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Trust

Words of Faith Final

Trust
Words of Faith 4-27-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL    
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 24
    Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. [2] He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. [3] I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, [4] but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."
    [5] The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?"
    [6] "Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. [7] "The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'--he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. [8] If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." [9] So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

        One of a parent's biggest concerns is that their child marries the right person.   In "Fiddler on the Roof," most of the conflict in the plot revolves around the efforts of Tevye and Golde to make sure their daughters marry the "right" people and the efforts of the daughters to marry men they love! Abraham had similar concerns.
        Abraham was concerned that his only son, Isaac, should marry a woman from "home."  Abraham was greatly concerned that Isaac NOT marry a Canaanite girl. The Canaanites were pagan people who worshipped a variety of idols. For this reason, Abraham commissioned his chief servant, Eliezer, to be the first "matchmaker" of the Jewish people.  
        Eliezer was to travel 450 miles to the town of Nahor in Aram Naharaim. This town would be on the border of Turkey and Syria today. His task was to get a wife for Isaac from among the relatives of Abraham. An angel of the Lord would lead Eliezer to the right person.
          Eliezer was not so concerned about finding a bride as he was about convincing a young woman to travel so far away! What if she would not come with him? Was Eliezer to take Isaac back to the land of Abraham's family? No. That was the other stipulation. Under no circumstance was Isaac to return to Aram.  
         For Abraham, it was critical that Isaac should start his family in the new land. It was important that Isaac not be tempted as a young man to return to an easier life in Aram. Given the choice of seeing Isaac marry a Canaanite woman or return home, Abraham actually preferred the first! The Promise of a people living in a new land was more important than anything!
          What we see in this chapter is a loving parent who is aware of God's future for his family. We see Abraham doing the very best that he can to control things within the culture and circumstances of life. But ultimately, we see Abraham trusting the leading of the Lord.  Abraham had to realize that he could not control everything and that God was still concerned for him and his family. God was at work to provide the right person at the right time for Isaac to fulfill the destiny of God's people.
          I have sometimes chuckled that "matchmaking" and "arranged marriages" used to seem archaic until I had children of my own! I have often thought that I could probably choose good mates for my children! Who our children marry is obviously of great concern. We can pray and pray, but like Abraham, we must recognize that God is in charge. He will have His way, and that way will be good.  
          One of the significant conflicts in "Fiddler" occurs when Tevye's third daughter, Chava, marries a Russian Gentile. This is so upsetting that Tevye declares Chava to be "dead to us."  Yet, by the end of the show, Tevye finally realizes that God is at work even in this. God had indeed sent a man who would care for Chava, and Tevye blesses them as they leave.  
           The big theme here is TRUST. Abraham was old. He had to trust his servant Eliezer who actually stood to inherit if there were no descendants (Gen. 15:2)! He had to trust the leading of God. He had to trust his future and dreams to the wisdom and power of the Lord. Even if things did not turn out how Abraham hoped and Isaac married a Canaanite, he had to trust God. There was nothing else to do.
           Are you worried about someone in your life? A child? A future? Paul instructs us: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philip. 4:6-7). Trust.

           Father God, it is so hard to turn loose. I confess that I often try to control things around me. I choose to trust You to for the future. I place my life and those I love into Your loving care. Give me Your peace. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.