Prayer & Providence
12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”
15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder.
Genesis 24:12-15
Is there anything more anathema (a thing to be avoided) in the modern age than wasting time. In some cultures - wasting time doing nothing is an artform. But not for us 21st century Aussies. We need to make the most of every second of every minute (or at least we think we do). Live as if today was your last - that’s the sense.
In last Sunday’s sermon we looked at the relationship between God’s providence and prayer. Providence is the theological concept that God is governing all things in the universe according to His blueprint for history. He has a plan and He is making it happen.
You can see the truth of providence in Genesis 24. Before the servant even finishes praying, Rebekah (the answer to his prayer) arrives. For this to happen, God would have needed to put the answer in motion long before the servant even began praying.
This is most famously true about Jesus and captured in Peter’s sermon of Acts 2. For Jesus to be crucified (the key moment in God’s plan) there needs to be a whole bunch of circumstances that we could never be sure would happen outside of God’s governance.
But this brings me back to my initial point. Are we just wasting our time praying if God is/was already going to do what He was going to do?
Well, God doesn’t think so. Let me give you a few quick reasons why prayer is not a waste of time.
1. God has promised to work through our prayers - that’s how He governs.
2. Prayer is relational - even when you were going to do something anyway, it’s often really nice to be asked. This is an aspect of love.
3. Prayer offers joy in that it’s nice to receive from God, it’s even nicer to know that God is hearing/watching over us and answering our requests.
4. Prayer grows us as we thoughtfully/reflectively articulate our thanksgiving, praise, confession and requests.
Friends. Prayer is not a waste of time. In fact, Providence reminds us the reason prayer is not a waste of time. God does work through and answer our prayers according to His good plan.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father that He hears the prayers of His children and acts according to His plans. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who is the answer to our ultimate prayers. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help us all pray and to help us trust that God answers prayers.
15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder.
Genesis 24:12-15
Is there anything more anathema (a thing to be avoided) in the modern age than wasting time. In some cultures - wasting time doing nothing is an artform. But not for us 21st century Aussies. We need to make the most of every second of every minute (or at least we think we do). Live as if today was your last - that’s the sense.
In last Sunday’s sermon we looked at the relationship between God’s providence and prayer. Providence is the theological concept that God is governing all things in the universe according to His blueprint for history. He has a plan and He is making it happen.
You can see the truth of providence in Genesis 24. Before the servant even finishes praying, Rebekah (the answer to his prayer) arrives. For this to happen, God would have needed to put the answer in motion long before the servant even began praying.
This is most famously true about Jesus and captured in Peter’s sermon of Acts 2. For Jesus to be crucified (the key moment in God’s plan) there needs to be a whole bunch of circumstances that we could never be sure would happen outside of God’s governance.
But this brings me back to my initial point. Are we just wasting our time praying if God is/was already going to do what He was going to do?
Well, God doesn’t think so. Let me give you a few quick reasons why prayer is not a waste of time.
1. God has promised to work through our prayers - that’s how He governs.
2. Prayer is relational - even when you were going to do something anyway, it’s often really nice to be asked. This is an aspect of love.
3. Prayer offers joy in that it’s nice to receive from God, it’s even nicer to know that God is hearing/watching over us and answering our requests.
4. Prayer grows us as we thoughtfully/reflectively articulate our thanksgiving, praise, confession and requests.
Friends. Prayer is not a waste of time. In fact, Providence reminds us the reason prayer is not a waste of time. God does work through and answer our prayers according to His good plan.
For Today:
- How often are you praying?
- Are you confident that prayer is a good use of your time?
- What do you need to pray for today?
Pray:
Praise the Father that He hears the prayers of His children and acts according to His plans. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who is the answer to our ultimate prayers. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help us all pray and to help us trust that God answers prayers.
Posted in Genesis
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