THEN MAN BOWED DOWN AND
WORSHIPED THE LORD
GENESIS
24:12-15 "GIVE ME SUCCESS TODAY, AND SHOW KINDNESS TO MY
MASTER ABRAHAM."
You can’t fail to be moved by the sweetness of this
servant’s prayer: "O, LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success
today, and show kindness to my master Abraham" (verse 12). It is the
most natural thing in the world to ask God for a loving, godly spouse because
the God to whom we pray has said, "It is not good for the man to be
alone. I will make a helper suitable for him" (Genesis 2:18). Proverbs
18:22 also encourage confidence in this kind of prayer. "He who finds a
wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD." God even
chose the relationship of husband to wife to be the defining metaphor of Christ’s
relationship to the church (see Ephesians 5:22-33).
The Lord loves to answer our petitions for a spouse
with a warm "Yes!" But even when his answer is "No."
it is for the sake of a different "Yes." His gracious will for
most is not his will for all; but it is no less gracious for those who receive
a different gift (see 1 Corinthians 7:7-8 for Paul’s advice to those who are
single).
The servant’s prayer is praiseworthy for another
reason: It is a prayer to serve his master faithfully. He understands on a deep
level that to serve Abraham well is to serve God well. The Apostle Paul speaks
to this type of prayer, too. In Ephesians 6:5-7, he tells slaves to obey their "earthly
masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would
obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you,
but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve
wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men." Serve your
earthly master, or boss, from your heart, and you will find yourself praying
for your boss from your heart.
In Christ,
Janet
Irene Thomas
Director/Writer/Producer/Lyricist
Founder/CEO
Bible
Stories Theatre of
Fine
& Performing Arts
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