Prayer dominated the lives of Abraham, his servant and enriched all their assigned tasks
By Charisse O. Henry
The staff of Women of the Word makes the following assertion: We are NOT preachers, prophets, or hand-holders. We don’t tell people what to think or feel; that job belongs to the Holy Spirit – Ruach HaKodesh in Hebrew. We DO, however, encourage women and fellow believers around the world to search the scriptures daily for instruction from God – Yahweh in Hebrew. The Bible versions we use are: the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR), King James Version (KJV) and the New International Version (NIV). We also ask that you pray and ask for Holy-Spirit guidance.
The Bible imparts many examples of faithful believers who prayed to Yahweh and received the needed answer. No one should be surprised since the Messiah – Yehoshua HaMashiach – says in Matthew 21:22, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
Of course, as believers, we should only make requests that are within the will of Yahweh for our lives, such as blessings, resources and possessions that do not lead us into sin.
Today, let’s focus on the life of Abraham to learn more about the importance of prayer.
“Abraham was old, advanced in years,” begins Genesis 24. “And Yahweh had blessed Abraham in every way.”
Why would Yahweh bless Abraham in every way? Well, the scriptures give a powerful summary of his life in James 2:23: “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed Yahweh, and it was counted to him for righteousness: And he was called the Friend of Yahweh.”
Then, in Hebrews 11:8 we are reminded that, “By belief, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he was about to receive as an inheritance.”
Belief and obedience were the vehicles that channeled abundant blessings from Yahweh into Abraham’s life. This example also is a blueprint of how we are to receive the blessing of Yahweh in our lives, as well.
Verse 2 of Genesis 24 shows how Abraham approached the oldest servant of his house, an employee “who ruled over all” that Abraham owned. He made the servant swear “by Yahweh, the Elohim of the heavens and the Elohim of the earth,” that he would diligently search for an appropriate wife for his only biological son Isaac or Yitshaq. Abraham warned the servant “do not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Kena’anites, among whom I dwell, but to go to my land and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Yitshaq.”
To be clear, Abraham was not looking for a “good” woman for his son to marry. He knew that whoever was chosen had to be a woman who believed in the same Elohim (Yahweh). Remember, belief and obedience to Yahweh were Abraham’s goal.
In the New Testament, Abraham’s search would parallel 2 Corinthians 6:14’s admonition to find a spouse who is “equally yoked.”
Now, in old age, Abraham entrusted a servant with one of the most important tasks for a Hebrew Patriarch – choosing a suitable wife for his son to ensure a lineage for future generations and also create the blood-line family tree that would lead to Yehoshua HaMashiach.
In this moment, Abraham’s servant asked questions like, “What if the woman refuses to come back here to your land?” Even then, Abraham insisted that his son not be removed to foreign territory since Yahweh had blessed him with the land he currently possessed. The servant made an oath to find a wife for Yitshaq from Abraham’s relatives.
Next, the scriptures describe the servant’s preparation for this important task.
“And the servant took 10 of his master’s camels and left,” says verse 10, “for all his master’s good gifts were in his hand. And he arose and went to Aram Naharayim, to the city of Nahor.”
“And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a fountain of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water,” says verse 11.
Immediately, the servant began to pray, understanding that timing, experience and strategy would not be enough to ensure the mind-blowing success that only Yahweh can bestow.
The servant’s prayer was simple. “And he said, Yahweh, Elohim of my master Abraham, please cause her to meet before me this day, and show loving commitment to my master Abraham. See, I am standing here by the fountain of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar to let me drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and let me water your camels, too,’ let her be the one whom You have appointed for your servant Yitshaq. And let me know by this that you have shown loving commitment to my master,” says verses 12-14.
Here’s the miracle in verse 15. Before the servant finished praying “in my heart,” Rebekah came out with a jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.
Please note that all the requirements of the servant’s oath were fulfilled when he PRAYED. We learn that Rebekah is, indeed, a relative of Abraham. Also, she willingly draws water for the servant when he asks for a drink. Then, Rebekah asks to draw water for the servant’s camels, another condition the servant included in his prayer as a sign that she would be the one whom Yahweh chose to marry Yitshaq.
Finally, the last crucial step would be for Rebekah to agree to leave her parent’s home and follow the servant to Abraham’s land. Even Rebekah’s parents were surprised that Rebekah was willing to leave immediately, along with her servants, to become Yitshaq’s wife.
Women of the Word challenge you, the reader, to try prayer NOW. Whatever you need from Yahweh for your life, health, strength is only a prayer away. We invite you to drop a testimony in our blog section where you tell us about a prayer Yahweh answered.
Want to read more about Isaac or Yitshaq and Rebecca? Click on the link to learn about Rebekah’s later life as a wife and mother.
