Redeemer Church of Oklahoma City

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’–let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. –Genesis 24:10-15

In this second scene of Genesis 24, Abraham’s Servant fulfills his oath and goes to the land from which Abraham came to look for a wife for Isaac. He gets there and prays. This is a very capable and obedient Servant, but in spite of his talents and merits, he shows that all his hope for success is not in his own genius, but in the Lord.

It’s inspiring to see how he would rely on the Lord to give him all that is necessary to be obedient. Most of us are probably convicted by that. But the real hero of the story is not the Servant; it is the Lord! Right there, apparently in the middle of his prayer, the text says, “Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah.” The Lord’s provision was well on the way before the Servant even prayed.

Should we pray? Yes! Are our effectual prayers our idea? Hardly. That’s why we can be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and with a view to the future we can have a firm confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature shall separate us from His love; for all creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will they cannot so much as move. All these things come not by chance, but by His fatherly hand. Christ has assured this for us by his perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection.

And that’s the gospel! Come hear it preached and enacted in the supper with Jesus this Sunday.

The related hymns we’ll sing are:
All Glory, Laud, and Honor
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
And Can It Be that I Should Gain

The next Monthly Men’s Prayer Breakfast is next Saturday (April 3) at 8:30.  Plan now!

Sunday school for children (in Genesis) and adults (in Galatians) is up and running! Coffee and other treats are served at 9:15, teaching begins at 9:30, and we break to get ready for worship at 10:15. 

Visitors are always welcome!