Do You Seek the Lord's Guidance - Genesis 24

My guess is that your answer to this question is YES. My hunch is that you do not seek His guidance as often as you should and may be not as often as you think you have. It is sad, but most of us make up our mind regarding where we will go and what we will do when we get there and then MAY BE we realize that we should at least ask God to sanction our decision—some even forget to do that much. You must realize up front that we should ALWAYS seek the Lord’s will for every decision we are called on to make. You may feel like the following examples is some what like reading a family tree; Grandfather begat dad; Dad begat me; I begat my son; My son begat my grandson; and my grandson begat my great grandson; or you could put names in like…Abraham begat Isaac; Isaac begat Jacob and etc. Seeking God’s guidance starts with step one and goes on without skipping a single decision. For example:

Did you seek the Lord’s guidance when you chose your parents? No.
Did you seek the Lord’s guidance when your name was being chosen? No.
Your parents should have sought guidance, but you were not responsible. You became responsible on the day that you first realized that you had reached the age of accountability and that you no longer could afford to be wrong because of the consequences. It started the day you were saved.
Did you seek the Lord’s guidance when you accepted Christ as your savior?
Did you seek his guidance regarding the church where you would worship?
Did you seek help in choosing your close friends in school?
Did you ask Christ to help you decide where you would go to college? Or
Did you seek help in choosing your profession?
Did you seek guidance in selecting your wife? In deciding where you would live? When a move seemed necessary, did you ask God about it?
Did you seek help in deciding whether to buy or rent a home? If it was to buy…did you ask him whether it should be a new home or a used one?
Did you seek the Lord’s guidance regarding the birth of your first child? Or how many children you should birth?
Every time the grass seemed greener on the other side of the fence; did you ask God whether you should cross the fence or stay where you were? In every situation where you and your family were concerned year after year, did you always, and every time, pray to Jesus Christ for his guidance? Yes...
Well, you may be able to answer yes, but I surely can not say that I did. Now that I am older and wiser, it happens much more often than it once did, but even now, I find myself helping God to decide what I should do. What a waste! What a shame!

It is a proven fact; couples who pray together are much more likely to stay together. Since this is a true statement, the hard evidence of an increased divorce rate proves that fewer people are seeking the Lord’s guidance. There is always a decision to make regarding every aspect of our lives. The list above contains only a few specifics—and a more comprehensive way to look at this problem is give below.

Believers need God’s guidance in choosing their piers, when deciding on education or profession, whether to marry or not, when and to whom. All major decisions especially those that have lasting results such as becoming obligated for payments, or extended commitments. Then there are the almost daily happenings that crop up unexpected, we should pray for help in choosing a doctor or dentist before they are needed. How will you deal with elderly parents? In fact the Bible simply says that we should pray without ceasing. That does not mean twenty four hours a day and seven days a week, but it does mean that we should pray for God’s help 24/7.

When Abram was seventy-five he lived in the city of Haran in Mesopotamia when the lord appeared to him and commanded him to go to an unknown land that God would show him. God said his reward would be in his becoming the father of a great nation—with numbers too great to count. His wife, Sarah was already sixty-five and they had no children. By faith, Abraham obeyed and when she was ninety she gave birth to Isaac, making the promise now possible.

Abraham was about 137 years old at the time of our lesson and the events recorded in chapter 24. Sarah died at the age of 127 as studied in the last chapter, and was buried in the land that God had promised. Abraham bought the burial plot…and it was the first land that the family had ever owned in Canaan and is further proof that God kept his promise to Abraham. Isaac was bout 37 years old when his mother died and had never married, so now it had become very important for him to marry and sire children if the promise is to be fulfilled. Abraham had a bad experience with Hagar and his oldest son, and it convinced him that he must find the right wife for his son Isaac in order for God to bless the marriage. He had the bad experience down in Egypt and knew that God wanted him to be in Canaan and he also knew that God would not sanction his son’s marriage to one of the heathen Canaanite women. He was too old to make a trip back to his homeland, so he sent one of his trusted servants to locate a wife that God would help him find and bring her back to be the wife of Isaac.

In this 24th chapter of Genesis, you will find all of the elements and events of a great movie. As I do so often, I will do again and ask you to read the chapter carefully and observe all of the detailed events that took place in the plot. The only part of the story that is different from the thing that would happen today is that in the OT days, it was a custom for the parents to find the right bride for their son—or the right bridegroom for their daughter. Abraham was old and not able to travel long distances as was necessary here and it became necessary for him to depend on a trusted servant to search and find the woman that God would have Isaac marry.

Abraham chose his most trusted servant and gave him directions that he was to follow without error. Abraham was sure that God would lead his servant and the servant would be successful…so much so that he advised him to return without a wife if God did not show him who she should be. There are several incidences and remarks that prove that the servant trusted his master and felt that he was knowledgeable about how this search should be conducted. But…But even so, there are at least two occasions where the servant went to God in prayer, asking God to help him be successful in finding the right person…that is the wife that God would approve. NOTE: The servant fully trusted Abraham—but that did not prevent him from seeking the Lord’s guidance in a very personal way.

This was no small event…there were several men and animals involved in the trip, including camels that drink a lot of water. Tired, hungry and thirsty they arrived at the family well in Abraham’s homeland and even though very thirsty they did not draw and drink immediately, but they prayed and waited until Rebecca came to the well to draw water. The first test was resulted in a positive answer…Rebecca was a beautiful woman.

When she had drawn water that filled her vessel, she started to return home. The servant requested a drink and she responded immediately by giving him her water pot…test number two was a positive gesture from her with no indication that she was hesitant to help him. Test number three convinced the servant that she a gracious and willing person because she volunteered [without being ask] to water the camels…which was no small task. She then welcomed these strangers to go with her to her home where her family also showed concern and extended a welcome to spend the night and share food with the family. The evidence was so plain that the servant knew that God was answering his prayer, and that he had found God’s choice to be Isaac’s bride.

The servant told Rebecca’s family that his mission was to locate God’s chosen wife for his master. He explained what had happened and told them that he felt very sure that God had spoken. When he requested their permission to take Rebecca back with him, there was no opposition. In fact, there was a vast showing of approval, in that she was able to take her own maids, camels, and other valuables with her.

There is no information regarding the distance, time or problems that arose on their return to Canaan, therefore God must have guided them all the way home. Isaac was out among their flock, caring for his father’s herd when the company arrived. Rebecca saw Isaac from a distance and must have been guided to recognize him, because she ask the servant who he was to be sure, and when she was told, she proceeded to cover herself in a vale and went to meet her future husband.

Almost as we think of a fairytale ending…they were married and lived happily ever after. So ends this chapter. However, for those who have read ahead you know that human nature entered into the extended marriage, and as is true in all of our marriages, the old devil did not leave them alone.

Abraham has waxed old, and just lost his wife and could have felt like he was on the down side of life. However, he must have allowed his memory go back to the mountain when Isaac was a boy, laying on a burning alter, about to be sacrificed by his own father. He must have been able to hear that voice demanding that he not hurt his son, and the bleating of a lamb from the bush nearby. God furnished that lamb! His mind must have ventured back those few days when he sent Eliezer, his servant, to secure a wife for his son.
The process was so fruitful, guided by God…it must have been equal to the finding of the sacrificial lamb in the bush…God was his provider, and it all came because of his strong faith his Heavenly Father.

DO YOU SEEK THE LORD’S GUIDANCE? WE SHOULD! IN FACT, WE MUST!
[ March 2nd we will start our spring study as we finish the book of Genesis
which will help us understand the foundations for our faith in God. ]
[[Winter is not over! There will be a few more cold, rainy [may be] snowy days so you cannot play golf or go swimming, so WHY DON’T YOU DO YOURSELF A FAVOR? Take advantage of the situation and read slowly and carefully the rest of Genesis, Chapter 28 to the end. STUDY GOD’S WORD TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED.]]