Friday, December 2

ISAAC AND REBEKAH: A TRIP DOWN THE AISLE

Genesis 24

“…And he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her.” (v. 67)

This is a wonderful story of Abraham finding a wife for his son. He knew that it was very important that Isaac didn’t get just any old girl he came across, so he sent his servant back home to his people to find a wife. Isaac stayed home, of course, so he must have had quite a time of wondering as to what kind of wife he was going to get. Well, the Bible doesn’t say what he did during the time that the servant was away, but I’m sure he trusted that God would direct the servant to the right girl. You see, the servant didn’t just go out and pick one. He prayed for guidance, and Rebekah was the one to whom he was led. Sometimes I, also, wonder what the future of my life might hold. I wonder if I’ll have a wife and kids and what it would be like. But I can’t spend my time worrying about this or go out and grab up the first one desperate enough to say “yes” to me. People may ask me how it is that I can go this long without fulfilling what many consider to be one of the most basic desires of man. I must wait on the Lord. Oh, I’m not saying there aren’t any struggles along the way, or that it’s easy, but I must believe that God knows best and that if I trust in Him, He will lead me and direct me in His plan. After all, He led this servant!

I’m not just a bachelor, but every so many odd days, I find myself to be a painter. When I start a picture, I have an idea of what I want it to look like. I stare at the blank canvas and try to figure out how to get this picture out of my head and into reality. They rarely turn out exactly as I had them pictured in my head, but usually by the time I’m done, I’ve worked it into something that I like. Similarly, my life was like a blank canvas. I have painted many things on there. Other people have also painted on my canvas, too. These things all shape what the picture of my life looks like. The only really good parts of the picture are the parts that I let God paint. Once again, before I started (or actually as I was going along, I suppose), I had an idea in my head as to what I wanted this picture to look like. Now I’m looking at the picture and there are parts that I wish were different, and there are parts that I think are missing. One thing that pops up in most people occasionally is the desire to have someone to love and cherish. I could go out and find the prettiest girl and paint her into my life. Or, knowing that looks don’t really mean much, I could find the sweetest girl and paint her in. That would all be my way.

God’s way is for me to be patient and wait on Him. He will lead me and direct my steps in life. My ways will just lead to more and more disappointing pictures. How many times will I have to paint over this canvas until it turns out to be a beautiful masterpiece? God will show me what my place in the ministry is. He will show me how to handle my career. And, perhaps someday he will show me who to marry—if I wait on Him. (He will also show her—if she waits). He is the Greatest Artist, after all! Someday, God will lead me, like that servant, to my Rebekah. In the meantime, I will wait on Him.

~ Joel Warren