Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Pitcher Perfect

Genesis 24:14

“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…”


In this passage Abraham's servant was on a mission to find a bride for his master's son.  He prayed a very specific prayer so that he would know the exact woman that God had chosen.  In reading this it seems to me that his request for a woman to offer him and his camels water from a well would not be out of the ordinary. But let's look a bit closer.

The servant probably had about 10 camels and they were most likely Arabian camels, also called dromedary camels, also called ships of the desert.  These camels can drink as much as 30 gallons of water in one "fill up".  That is about 300 gallons of water that needed to be drawn.  I am sure Rebekah did not weigh more that 120 pounds but she must have had great biceps to even offer this task!


I once heard a speaker say that in Bible times it was customary for a traveler to receive water in a town he was visiting but it was NOT customary for the camels to watered by anyone but the owner.  So we can see that this not so ordinary request was in fact incredibly specific and way out of the ordinary.


What a wonderful encouragement for us to be specific in our requests to the Lord.  The scriptures say we can come boldly before the throne because of what Jesus accomplished at the cross.  To be bold is to be, among many things, specific. 


What are you praying for today?  I would encourage you to write your prayer requests in a journal with specific detail, and when detail escapes you and you are not sure how to pray, pray for His will to be done.


“Father as we bring our petitions to you help us to be specific knowing that You already know the desires of our heart.  Increase our faith and help us to trust in You as we wait and look for Your answers. Amen."


This picture is a vase my daughter purchased recently and I felt it fit the devotion on this passage of scripture