Cooperating with God’s Plan

Introduction: Are you following God’s will? Are you discerning? Can you tell when our Lord is orchestrating His will? Do you cooperate? More than likely, all of us need to be more sensitive to the working of the Holy Spirit around us.
 

Speaking of following the will of God, there was a woman who did just that; her name was Rebekah. Watch closely how she cooperated with the providential hand of God. The narrative unfolds in the book of Genesis, starting with Abraham taking the initiative to find a godly wife for his son Isaac.

After choosing, commissioning, and sending a faithful servant, Eliezer, the Lord orchestrated the circumstances for him to discover Isaac’s future bride. While on his journey he prayed:

“And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham,” (Gen. 24:12).

Listen to the specific request that, in faith, he presented:

“Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.” (Gen. 24:13–14).

Guess what happened next? Here’s what happened:

“And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.” (Gen. 24:15–26).

Did you notice the character and kindness of this woman, Rebekah, and how it was displayed? So what would you have done next? Look what she did. She ran to MAMA’S house!!

“And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things. And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him. And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on. And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.” (Gen. 24:28–33).

After being welcomed with Middle Eastern hospitality, Abraham’s servant began to explain what happened at the well:

“Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink; And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son. And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.” (Gen. 24:43–47).

After explaining what happened, Rebekah’s brother suggested calling her to see what she wanted to do. Imagine the security she had living and growing up with her family. And now, all of a sudden, she is confronted with the biggest decision of her life. What would you have done? Stay in the comfort of your own family, or launch out into a whole other world? This amazing young lady crosses the bridge by saying:

“And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.” (Gen. 24:57–61).

So now, how will she react when she sees her husband, whom she had never seen or met?

“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” (Gen. 24:63–67).

What a beautiful narrative revealing how important it is to cooperate with God’s will!

Conclusion: By the way, this biblical “matchmaking” was long before dating apps, the internet, or meeting singles by TV games. What do you think about today? How would this work in our day? Maybe if we put more emphasis on prayer for a spouse, counsel with our parents or godly advice, plus trusting fully in cooperating with the Holy Spirit, then we would see more marriages made from heaven.

Your thoughts?

Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese