July 19, 2021 | by: Gregg Hunter | 1 comments
Posted in: Genesis 24
Sometimes we all need to just be alone with our thoughts. In fact, it’s a good practice for us to get alone with just God, our Bible, maybe our devotional or journal, and our thoughts for a specific time each day. When we take the time to reflect or meditate on the Word of God and how it relates to what we’ve been going through recently, it leads us into passionate prayer and gives us a sense of peace.
As Christians, many of us have developed this habit of meditating on God’s Word, reflecting on its application to what we are going through, and engaging in a time of prayer. We call this our devotional time, or our quiet time, or our personal time with God. Whatever you call it, you’re not alone. Most of the great Christians throughout the ages have written about the joy that they receive from their quiet times. Even before Christ, Isaac enjoyed his quiet time.
Please read Genesis 24:62-67.
Now, remember that at this time, Isaac has quite a bit on his mind: his mother has recently passed; his father has sent a servant away to bring him back a wife; and he’s taking over the family business. These are three major life changes happening at the same time! This would be incredibly stressful for anyone!
Fortunately, Isaac has had a relationship with the One True God from before he was born. God had promised Abraham that Isaac would be His chosen vessel through which God would save the world. God demonstrated his exclusive choice of Isaac by allowing Abraham to send away Isaac’s older brother. As a young boy, Isaac witnessed firsthand that God requires faith when his father nearly sacrificed him in Moriah. Then Isaac heard God speaking to Abraham from heaven about how blessed he was. While Isaac never seems to have a direct encounter with God, he certainly follows in his father’s footsteps of faith. And so, when Isaac is going through this difficult time of life change, he makes a practice of going out in the fields in the evening to meditate.
The term meditate here is an all-encompassing term used to described Isaac’s time of prayer and reflection. It is reasonable to speculate based on what was going on in his life, that he was mourning over his mother’s death, and asking God to bless the search for his wife.
Then, right in the middle of his mediation, God answers his prayer! We have in this passage a wonderful description of “love at first sight.” God has answered Isaac’s prayers for a wife and Isaac instantly falls in love with her. Not only that, but this new relationship has comforted Isaac after the death of his mother, and encouraged him to follow God more wholeheartedly.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God always answered our prayers the way He does in this chapter? Abraham’s servant prays that God will give him success, and while he is still praying, Rebekah comes and answers his prayer. Isaac is meditating in the field, and while he is still meditating, Rebekah comes and answers his prayer. We should all pray, expecting a Rebekah to come and answer our prayers.
Far too often we pray with little power, often doubting in our hearts if anything will ever actually happen. That’s why we often fail to pray specifically. We give general prayers and niceties and hope that God will answer them in a vague way.
I am so blessed to be married to a wonderful woman who is teaching me about prayer. She prays specifically. She writes down specifically what she has been praying for. And we get to rejoice together when God answers those specific prayers! May we all learn to pray like that, and may we all have our prayers interrupted with direct answers, just like Rebekah did for Isaac.
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1 COMMENTS
Jul 5, 2020
Thank you for this reminder to prayer specifically.