Daily Devotions
Genesis
"Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth." Psalm 54:2
Text: Genesis 24 : 1 - 67
A SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST
How would one go about praying to God for a suitable wife for Isaac? It is one thing to ask for journey mercies from Canaan to Mesopotamia. Surely, the asking for blessing to find a suitable bride would be quite another thing altogether! That would require a different approach in prayer! The former would be fairly straightforward. The latter would be the harder of the two.
Eliezer must have been quite a man of insight, besides being a man of faith. He posed a well-thought out prayer to God.
“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…’ ”GENESIS 24:14
What did Eliezer mean when he offered this prayer? What was he looking for in a bride for Isaac?
1. Kindness of heart
Foremost in Eliezer’s mind was that the woman who would become Isaac’s wife should have a kind heart!
a) To an old man
Would she have time for an old man like Eliezer? Not many had a kindly disposition towards older folks!
b) To a stranger
There are different degrees of kindness. Would the prospective bride be so kind she would be concerned about the needs of a total stranger?
2. Hardworking nature
Eliezer was concerned that the young woman who would marry Isaac be hardworking. It wouldn’t do to have an indolent person to marry into his master’s family!
a) The would-be bride should be among those who go to the public well to draw water
It was customary for women-folk to do their bit for the family by drawing water for the needs of the household. It would take diligence, strength and discipline to do this work daily.
b) The would-be bride would go the second mile
To water one camel would be quite a challenge in itself. A thirsty camel can drink a huge amount of water! To water 10 camels – that would be a call beyond duty! The person who would do this would be a good candidate as a prospective bride for Isaac.
What tremendous insight Eliezer had! What a way to pray to the Lord!