Anglican Devotional 26 July 2024 | Seeking For A Wife

The Daily Fountain Devotional Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 26 July 2024 | Seeking For A Wife

View previous message here – Anglican Devotional 25 July 2024 | The Burial Of Sarah

Theme: Seeking For A Wife

Text: Genesis 1-27 (Nkjv)

1. Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
2. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh,
3. “and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;
4. “but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
5. And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6. But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there.
7. “The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
8. “And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”
9. So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
10. Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods [were in] his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
11. And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw [water.]
12. Then he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13. “Behold, [here] I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
14. “Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’ — [let] her [be the one] You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
15. And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.
16. Now the young woman [was] very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.
17. And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”
18. So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.
19. And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw [water] for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”
20. Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw [water,] and drew for all his camels.
21. And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
22. So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten [shekels] of gold,
23. and said, “Whose daughter [are] you? Tell me, please, is there room [in] your father’s house for us to lodge?”
24. So she said to him, “I [am] the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.”
25. Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.”
26. Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD.
27. And he said, “Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”

MESSAGE:

In his old age, Abraham directed his oldest servant to go to his country and get a wife for his son, Isaac. Soon after, the servant took ten of Abraham’s camels with necessary items and departed to Nahor in Mesopotamia. At a well outside the city, he prayed for God to send a lady who would treat him and his camels kindly and to be the intended wife for Isaac. Rebekah soon became the answer to the prayers. In gratitude, the man gave Rebekah some gifts and she introduced herself and told the man that there was a room to lodge in her father’s house. The man thanked God for leading him to the relatives ofhis master, Abraham.

A young man who desires to marry should seek for a wife who has the same spiritual background. It is very important to pray for God to reveal and lead you to your future life partner; a Christian youth of marriageable age should depend on God to find his or her spouse (Prov.18: 22). Some young people depend on sight when seeking for a marriage partner and this can lead to future regrets. You should remember to thank God when He finally brings both you and your intending spouse together.

PRAYER:
Almighty God, lead all youths seeking for marriage partners to their right spouses. _Amen_

QUOTE FOR THE DAY
God Says:

“If you share with the needy, My glory will guard your back.” Isaiah 58: 7-8