The Servant Who Prayed at the Well

Observe. Abraham, now old, makes his chief servant swear that he will not find a wife for Isaac among the Canaanites but will go to Abraham's relatives in Mesopotamia. The servant asks what to do if the woman will not come. Abraham says the Lord will send his angel ahead, and if she will not come, the servant is released from the oath, but Isaac is not to go back there. The servant takes ten camels and travels to the town of Nahor. At the well outside town, he prays. He asks that the girl who offers to water his camels as well as give him a drink be the one God has chosen. Before he finishes, Rebekah arrives and does exactly that. The servant bows down and worships.

Interpret. This is the longest chapter in Genesis, and its hero is unnamed. He is a man on an errand who prays specifically, watches carefully, and gives thanks immediately. His prayer is not a demand for a miracle but a request for guidance in a decision, framed in terms of the character he is looking for: a woman who would water ten thirsty camels for a stranger. God answers by sending exactly that woman.

Apply. Ordinary faithfulness on someone else's errand is one of the main ways God's promises move forward.

When did you last pray specifically about a decision and then actually watch for the answer? What kind of character do you look for in the people you choose to bind your life to? How quickly do you give thanks when the answer comes?