There are times when we can doubt a miraculous intervention has taken place and try to explain it away as just a circumstance. God is faithful to do what is needed to confirm His word if we do not dismiss the elements that will lead us to the place of His intervention. The story of how Isaac found his wife is a beautiful love story of how this can happen.
When it was time for Isaac to find a wife, Abraham called his oldest servant and said, “Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac” (Genesis 24:3-4). To the servant, he said the Lord would help him in the selection process, “He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son.” (vs. 7). The servant promised with an oath to follow Abraham’s instructions.
When the servant arrived at the city where Abraham’s relatives lived, he came with gifts to offer to the father of Isaac’s wife. The servant first stopped at the city well just outside the city, where the women of the city would come to draw water.
It was then that the servant prayed to the Lord, “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” (vs. 14). Before he finished praying, Rebekah arrived to draw water.
The servant asked Rebekah for a drink of water from her water jug. “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug. Yes, my Lord, she answered, have a drink. And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. When she had given him a drink, she said, I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink”(vs. 17-19). The confirmation could not have been more specific.
Then something strange took place; the servant questioned, even doubted if the Lord had answered his prayer: “The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission” (vs. 21).
When the servant realized what had happened, “The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham. The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives” (vs. 26-27).
Abraham’s servant then followed Rebekah to her father’s home, where he relayed all that had happened to her father. Rebekah then agreed to go with Abraham’s servant back to Isaac’s home, where Isaac would meet and marry Rebekah.
We should never doubt God’s confirmation, especially when He confirms with specificity what we asked the Lord to do for us. It is good to ask the Lord for specific details regarding the fulfillment of His promise, but never doubt His ability to do what we ask of Him. At some point, the confirming evidence will appear and let us know that the Lord was leading us in a process that would lead to His miraculous intervention.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by < Uwe > from Pixabay
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