DAY 1 – FEBRUARY 20
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “HE WILL”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 24:1-67
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 24:1-9
KEY SCRIPTURE: “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and 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 for my son from there.” Genesis 24:7
While we were on our sabbatical last summer, we spent some time visiting churches and meeting with pastors in Washington. Though I am not really a big city person, we had a meaningful time in the Seattle area. One day, we decided that we would do something together as a family. We went downtown for a while and while we were there, we decided to go on the underground tour of the city. We had never been on an underground tour of a city before and thought it might be an interesting and educational activity. The underground is a network of underground basements, buildings and passageways in downtown Seattle. It was ground level at the city's origin in the mid-19th century. After the streets were elevated, the spaces fell into disuse and have now become a tourist attraction.
Sharon, Amanda, and I waited in line, purchased our tickets, and then went where we were told to prepare for our tour. After a somewhat humorous presentation, we were introduced to our tour guide and off we went. The tour took us to some interesting sites and to some stairs and doors I do not believe I would have ever found on my own. It was obvious from my perspective that for a variety of reasons, a guide really was needed. Though I probably would not be prone to take the tour again, I was thankful that we had a guide who could lead us in and out and bring us safely to our destination.
Abraham was sending his servant on a mission. He knew that he, himself, could not return to Mesopotamia, so he sent his servant, whose mission was to find a wife for his son, Isaac. He did not want his son to find a wife among the Canaanite, Philistine, and Hittite women. He wanted him to find a mate from among his own people.
Abraham believed that the God of Heaven, who had faithfully led him from his home, would lead his servant to get a wife for Isaac. He had trusted him in the past and he trusted him in the present for the future. With a firm faith rooted in his past experiences, he assured his servant that he would not be on his own. He believed that God would send his angel to guide him.
Abraham knew that God is a God who can guide us. Isaiah the prophet records, “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16. You have a God who can guide you today. He will guide you as you put your trust in Him.
DAY 2 – FEBRUARY 21
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “HE PRAYED”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY SCRIPTURE: “Then he prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.’” Genesis 24:12
When there is nothing you can
do, there is something you can do. Prayer is the first step and the best step
to the next step we need to take. Abraham’s servant prayed. The prayer was
powerful because of the God he prayed to. Speaker, Tony Campolo
talks about a time he was shaking hands at the end of a church service. A woman
came up to him to say something. Giving her his attention, she said, “Reverend,
you made three grammatical errors in your closing prayer.” He replied, “I
wasn’t talking to you.” It was not the words he spoke as much as to whom they
were spoken to that made the difference.
Scripture calls us to be
people of prayer. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with
all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep
on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18. James wrote, “Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous
man is powerful and effective.”James 5:16
There are many in the Old
Testament who prayed for guidance from the Lord. One person that comes to mind
is King Jehoshaphat. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat that a vast army was
coming against him. The scripture says, “Alarmed,
Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all
Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed,
they came from every town in Judah to seek him.” II Chronicles 20:3-4.
Jehoshaphat then stood up and prayed a powerful prayer that began, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the
kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can
withstand you.” II Chronicles 20:6. That power prayer ends with the words, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we
have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what
to do, but our eyes are upon you.”
II Chronicles 20:12. He was
looking to the Lord to guide him and to meet them at their point of need.
The servant was concerned
about choosing the right person. He knew that he needed guidance from the Lord.
He went directly to the one who could give him the guidance he needed. Through
prayer, we can go directly to the God who can guide us.
John Miley
calls prayer “a means of grace of very large value.” In other words, prayer is
valuable and makes a difference. As the servant discovered, pray really does
work. Let prayer be your method of approaching life with all of its decisions
and challenges. Be a person of prayer. Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians
4:6.
DAY 3 – FEBRUARY 22
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “THE LORD LED ME”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY SCRIPTURE: “Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.’” Genesis 24:26-27
The servant was so thankful
that God had led him. Without hesitation, he bowed down and worshiped the Lord.
He praised God for His faithfulness and loving kindness to Abraham. The
faithful God had been faithful to lead this servant to the right person, just
as Abraham had promised the servant God would. He gave God praise for leading
him to the right person and to the right house.
There are two songs I have
heard my wife sing many times through the years. They are songs I recall as
favorites of mine to hear her sing. One of those is a song by a former singer
for the Billy Graham Crusades, George Beverly Shea, titled, “I’d Rather Have
Jesus.”
“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather
be His than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands. I’d
rather be led by His nail-pierced hand; Than to be a
king of a vast domain, or be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus
than anything, This world affords today.”
The other song is “Jesus Led
Me All The Way,” written by songwriter, John W. Peterson. It is another song
that speaks about the Lord’s leadership in our life. Take a few moments to
reflect on how the Lord has led you as you read these words.
Some day life's journey will be o'er. And I shall
reach that distant shore;
I'll sing while ent'ring heaven's door, "Jesus
led me all the way."
Chorus
Jesus
led me all the way, (the way); Led me step by step each day (each day);
I will tell the saints and angels as I lay my burdens down, "Jesus led me
all the way."
If God should let me there
review The winding paths of earth I knew,
It would be proven clear and true - "Jesus led me all the way."
Chorus
Jesus led me all the way, (the way); Led me step by
step each day (each day);
I will tell the saints and angels as I lay my burdens down, "Jesus led me
all the way."
And hither to my Lord hath
led, Today He guides each step I tread;
And soon in heav'n it will be said, "Jesus led
me all the way."
Chorus
Jesus led me all the way, (the way); Led me step by
step each day (each day);
I will tell the saints and angels as I lay my burdens down, "Jesus led me
all the way."
DAY 4 – FEBRUARY 23
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “HE LEADS ME ON THE RIGHT ROAD”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY SCRIPTURE: “…and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.” Genesis 24:48
Have you ever headed out to a particular destination only to discover that after you have been traveling for a while that you are on the wrong road? It has happened to me. There are many roads that people can take. However, it does not matter how nice or easy that road may seem if it is not the right road.
In the story of Alice
in Wonderland, there was a time when she came to an icy fork in the road.
Panic struck her as she stood frozen by indecision. She lifted her eyes toward
heaven, looking for guidance. Her eyes did not find God, only the Cheshire cat
leering at her from his perch in the tree above. "Which way should I
go?" blurted
"I don't know…, " stammered Alice. "Then," said the cat, with a grin spreading wider, "it doesn't matter."
The servant knew the mission he was on. He knew there was a right road he had to travel to reach that destination. God has a right road for us to travel. In our relationships, we can take the wrong path or we can take the right path. God can lead us on the right road if we will take Him by the hand and let Him lead.
He leadeth
me, O blessèd thought! O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I
be Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me, By His own hand He leadeth
me;
His faithful follower I would be, For by His hand He leadeth
me.
Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, over troubled sea, Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.
He leadeth
me, He leadeth me, By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be, For by His hand He leadeth
me.
Lord, I would place my
hand in Thine, Nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see, Since ’tis my God that leadeth
me.
He leadeth
me, He leadeth me, By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be, For by His hand He leadeth
me. (Joseph H. Gilmore)
DAY 5 – FEBRUARY 24
SERIES: MAKERS AND BREAKERS
TITLE: “I WILL GO”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 24:57-67
KEY SCRIPTURE: “So they called Rebekah and asked her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ ‘I will go,’ she said.” Genesis 24:58
Rebekah made a choice that changed her life forever. Those simply words, “I will go” altered the course of her life. Her decision determined a new destiny. Life is filled with decisions. If you are like most of us, you will make many today. Former President Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, "Do you want square toes or round toes?" Unable to decide, Reagan didn't answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days. Several days later, the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn't decide, so the shoemaker replied, "Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready." When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! "This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you," the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. "I learned right then and there," Reagan said later, "if you don't make your own decisions, someone else will."
Rebekah was called to make her own decision. She had to decide if she would go with a servant she had never met to marry a man she never met in a land far away from home. Without hesitation, she made the decision to go.
A farmer hired a man to work for him. He told him his first task would be to paint the barn and said it should take him about three days to complete. But, the hired man was finished in one day. The farmer set him to cutting wood, telling him it would require about four days. The hired man finished in a day and a half, to the farmer's amazement. The next task was to sort out a large pile of potatoes. He was to arrange them into three piles: seed potatoes, food for the hogs, and potatoes that were good enough to sell. The farmer said it was a small job and shouldn't take long at all. At the end of the day, the farmer came back and found the hired man had barely started. "What's the matter here?" the farmer asked. "I can work hard, but I can't make decisions!" replied the hired man.
Rebekah did not put off her decision, nor did she hesitate. She was ready to step out in faith and trust. She simply said, “I will go.” Joshua was another person in the Bible who made a clear choice. He said to the people, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15. Will you decide to follow the Lord today and put your trust in Him? Decide to seek His guidance and direction for every decision you make. Respond to His call to obey with the words, “I will go.”