MAKING GOD’S WILL ACCESSIBLE GENESIS 24:1-14

MAKING GOD’S WILL ACCESSIBLE GENESIS 24:1-14

This morning we come to the 24^th chapter of Genesis and a topic that should be of concern to all of us: the will of God. Sometimes it’s ver= y hard to know God’s will—and often things get labeled “God̵= 7;s will” that are really not. So let’s begin with this: how can we make God’s will more accessib= le to our lives?

I read a story about a woman who spent her vacation in= the Colorado Rockies. She was captivated by the tall mountain peaks, the clear blue skie= s, and the sweet smell of pine trees. <= /span>

But she also was charmed by a man she met there who ow= ned a cattle ranch and lived in a log cabin. Before her vacation ended, the ranch= er asked her to marry him. It had all happened so quickly, though, she decided to return home, hoping that she wo= uld be guided in some way to make the right decision.

The next day, as she was flying home, she found hersel= f agonizing over what to do. She was too nervous to stay in her seat, so she went back to the rest room and splashed= some cold water on her face. The p= lane hit some turbulence, though, and a sign lit up in the rest room saying: PLEASE RETURN TO THE CABIN…= which she did, all the way back to that rancher’s cabin in the Rocky Mountains. (Reader’s Digest [1/81], p. = 118)

So how do WE make important decisions?&nbs= p; Do we look for a sign from God?&nbs= p; Or do we just look for any kind of sign that will affirm what we alr= eady wanted to do anyway?

Since we all must make big decisions, this is an impor= tant topic. I believe our passage = today suggests some principles that can help us discern God’s will for our lives, although, granted, your first reaction to this story may be “Well, th= at’s not the way we do things around here.” Listen please--Genesis 24:1-4, = the first part of this story of Isaac and Rebekah:

1 Abraham was now old and well advanced in years= , and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under = my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."

So, young people, how would you like it if your father= put one of his employees in charge of finding you a wife or husband? You would probably tell dear old d= ad, “that’s not the way we do this around here—and we’re not going to start now!” But whoever does the choosing, if we’re people of faith, we want our decisions to be in God’s will. Here are a few guidelines that can help:

1. WE MAKE GOD’S WILL ACCESSIBLE BY KNOWING GOD’S WORD. We talked about this in relati= on to worship two weeks ago: we need a thorough knowledge of God’s instruct= ions to help guide our decisions. = God’s plan, His principles and purposes are found in His Word, so knowledge of the Bible is essential to receiving God’s guidance.

This is how it was fo= r Abraham. God told Abraham that he would be = the father of a great nation. Abraham is simply taking steps here to see that God’s plan is implemented. His son, Isaac, must marry and have children for God’s promise to be fulfilled, so Abraham doesn’t = just sit around and wait. He takes action. He begins looking for= a wife for Isaac.

Some people seem to t= hink that finding God’s will means doing nothing. For instance, I’ve known people who are out of work and yet refuse to look for a job because t= hey are waiting for God to provide a job for them—and they seem content to wait and do nothing until He does! <= /span>That’s not biblical. God expects us = to do our part, but to do so while being guided by His Word.

This is what Abraham does! His search for Isaac’s wife isn’t ba= sed on his own desires. It is dir= ected instead by his knowledge of God’s will. This is why in verses 3 and 4 he in= sists that Isaac’s wife will be from his own people, the Hebrews, who were = still back in Abraham’s homeland--a place called Mes= opotamia. She would not be from the local Canaanite people.

Now, why did Abraham = insist on this? Because he had heard= enough from God to know that this was God’s will. God had not given specific directio= ns concerning who Isaac was to marry. But G= od had revealed enough to Abraham for him to know that marrying a Canaanite was no= t an option.

Abraham didn’t = have a specific commandment from God’s Word, but he did have enough informat= ion to make a reasonable decision. In other words, he was able to apply what He already knew of God’s will = to the situation at hand—enough to decide.

Many times we are in similar circumstances. We don’t have a specific commandment in the Bible related to the decisio= n we face, but we can still apply principles from God’s Word that reassure= us that we are in God’s will. There is no specific commandment concerning what to watch on TV or what videos to= access on U-Tube, for example, but there is plenty of guidance in Scripture about = making wise decisions and avoiding those things that tempt us to do wrong or that = fill our minds with thoughts that do not honor God.

Abraham didn’t have the Bible as we do today, but he was able to take steps in the right direction because he sought to be faithful to everything= he knew about God. The same is t= rue for us, friends, as we seek God’s direction. WE MAKE GOD’S WILL ACCESSIBL= E to our lives by first knowing His Word.

2. WE MAKE GOD’S WILL ACCESS= IBLE BY COMMITTING TO GOD’S WILL. This may sound redundant, but stay with me. It is one thing to know = what God says, but it’s another thing entirely to be fully committed to do= ing His will. Abraham had already= demonstrated his commitment to God’s will when he was ready even to sacrifice his = only son if this is what God required.

Verses 5 and 6 show that Abraham was committed to finding God’s will and doi= ng it: “The servant asked him, ‘What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country y= ou came from?’ ‘Make sure that you do not take my son back there,&= #8217; Abraham said.”
        =                  =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;      “What if following God’s Word doesn’t work?”—that’s what Abraham’s servant wanted to know. He’s asking if Abraham will c= hange his mind about his commitment to God’s will if it appears that things= aren’t working out. But Abraham tell= s his servant that Isaac is not to leave the Promised Land, no matter what!

So, Abraham is totally committed to following God’s will whatever happens—which raises= a question for us: are there    any places in our lives= where we respond with this same kind of uncompromising commitment to finding and following God’s will --as we see this in Abraham? God’s guidance comes when we = are more committed to God’s will than to our own.

There are many Script= ures that attest to this. One of the be= st known is in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” The New Living Translation expresses this in a slightly different wa= y: “Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths.”
You hear the principle: seek and you shall find. Seek God’s will for your lif= e, commit yourself to it, and you can find it. We may have trouble finding God= 217;s will because, when it comes right down to it, we are not really committed t= o God’s plan anyway.

We can pray, quote the Bible, and talk about God’s will, while in reality we are only seeking God’s approval of our own plan for our lives—no matter how self= -centered it is! Let me summarize what I’m saying with this: to discover God’s will, we must be commit= ted to following His will even before we know what it is! Which brings us to Principle Number Three:

3. WE MAKE GOD’S WILL ACCESSIBLE BY TRUSTING IN GOD’S WAYS.= Trust is absolutely essential if w= e are to discover and then do the will of God. This is what Abraham did. He trusted God to provide a wife fo= r his son, Isaac. Look at vss 7-9:        =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =

7 "The LORD, the= God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land a= nd who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will = give this land'--he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife fo= r my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.<= /p>
Abraham remembers God= ’s promise which included the land of Canaan along wit= h many offspring who will fill the land. He took God at His word, he trusted God completely to keep His promises, inclu= ding…providing a wife for Isaac. He is confi= dent in the promises of God, and God honors those who trust Him!

Honestly—there were ample reasons not to trust God’s plan. What are the chances that Abraham’s servant can travel 500 miles, meet the right woman for Isaa= c, and convince her and her family to let her travel with him back to a distant land and marry a man that neither she nor her family has ever met?

“No chance̶= 1;—right? This would never happen in th= e real world. Well, friends, this WA= S the real world for Abraham and Isaac, and for that poor servant who was sent on such a tough assignment. He h= ad every reason to see this as a no-win situation—picking out a wife for= the boss’ son—give me a break!

But Abraham clearly e= xpects God to guide his servant and provide his son with a wife—the right wi= fe! He’s certainly not trusting i= n his own understanding or insight. Humanly speaking, nothing about this makes any sense.

Abraham is trusting i= nstead in the ways of God—which the Bible says “are not our ways.̶= 1; We cannot even begin to understand= them, it says. And yet this trust is essential if we are ever to know God’s will. “Trust in the Lord and He wi= ll direct your paths—don’t try to rely on your own understanding.” Dare I = say it, this stuff (the ways of God and His will) is simply “above our pay grade!” God is in contr= ol, and not us!

Abraham even acknowle= dges that it may not happen as he expects. This was not a lack of trust--just = the realization that God may provide in a different way than what Abraham expec= ts. One way or another, God will provid= e for His will to be done.

So we’ve seen t= hree principles so far: 1) knowing God’s Word;     2) committing to God’s will; 3) trusting in God’s ways: which brings us to this:=

4. WE MAKE GOD’S WILL ACCESS= IBLE BY PRAYING FOR GOD’S WISDOM.&nbs= p; Did you notice that Abraham’s servant didn’t just assume that he would automatically recognize the woman God had for Isaac. He prays= for guidance and wisdom. Let̵= 7;s read about this in verses 10-14:

10 Then the ser= vant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was towa= rd evening, the time the women go out to draw water. 12 Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drin= k,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have s= hown kindness to my master."

And, wouldn’t y= ou know it—Rebekah does exactly that! After a 500 mile journey, Abraham’s servant arrives at the per= fect place to meet a young, unmarried woman—and at the very time the women would be coming to the well to draw water. Just lucky, you think? Or something more?

Isn’t the point= that God has arranged circumstances perfectly for His will to be done. God is working all along to keep His promises to Abraham, and old Abe is knowledgeable, committed, and trusting enough for God to carry out His will= as planned.

God wants to tell us something through this ancient story, friends. It’s in God’s Book for= a reason. God is telling us tha= t He will direct our circumstances so that His will is done in our lives if we do our part by knowing His Word, committing to His will, trusting His ways, and pr= aying for His wisdom.

When we truly pray an= d seek God’s will, there is a peace that comes to our hearts as we find it a= nd follow it. We don’t alw= ays understand His will at first, but eventually we do--and many of us could te= stify to this truth. In the meantim= e, until we see His will more clearly, we trust God and seek to follow Him faithfull= y.

We won’t know God’s will perfectly, nor will we follow it perfectly when we do. But these four principles will at = least point us in the right direction—and if we sincerely seek, we will sur= ely find enough of God’s will for life to be meaningful and good.

The Psalmist said: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). That’s a star= t; and then God sent His only begotten Son as the Living Word…and as the Lig= ht of the World.

God’s will for = each of our lives is that we find our way to this Word and this Light—and = then as we follow Christ, the other aspects of God’s will for us will beco= me clear. Step one in knowing God’s will is to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Follow Him and He’ll show yo= u the right way for your life!

Seeking God’s Will………..……James 1:5-7; P= roverbs 3:5-6

Leader: If any of you= lacks wisdom, he should ask God,          who gives generously to all w= ithout finding fault, and it         =         will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe         =    and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of         =          the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should         =             not think he will receive anything from the Lord.

People: Trust in the = LORD with all your heart and lean not         =       on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge         =       him, and he will make your paths straight.