I am captivated and fascinated by the story told in Genesis 24. Abraham, one of God's closest friends, sends his oldest servant off on a journey to find a wife for the chosen son, Isaac. Immediately, you get a feel for the servant's character...it's obvious he's been living with Abraham for a very long time. Perhaps he was one of the two men who witnessed Abraham taking his son Isaac up on a mountain to offer a sacrifice...with nothing to sacrifice. Surely he knew of Abraham's haggling with the Lord for his nephew, Lot's, life. And of course he knew that Isaac was born to a dead man and his wife who was as good as dead. There is no doubt he had watched God's personal involvement in Abraham's life. He knew God favored Abraham and had promised and proven to be faithful.
So, with courageous faith, the servant traveled at least 400 miles, perhaps across the desert, to find the perfect wife for his master's son. At every stop and every turn, he sought the Lord's guidance. He took every step in faith...trusting that God would provide and show the way. He was utterly dependent upon his true Master.
God provided the perfect wife in the perfect place at the perfect time in the perfect circumstances. Everything was perfect. The servant never doubted that it would be. He knew God. He trusted God. He followed God.
In the most romantic scene I have ever read or seen or heard about, Isaac looks up from meditating (how can we not assume it was upon God's faithfulness to his father?) and sees his father's servant returning. Rebekah lifts up her eyes. Love at first sight.
Love that was found under the sovereign hand of God. Love that was birthed from a deep faith in God's faithfulness. Love that responded to God's calling. Love that followed God's plan.
Is my relationship with God one that shouts out to others God's faithfulness to me? Is my faith in Him such that others' faith is strengthened? Is my life revealing God's character to those around me? May I be like Abraham who - through faith and doubt, obedience and fear, courage and lies, triumphs and failures - clung to God as his reality and in doing so, directed those around him to see God.
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