The God Who Answers Before We Pray

Genesis 24:10-28

¹⁰ Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. ¹¹ And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. ¹² And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. ¹³ Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ The young woman was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. ¹⁷ Then the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.” ¹⁸ She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” ²⁰ So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. ²¹ The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the LORD had prospered his journey or not.

²² When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels, ²³ and said, “Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” ²⁴ She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” ²⁵ She added, “We have plenty of both straw and fodder, and room to spend the night.” ²⁶ The man bowed his head and worshiped the LORD ²⁷ and said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.” ²⁸ Then the young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

(ESV)

This servant of Abraham has headed off into the unknown, with no knowledge of how he is to find this wife that Abraham so eagerly desires for his son. So what does any God-fearing person do? They do the most sensible and wise thing one can do, they bring their request and troubles to God.

He puts his request to God, and before he is even finished praying, Rebekah emerges, and responds in direct accordance to the servant’s prayer and she coincidentally happens to be Isaac’s cousin.

What is this, a coincidence? a chance encounter? No it was the hand of God. Do we have any record of Rebekah receiving a word from God to go and water this man’s camels? What was it that compelled her to go down at that time? Was it the normal time she went down? Maybe her father told her to get some water?

Rebekah was already walking before this man prayed, God already has the answer to his prayer heading his way. God is working all the time preparing the encounters for our prayers to be answered. He works unceasingly, brings chance coincidences together to show his masterful hand in working all things together for our good.

Let this be an encouragement. Pray and you shall receive, our God hears us and he does answer prayers. Also be encouraged when he may not answer them in that moment, he is getting something ready, things you do not yet see, But know that the answer to your prayer is on its way. It might just be in a shape or form you do not expect.

Just know that when you so often feel stuck, it is often not some problem or obstacle in your way, but simply the fact that you have not prayed to him on whom you depend for everything.

Reflection:
Where do you need to trust that God is already working behind the scenes, preparing the answer before you even ask?

Prayer:
Father, thank You that You hear me before I speak and work long before I see. Strengthen my faith to pray boldly and trust Your timing. Amen.