10Then 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. 11And 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. 12And he said, “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. 13Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14Let 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.”–Genesis 24
Abraham trusted this key mission to his steward, the servant he leaned upon most. The Hebrew word here is also later used to describe Moses as Yahweh’s servant. Later in Genesis, both Potiphar and Pharaoh would trust their steward Joseph completely with major tasks. Have that in mind here. The only question we have is will God indeed be with this unnamed servant in a similar way as he would later be with Joseph?
What stands out about the steward’s prayer?
- OBEDIENCE
- OTHERS FOCUSED
- TRUST
- DEPENDANCE
- SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
The steward obeyed, focused on Isaac and Abraham, and trusted that God would provide. His was a simple faith that depended upon God to provide for him in his situation so that he could be faithful. His prayer acknowledged that God had already appointed and chosen who he would send and therefore leaned upon God’s sovereign plan. In his difficult situation he leaned into what he did know and Who he trusted rather than being anxious regarding what he didn’t know. May your prayers have the same perspective.–JMB
Joel M Bradshaw 
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