Genesis 24:1-14
I love everything about Abraham that I see in Genesis 24:1-14. He's an old man and he's still dead on with the Lord. Without any sign of wavering he sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac because he continues to take God at his word. The servant questions Abraham about his task and there's not even a hint of doubt in Abraham's response. "The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there" (vs 7).
So what does Abraham show us about trust and faith here in Genesis 24:1-14? Tami W.
P.S. Have you had any "no waver" faith situations like Abraham? I've had some (needing to sell a house, unexpected job loss, health problems) and just thinking back on them can be such a source of strength when challenges come my way. So if you're up for it, tell us about one of your faith experiences as an encouragement today.
I suppose my most significant "no waiver" faith experience was moving to New York to plant a new church. When my wife and son and I moved here we had some commitments of financial support but not enough to sustain us past six months or so. However, we believed that God called us here and we came anyway. God greatly provided all the resources that we needed. He gave us people in New York to start the church and He provided money from sources I never imagined would help out. Getting the mail each day became an exciting part of the day; seeing who God was going to provide through. I have looked back on those days many, many times when I have been tempted to quit or to waiver in what I believe God had said He was going to do. God IS faithful!
I suppose some of the decisions I make in my daily walk are "non wavering". There is a lot of cursing where I work and you know people expect you to conform to their ways. Though it gets tempting sometime to do what they do, I always think about what God would think of me if I did. Bad enough that we do sin daily so I try not to sin on purpose knowing it's wrong.
No waver faith situation.
In 197 8 I accepted an offer to teach at the Linda Vista School in Blue Creek, Belize, Central America. Linda Vista is a private school operated by the Blue Creek Mennonite community in partnership with the EMMC. In 1979 the EMMC mission director came down and in his visit with us asked if my wife and I would consider staying for another two years. We felt that because I didn’t have my permanent teaching certificate that it would be best for us to move back to Manitoba. That was in September. In February, 1980, I went to pick up some boxes to pack up a few things to send back to Manitoba with friends of ours, While coming out of the Blue Creek Medical Center I heard the Lord speak to me in words as clear and audible to me as if I was talking with someone. He said that we were to go back, that He had a specific place for me.
We went back to Manitoba at the beginning of May, after the school year was completed. In June, after several interviews that didn’t go anywhere, I saw in the newspaper an ad for a teacher up in Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, a small mining community about 1100 kms north of our home town. I called, was asked to come up for an interview, I went, had the interview, and was offered the job on the spot.
On the way back to Winkler by bus, there was a scheduled stop in Thompson, Manitoba. I made call to some friends of ours whose places we had taken in Blue Creek, Belize. I spoke to them in Low German, surprising them quite a bit. The Lord had a reason for them being there and for me calling and speaking to them in Low German. Unknown to me, a gentleman was also traveling down south on the bus as well and he spoke Low German. He approached me after I hung up and started a conversation. The long and the short of it was that he was the pastor of the MB church in Leaf Rapids and they had been praying for some Christian teachers to be hired. He asked if I was a Christian and I said I was. I told him I had been hired by the Leaf Rapids school. He then asked if we’d like to consider attending the church he pastored and I assured him we would be honoured to attend. Then he asked something else, whether either my wife or I played piano because the church had also been praying for someone who could lead the singing in the church because the lady who had been doing that had moved back to Winkler with her family so they were at a loss for music. My job was to be the music teacher in the school and yes, I did play the piano as well as guitar.
It was at this point that I came to the wonderful realization that this was the place God was preparing us for while we were still in Belize. My wife and I both looked forward to being there and we spent four wonderful years teaching up in northern Manitoba.
Thanks Eric R and CW for sharing your faith experience. May God continue to strengthen you so that you will not waiver. As you have said Eric God is faithful and may I add, forever and ever.
When I was in my thirties I was having a hard time walking ,my Doctor did tests and said I had a blockage in my aorta and had to go in the hospital right away.I prayed to God/Lord to see me thru this for my kids sake.He answered my prayers.And when i had to have a bypass on my aorta he was there too.Then I had to have a triple by pass and he was there again to see me thru. Even in the little things in my life he is there for me.Praise God ,He is good all the time
In 1989 I was going to a theraphist who wasn't a Christian. I had become so dependant on her over the years, 7 years. I decided I was getting worse and not better and that it was an uneven yoke. I turned to Christ and the psalms I would read them before I went in to see her and I would pray God's will would be done in the sessions. Within 3 weeks I was able to leave and say goodbye to her. Afterward I found a Christian counselor who I started seeing and although life was hard for some years still I was blessed to have her and others who have counselled me instead of therapy. Praise be to God!
God is indeed with us each and every second of our life,last year my mum was supposed to go for an operation (somewhere near the spine).I prayed hard that time, more especially that week when we were to take her for an operation that same weekend, but when we got to the hospital the doctor checked her again and told us that there is no need for an operation,so she was just given some tablets to heal the pain and i started to see the glory of our God..
What we need to do is to keep on being faithful to me and praising him forever and ever.