He said, “O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’—may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.” Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. Genesis 24:12-15
Specific prayers get answered! Eliezer who went to seek a wife for Issac on behalf of Abraham had vocalized a request to God that he would be granted success. Before he finished speaking, God had answered his prayer. Jesus said that ‘Your Heavenly Father knows what you have need of before you ask’.
You ask, God decides how to answer! I had a lunch appointment one day at a famous Hawaii restaurant named Zippy’s. My appointment didn’t show up so I decided to stay and have lunch by myself. While there I decided to write out some questions for God on my notepad regarding some of the things I had been wrestling with. I was surprised at what happened next. Before I even finished writing each question out, God’s answer emerged. I kept writing questions and would eventually stop asking because some of the answers I didn’t like. God is always honest when He answers our questions. Yet I have discovered that sometimes He will not answer because we are not ready to hear the truth.
Thinking a prayer is not the same as praying it. The purpose for praying with clear and specific prayers is so that when God answers, you know it is him. Eliezer knew God had answered his prayer when Rebekah did the very thing he was asking of God. For me, I like to write out my prayers and questions for God because I have discovered that God has chosen to clarify through the pen what the spirit has spoken. That is how God answered me that one day at lunch. To this day, I still write out some prayers to sort out my requests. You may want to try starting a prayer journal to keep track of your requests to God and the ways in which he answers. You will be surprised at how many prayers he answers over time.
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- What would you like to ask God today?
- Are your prayers usually vague or specific?
- In what ways has God answered your prayers before?
Principle: God prefers specific prayers so that when He answers, you know it was Him who answered.
