Quick Note: Genesis 24:12, 15 – God’s Working Even Behind the Scenes

Genesis 24:12, 15 – “And he said, ‘O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham’…Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder.”

Being that the Christmas season just finished a few weeks ago and for some cultures only a few days ago, this illustration is not too hard to grasp.  During Christmas time, young children petition their parents for toys and gifts that they have been longing for throughout the year.  They mention what they would want for Christmas over and over, in hopes, that mom and dad will have that gift wrapped and lying underneath the Christmas tree.  They will beg and plead and do whatever needs to be done to get the assurance that they will have what they want on that Christmas morn, and if there is no inclination that they will receive what they want, then a sad countenance is upon their face all the way till Christmas day.  The funny thing is that usually the parents have already bought that toy months in advance and have kept it hidden in the closet until that day.  Instead of taking joy in the season, knowing that their parents will do and give what is best for them, they will live as if it was completely hopeless for them to ever get what they were looking for.  They will live their next few days like a pauper when they are already princes.

As Christians, we do a similar thing with God; in that, when we bring our petitions to Him in prayer, if we are not given an answer within our “appointed time,” which is usually right away, then we act as if God will never answer our prayer or do what is best for us.  We will treat the situation as one that is untouched and uncared for by our Heavenly Father above, which is completely untrue.  Even when we do not see or hear or feel like God is working in a situation, He is already moving the dials and cogs and wheels to bring out His best will for us.  Look at our passage today, which speaks of a petition given by Abraham’s servant to God.  This servant was appointed by Abraham to find someone from Abraham’s family who he could bring back to marry Isaac.  This request would almost be considered hopeless, for the servant was to go back to Abraham’s homeland, find a member of Abraham’s family, and then convince her to return with him to marry a man whom she has never seen or heard of.  How could something like that even happen?  To add to that, the servant made an almost impossible request of God by asking Him to bring about the girl whom he was supposed to bring to Isaac to the well and to fulfill a sign (must offer to water his camels without him asking) that would indicate it was her.  But even at this improbable request, God worked.  God worked even before the request was fully articulated from the servant’s lips – “Before he had finished speaking…”  God was already brining about Rebekah, Abraham’s grandniece, to water and eventually become a wife to Isaac.  It was no coincidence.  It was God working out the answer to the request even before it had been fully stated.  God was listening and responding in faithfulness.

The same goes for us.  Whenever we make a request of God, even before those words drip from our lips, He already knows it.  He knows every need we have, every trouble, and every petition we will bring Him, and the amazing thing is that He is already working out an answer to each one even before we make the request.  That does not mean that we no longer need to pray, for He still desires that we speak to Him and make our requests known; but, it means that we can trust Him to be faithful in answering our prayers and to bring about His will and our best interests.  God is a faithful and loving God who is working behind the scenes even now to answer whatever prayers we have brought Him in the past and will bring Him in the future.  We can trust our omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, loving God to answer our prayers even before we have finished speaking.

*Note:  An answer to our prayers may not always mean getting exactly what we want or how we think it should be.  Sometimes, God’s answers are completely different than what we personally think is best for us; but if we trust in Him, we can be sure that in the end, “All things will work together for good to them that love God…” Romans 8:28.

The Reason for the Season

John 12:27 – “Now is my soul troubled.  And what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  But for this purpose I have come to this hour.”

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, Christmas is fast approaching, meaning that our car radios will be blasting with Christmas music, our houses will be decorated with trees and ornaments, and everywhere we go there will be at least some slight bit of Christmas joy.  But what is the reason we even celebrate this season?  Christmas movies always talk about how Christmas is all about spending time with friends and family, at least, that’s usually the premise of all those Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies.  They are correct in saying that Christmas is a time to be spent with family but that is definitely not why we celebrate the season.  Some people say that Christmas is all about giving and helping those in need, because we need to be thoughtful and kind unlike Scrooge in the famous A Christmas Carol.  Once again, it’s true that we should give to others, but that is not why we celebrate Christmas.  To others it is all about the present and toys that they will open on Christmas day after they have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve with friends.  Surely, this is not the reason we celebrate Christmas, although it definitely is part of the celebration.

The reason for the season can easily be summed up in this – Christmas is a time for us to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth.  Simply put, it is our chance to have a huge birthday party for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  But Christmas is not just about the celebration, but it is a time for us as disciples of Jesus Christ to reflect on His birth 2000 years ago in that stable in Bethlehem and the repercussions that stemmed from that birth.  It is a time for us to reflect on the miracle that was brought about that night, when a virgin gave birth to the Son of God and how we can learn humility and obedience from her.  It is a time for us to meditate on the miraculous sights and sounds that the shepherds saw as they watched over their flocks by night and how we can praise God and worship Him wherever we are.  It is a time for us to consider the gifts that the wise men brought to Him after His birth and how we can give of ourselves to Him.  But even more than the beautiful story of His birth and the lessons we can learn, Christmas should bring us to remember why Jesus Christ came in the first place – why He chose to humble Himself from His unmatched glory in heaven to be born in a lowly stable and laid in in swaddling clothes (clothes used to clean animals) in a manger.

In John 12:27, we find our answer – “But for this purpose I have come to this hour.”  Jesus makes this statement right after He says that His soul is troubled.  Although it seems cryptic, by reading this verse in context with the rest of the book of John as well as the other Gospels, it is clear that Jesus was making a statement about His death – His upcoming crucifixion.  He was letting all His disciples know right at that time that He had come for one purpose – to die on the cross for our sins, so that with our penalty paid, we could have a restored relationship with Him.  Why did Jesus come?  Simply, He came to save us from our sins.  This was the same message proclaimed to Joseph before Christ’s birth – “She [Mary] will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”  Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us from our sins.  Our sin separated us from God; it created a rift between us so large that in no way could we build a way to bridge that gap whether with good works or love or giving.  The only way to fill that chasm was for Jesus Christ, the Perfect Lamb of God, to sacrifice Himself for us to pay the penalty for our sin, so that we could spend an eternity with Him.  He filled that chasm with His love for us.  He came and removed the sin nature of our hearts, as well as, the sin stains in our life.  He was born, He died, and He resurrected to bring us life.  The reason He came can be summed up in one simple verse, John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

What is the reason for the Season?  Jesus Christ.  Christmas is a time for us to remember and celebrate Christ’s birth, but it should also lead us back to the cross, for it is there that Christ fulfilled His very mission – to save us from our sins.  And from the cross, we should be led to His resurrection, for there we find victory over death.  During this Christmas season, take some time out of your busy schedule of Christmas shopping, listening to joyful music, and partying with family and friends, to reflect and thank God for why Christ came – to save us.

If you have not yet received Him as your Lord and Savior, why not do so today?  He came especially for you.