Genesis 24:12-21

Positioned to Receive

God has blessings he desires to bestow upon each of us. We receive those blessings as we consistently move into His presence. For in the presence of the Lord there is the fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures for evermore. When we receive those blessings we rejoice and are exceedingly glad, but there are also times when it seems that nothing seems to be working. If we are honest, there are even times when we feel as though God has forgotten about us. God has not forgotten about us. He never ever fails at His word. He is faithful to it to perform it. For God is not human that he should go back on His word or anything like you and me that He would lie. On the contrary, every promise that He has made is so sure that nothing can stand in the way of its fulfillment. Nothing that is, except us.

Just like God is the author of time, He is also the God of positioning. As we discovered last week, Isaac would not and could not be blessed remaining in Gerar, even though there was a famine there. The blessings God had in store for him and the nation he led could not be found in Egypt, but right there in Gerar. Isaac’s story teaches us that if we want to receive from the Lord we have to be in the right position. I want to take us deeper today, because what God has for us is far greater than material. God is ultimately trying to walk us into our destiny. If destiny is at stake then we should want to insure we are in the right position to receive.

Our text today is just a small part of the story. It is much too long to read in its entirety, so I encourage you to read all sixty-seven verses when you get a chance. In this text Eliezer, Abraham’s chief servant is charged with returning to Abraham’s people and choosing a wife for Isaac. It is a 435-mile journey that took a minimum of 17 days. Eliezer traveled with ten camels weighed down with gifts for the family of the girl he hopefully would choose. But how would he choose? What criteria would he employ in his decision-making? He did what we all should do when we don’t know what to do, he prayed. In his prayer he asked God to point him to the right one through a test that was not so simple: let the one who gives me a drink and offers to water the camels as well be the one. That one was Rebekah.

What does one need to do to receive from God what He so desires to give us?

Think more about the welfare of others than yourself (vss. 17-18). Rebekah did not know who Eliezer was or why he was at the well. All she could see was someone needing some water. She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink of water.

Be willing to go the extra mile (vs. 19). She could have stopped at the drink of water, but offered to water the camels as well, and they drank until they had their fill. Note the magnitude of her offer. There were ten camels that can drink 20-30 gallons at a time. She potentially carried 200-300 gallons of water that surely would have taken at least 1-1.5 hours.

Go the extra mile with a smile (vs. 20). Note the manner in which Rebekah got the water: she ran. The word ‘ran’ means literally that she was hurrying, darting about, chasing, bringing quickly. Nobody had a clock on her. She was under no obligation to do anything she did let alone do it speedily. I wonder how many times I moan and groan when my wife asks me to do something because I am comfortable on the couch, watching the game or working on my computer? What changes might it bring if I were to do more than she asked and quicker than she asked?

Do what you are doing without regard for what you might receive in return (vs. 22). Eliezer did not promise Rebekah anything for her service, nor did she inquire what was in it for her. All she saw was an exhausted man with thirsty camels and that was enough to propel her into action. She knew nothing about him or his mission.

Little did Rebekah know what was in store for her. She didn’t realize that this one action would determine the rest of her life. By going the extra mile she sealed her destiny. She would become the ancestress, the great, great (lots of greats) grandmother of the Messiah, Jesus. Think of it, when she said those words, “Drink my Lord,” and “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking,” at that very moment something clicked in the plan of God, and she became part of His plan for the salvation of you and me, and that’s the essence of the story. She didn’t know what would happen.

Neither do you. You have no idea what God is doing. You have no idea how God is going to usher you into your destiny. You have no idea how that thing you are trying to avoid fits into the plan of God for your life. You have no idea how that stranger may be being used to affect your future. You have no idea. I have no idea, but there is one thing I do know and that is if I want to be positioned to receive from the Lord I need to learn how to become a giver, and not just any ole giver. I need to learn how to give unconsciously of my time, talent, and my money.

Now I have good news for the givers in the house. Your destiny awaits and it is larger and greater than you have imagined. So get into position to receive.

© All Rights Reserved 2013 • Bishop James H Logan Jr.