me, and has often answered prayers of many types. Some that have seemed so very small that it was hardly worthwhile, but not so with God, for everything about me and my doings and concerns is of interest to Him.
God had prepared the minds and hearts of her family to allow Rebekah to leave straight away and travel back with the servant to the place Abraham and his son Isaac lived. Upon her safe arrival, Isaac took Rebekah to be his wife and loved her. They had twins Esau and Jacob, who were very different in all ways. In their adulthood, by his mother’s devising and his collusion, Jacob the younger took the birthright by deceit from Esau the elder twin. Due to the hate of Esau, and on the charge from his father to ‘not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan’, but instead go off to the place of his mother’s brother Laban, and obtain a wife from among his daughters, Jacob set out. One wonders what his state of mind would have been, he had done wrong by God, his brother hated him and wanted to do him harm, and now bereft of family he was on a long lonely journey. ‘Where was God’, he could have been asking, as his plans and life seemed to be in tatters? God as always was not far away. The sun had set and with only a stone for a pillow he lay down to sleep, Genesis 28: 12, 13 “Then he dreamed, and behold , a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: ‘I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give you and your descendants.” Even though Jacob had taken things to his own control, God knew his heart and was still prepared to work with and through him, and his promise to Abraham, would continue through the offspring of Jacob.
Though in darkened mood and night, God had not deserted the transgressor Jacob, V 15 “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” The promises of God bring us joy and light, along with a renewal in our commitment to God and to walk in His ways, and so it was for Jacob. V16 “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this the gate of heaven!’” And so it must have seemed in the lonely darkened wild, with only God and His angels in his thoughts. The promises of God, strengthened his resolve to be faithful to God, and gave him direction for his future life. V 20, 21 “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and keep in this way I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.’”
I give praise, for this promise of God, which can be for me (us) as it was for Jacob, “Behold I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”; which includes to always be with me on my journey, on into heaven.