Does God Have a Specific Plan for the Details of My Life? - Genesis Part 57

Okay so were studying all the book of Genesis, verse by verse and the we come to chapter 24 chapter 24 the book of Genesis I think is one of the most precious chapters in all of maybe the whole Bible. Its romantic, but it also has tremendous biblical truth in it and that's what were going to talk about, you know, back 150 years ago. Hume writer Joseph Gilmore wrote these words, he lead if the all glass their thoughts or words with heavenly comfort for all water arrived to where'er I then hit out when stilted is God's hand badly. He needed to keep my day job would be very a man not now this woman to talk about today were going to talk about the fact that God loves you and me as followers of Christ so much that he has offered to personally lead us in every decision of our life and were in the sea that illustrated in spades. Here in Genesis 24 and they were going to talk about okay so what difference does that make for us a ready to go. Loudoun, Prince William, Bethesda, down in the heirs Internet here we go ready little bit of background. Remember, after waiting 25 years, Abraham and Sarah finally had the child that God promised them a son named Isaac. Isaac, as we pick up here in Genesis 24 is 37 years old and his mom has just passed away. Sarah and what we see next. In this chapter I think is one of the sweetest stories in all of the Bible.

So verse one here we go.

Abraham was now old well advanced in years. He was 140 years old and the Lord had blessed him in every way and Abraham said to his servant put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living why because these women didn't know the Lord why because these women. They didn't trust the Lord why because these women didn't love the Lord and they would leave the heart of Isaac.

Abraham sans astray verse four but swear to me. Abraham said that you will go back to my country back to my kinsfolk to get a wife for my son Isaac Bellamy show you where Abraham was sending his servant. If you look on the map you will see down south circled in yellow that Abraham was living in Beersheba but his family was living up in the Carron in northern Mesopotamia that was a journey of hundreds of miles that he was sending his servant on to look for why, for his son Isaac, and the servant asked what if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land, we shall I then take your son back to the country you came from and Abraham said to him, see to it that you do not take my son back there, the Lord God of heaven who took me out of my father's house and out of the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me saying to your descendents I will give this land, the land of Canaan. He will send his angel before you to lead you to the right woman. Abraham did not want Isaac to leave Canaan because that would be an act of unbelief to the Lord.

The Lord said, this is your land not back home so the servant put his hand under Abraham's side and swore to him regarding this matter, then the servant took 10 of his master's camels and departed and went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor, Nahor was Abraham's brother. That is the city of Carron that we just show John the map and he made his camels kneel down near the well outside the town and I love what happens next. All may look at this, then he prayed and he said, oh Lord God of my master Abraham, grant me success.

I pray, behold, I am standing by this well and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

Let the girl to whom I shall say please let down your jar that I may have a drink and she still replied to me, drink, and I will draw water for your camels also let her be the woman whom the Lord has what's the next word say it loud, what's the word chosen year the King James version says the woman that God has appointed for my master son to understand what the server did. He threw out a fleece like Gideon in Judges 6 and he said, Lord, if I say this to her and she says that to me and does this then I'll know that's the woman, so before he was even done praying.

Behold, Rebecca Nahor's granddaughter, Abraham's grandniece came up with her water jar on her shoulder and she went down to the well and she filled her jar, then the servant said to her, please give me a little water to drink from your jar and she said, drink my Lord and when she finished giving him a drink she said and I'll draw water for your camels. Also, until they are done drinking so she emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well and drew water for all his camels.

Now you should know that a camel who's going to her three days in the desert without any water can consume between 20 and 25 gallons of water each how many camels of the servant have 10. This is like 200 gallons of water and based on the size jars that we know the women used in that day. This would've meant almost 100 trips to the well back and forth to give all 10 camels their fill of water. You see, the point is that the servant had thrown out a fleece he had chosen as a sign and extreme task to avoid any doubt that God was in the answer. If you'd only had to go back once maybe twice. That would've been one thing any person might've done that but 100 times. Are you kidding, then the servant said to Rebecca to he doesn't know who she is yet tell me, whose daughter you are and she said I am the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother. So not only did Rebecca meet the conditions of the servants please.

But now the servant also discovers for the first time that she's 10 to Abraham as well. You say wow what a coincidence. Yeah well you know what, if you want to be spiritually cynical and believe that that's up to you but that is not how Abraham servant saw it at all. Look what he did. Verse 26 then the servant bowed his head and worshiped the Lord and said, Blessed be the Lord, who has what's the next two words led me to the house of my Masters kinfolk now summarize what happens next servant goes back to Rebecca's house and meets her brother Laban and her father after well, not her grandfather, Nahor, Abraham's brother. Apparently he had died by now and the servant tells him this whole story and ends by saying to her father and her brother. Then I bowed my head and I worship the Lord who had say the next two words led me to the right road. That is, to Rebecca and when Laban investor will heard this, they said this thing comes from the Lord. We can say nothing take Rebecca and go and let her become the wife of your master son say these next words with me. Just as the Lord has direct did write and they called Rebecca and said to her, will you go with this man and she said I will go then Rebecca and her maids arose and mounted the camels and so the servant took Rebecca and went his way. Now becomes the end of the story. Isaac went out into the field one evening to meditate and as he looked up he saw camels approaching. Rebecca also looked up and saw Isaac and she got down from her camel and asked the servant who is that man in the field coming to meet us and he said it's my master, so she took her veil and covered herself, then the servant told Isaac all that it happened so Isaac brought Rebecca into the 10 and she became his wife and he loved her. That's romantic, don't you think that's romantic.

Do she's the only wife he ever had in his whole life and look how God put them together God to the same thing to me and Brenda. She was riding on a camel and I saw our and that's how we met. I now let's stop there and asked our most important question. Shall we so loud in Prince William Bethesda everybody down to the edge community around the world. Internet your thighs and there we go. Come on guys loud want to cure right. They salon you know it is kind of a romantic story here how God led them together but you know, I don't see what it has to do with my life. Well, let's get the bottom line of the story. The bottom line of the story is that here in Genesis 24 we see that God had a specific woman picked out for Isaac, and the specific man picked out for Rebecca. That's why she went with the servant because just like her brother and just like her father. She was convinced that God had made his will clear for her life as well. Now there are many preachers around today and many Christian writers around the day and many so-called Christian scholars around the day who will tell you that this is not so they will tell you that God does not have a specific will about who we marry about what college we go to about what car we buy about what job we take about the house we buy or rent about whether we enter the ministry or we enter as a missionary or would volunteer ministry.

We take so don't pray for God to lead you to Mr. Wright there's no such thing. Don't pray for God to lead you to Ms. Wright there's no such person. Don't pray for God to show you what's just the right house for you to live in and purchase. There's no such thing. Don't pray for God to guide you to the right job. There's no such thing these things simply don't exist. I want to say to you as your pastor, I want to say to you that this is biblical baloney understand we just saw God lead that servant in Genesis 24 right to Rebecca.

He believed it she believed it. Isaac believed that her brother believe good father believed it. Abraham believed they all said this was the woman God's picked out for you.

And folks, this is not the only place in the Bible we see God leading people like this in first Samuel chapter 30 David was away on a raid and when he returned to his village.

Some enemies had come and carried off all these men's wives and all their children and all their possessions and what David say David said get your spheres man were going after him: Nona, the Bible says that David turned to the Lord and said, Lord, should I pursue them. Then the Lord said pursue them and you will surely overtake them, and Shirley rescue them. The point is that David believe that God had a specific will for this specific situation and David wanted to know what it was before he did anything about the Lord Jesus. The Bible says Luke chapter 6 it at that time Jesus went out to the hills to pray and he continued in prayer to God all night and when it was day, he called the disciples to him and he chose 12 of them who he named as apostle folks. Why did Jesus go out and spend all night praying will the answer is because he believed that God had a specific will about who those 12 apostles should be.

And Jesus wanted and seek it and know it before he appointed him. He just didn't walk around going yeah yeah definitely not you yeah yeah no he went and said God you tell me your will on this and what about these verses of Scripture God says I will instruct you. Psalm 32 and teach you in the way you should go in Isaiah chapter 30 God says you shall hear a voice behind you saying this is the way walking in it. David prayed. Psalm 31 provide namesake lead me and guide me friends.

These verses and many others like him. Make no sense at all.

If God has no specific will for the details of our life. So don't to day care hesitate to pray for Mr. Wright don't today hesitate to pray for Ms. Wright don't today are hesitate for God to lead you to the right house or to the right job or to the right ministry listen God is a personal God who is personally involved in the personal details of our personal life, you got it man, repeat that God is a personal God who is personally involved in the personal details of our personal life and thank God for that nice yard lawn. I understand what you're saying but so I mean let's say God wasn't involved in my life would say he didn't have a will for the details of my life then so how, why would that be a problem. What's the problem with that whether five problems with that of a given to you very quickly, and we're done.

Problem number one.

If God has no specific will for the details of our life.

The number wanted chieftains God's role in my life. It removes God from being personally engaged in the affairs of my life and it relegates him to being an absentee Savior. This what the deists believe they believe God put things in motion and then he disappears… As let all the details take care of themselves. I don't get involved in that friends. God didn't save you and then pat you on the bottom and say all right I'll see you again in heaven.

Good luck out there. This is not our God. This is not the God of the Bible. Number two. If God doesn't have a specific will for the details of our life that it promotes reliance on self in our lives. Instead of reliance on God. Proverbs 3 verse five says trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding box. If God doesn't have a specific will about the details of our life, then we've got to decide what to do about those details in our own understanding.

We have to rely on our own understanding and that means were doing exactly what Proverbs 3 verse five tells us not to do number three.

If God has no specific will for the details of our life. The number three. It leaves me open to making some horrible decisions and choices in life. Proverbs 28 verse 26 says he who trust in himself is a lot full of friends. If God is not going to lead us through the details of life. Who else do we have to trust but ourselves. God says now that's what a fool dollars.

I'm not going to leave my children and make a fool I gotta tell you, when I was age 22, just before I came to Christ by deleting my own life, guiding my own life for 22 years and I've made a complete and utter mess out of my life. In fact, that's one of the reasons I came to Christ because I knew if I went back and started all over again that I wouldn't going to do any better. I knew I was incapable of leading my life I knew I wasn't capable of guiding my own life and I was looking for someone to help me pay praise God for the Lord Jesus coming into my life. Let me tell you every time I lead my life I lived to regret it.

But every time I get on my face and seek the Lord and let the Lord lead my life. I live appreciated and if you're here and you've never trusted Jesus in a real and personal way and you been leading your own life and you made a mess out of it, that's okay. I was there.

I'm here to tell you the great news of the Bible is you don't have to keep doing that, that you can give your life to Jesus and heal be the voice behind you saying this is the way walking in it and when he tells you to walk in a given way friends.

There ain't no alligators on that way you have me so I hope you'll think about that number four.

If God doesn't have a specific will for our life, then it discourages me from seeking the Lord and waiting on the Lord in prayer. Now finding God's will is not the only reason that we should seek the Lord in prayer. But it's a major reason it's an important reason and if there is no will of God to discover about the details of my life then folds why should I labor in prayer to seek it. And finally, if there is no specific will of God for my life that it robs me of the spiritual confidence I need to stay faithful to God in the tough times of life, Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China mid-1800s that God suffered more opposition and more hardship than anybody you could ever imagine any normal person would of given up five times already but he is a young man had a meeting with God and himself on his knees where he was absolutely certain that God had called him to China and here's what he said and I quote he said it is no small comfort to me to know that God has.

What's the next word specifically say it again. Specifically, God has specifically called me to this work and therefore I dare not leave it look as followers of Christ we all run in the hard times when we are tempted to quit and were tempted to throw in the towel were tempted to give up, and in those times. What we need, as followers of Christ more than anything else in order to stick it out. Is this confidence that we are where we are because Jesus Christ personally and specifically put us where we are and therefore, since he put us there as Hudson Taylor said we dare not leave it if you prayed and sought God and he led you to a specific job.

I don't care how hard it gets. You dare not leave that job if you prayed and asked God to lead you to a specific ministry of serving him. I don't care how hard it gets.

You dare not leave that ministry if you prayed and asked God to lead you to a specific location and he put you somewhere. I don't care whether you like it there or not.

You dare not leave it friends, listen, you and I in those situations need to go to God and we need to trust God and we need to ask God for strength and we need to stay were Jesus taught us this is how Moses stuck it out with the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. He knew God putting their and that's why stay and this is why Jesus stayed on the cross because he knew that God the father had put in there and that's why he didn't come down off the cross and friends. This is how I stuck it out 35 years at McLean Bible church and 40 years of being married and 45 years of being in full-time ministry and 22 years of caring for a little girl with severe disabilities because in the roughest of times. I was able to say this is God's specific will for my life. This is where God has put me and I will not leave by the grace of God I will not leave until Jesus leads me away. Praise the Lord.

That's how we have to live not remember people hurt us. People wound us of things are hard.

We may not like were God is put us folks that does not mean that you are out of God's will in fact often it means just the opposite. Often, it means you're right in the center of God's will and that God put you in me there to work on us to work on things in our life.

Don't chew day. There leave just because you feel like it don't you dare leave just because you don't want to be there, folks, you stay put until you are able to look people in the eye and say I am so sure God is moving God that if I stay put.

I will be out of the will of God until you can say that you stay put.

So let's conclude as followers of Christ.

God wants us to know with utter certainty that he has a specific will for every part of our life and that he will lead us to that will if we will just lead him we do not have to navigate this life by ourselves. You save a lot.

I've been seeking the Lord and not been job and I've been waiting on the Lord and I've been asking the Lord what to do and anything he hasn't told me yet and you don't you don't know how frustrating that is talking about because I know how frustrating that is. You know I want everything done yesterday was. I know that is that woman. Why would God stretch me out and do something that Meenan cruel to me. My friend, you don't get it together.

Sometimes the reason God makes is seeking and wait on his because he wants to know how serious we really are about doing his will and not our will or sometimes we're all set up and ready to go but he's gotta get some other things in line and so he says just stay here.

I'll be back and he's out there doing the rest of what he has to do to match it up folks I don't know all the reasons God hesitates. I don't know all the reason God makes us wait, I get frustrated about it is you do. But I know this that until I'm clear on what God wants me to do the best thing for me to do is simply do nothing and wait anything else is my wisdom. Anything else is my understanding. Anything else is my self-reliance and I told you where that ends up with me get in a lot of trouble. So God is making you wait wait if God stretching it out and making you seeking harder fine. This is normal. This is all part of God teaching us to value his will, above our will with me. The man got it okay now next week to talk about how do we discern God's will. I mean if I'm looking and searching and I got a decision to make. How can I tell when the Lord lead me, and how can I tell when it's me, leave me were talk about that next week. Hope to see you this spring. Lord Jesus, thank you for the blessed thought that you lead us Lord you could have been a Deist God who just saved us and said see you in heaven. But that's not you, and I thank you so much that when we come to you and ask for your aid asked for your guidance that you are anxious to be personally involved in our life that you will do great and mighty things for us that we know not. That is Ephesians 3 says you will do things beyond what we could even imagine. We've got a come CQ Lord and we've got approved to you that we want your will more than our own.

So teachers that discipline teachers to be okay with that discipline. For those of us who are waiting on you now for some area of our life and most of us here are getting frustrated. We don't understand God, just remind us that there will come a day where the clouds will part and it'll be clear is a bill and we will be so glad we waited.

So encourage our hearts today.

Lord restore hope to our lives if we got discouraged. Once again thank you that you lead us, may we always look to that leading instead of Aro and we pray this in Jesus name God's people said Amen