Genesis 24:11-14 – Making prayer the first option in life

Taking the instruction of Abraham, the servant then set out on his journey to seek a bride for Isaac. He proceeded to the city Nahor in Mesopotamia with ten camels laden with all kinds of good gifts and probably some dowries for the bride. The city was probably named Nahor to indicate that that was where Abraham’s brother lived. The journey was long and arduous. So on reaching his destination at evening time, he positioned himself outside the city where the well was, so that he could water his camels. It was strategic also because this was the place where women would customarily come to draw water for everyday needs.

From where he was, he could see women coming to the well to draw water. He quickly went into prayer. How could he determine who was the one suitable for Isaac out of the many who came to draw water from the well? He took the right course of action. He went straight into prayer. He shows us that prayer should always be our first option and not our last resort. How often do we seek God first in critical issues of our life? Most people would seek advice from a trusted friend or some counsellor but God. Here Eleazar was different, he sought God first, thus leaving us an example to emulate. Like him we must make prayer the first thing. This was the advice Paul also gave. He said that, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men.…” He urged that prayer should be our first priority. It is certainly the most needed exercise when it comes to seeking God’s plan for our life.

Eleazar was a praying man, probably influenced by Abraham. He appealed to the God of Abraham. Specifically asking God to show favour to his master Abraham and to grant him success in securing a bride for his young master. His prayer was straight to the point, not beating around the bush. Notice that he only wanted the one God had appointed for his young master. He did not start with beauty as most man would. He strategized to assess the depth of the character of the bride for Isaac. The one that he sought for Isaac must be a woman of quality. He had two requirements in mind. Firstly, the right lady must be willing to offer him a drink. Secondly she must also offer to draw water for each of his ten camels out of her own initiative. We can see that Eleazar was passionate about finding the right partner for his young master. He started on the right path. He prayed. Prayer is the right place to begin with. Eleazar prayed and so must we. Let’s pray concerning all matters of our life, especially in choosing the right partner.