The Faith of the Servant

The story of Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24 is one that I find eternally fascinating. In a world in which marriages were arranged, and this one was no different, these two people appeared to fall in love in the most Hollywood way. The servant went on a quest, met a beautiful heroine, and returned home successful, even when her family asked her to remain longer. Isaac saw her from a distance, brought her into his mother’s tent, and loved her dearly. Their story eventually goes awry, but that is an examination for another day.

Today, I want to look at the way that Abraham’s servant prayed when he arrived at the well. We see that he laid out a fleece that was relevant to what he was seeking. He prayed that the woman would offer him water and his camels – all ten of them. He was praying to find a woman who was kind and generous, the type of woman who would make a wonderful wife for his master’s son. In fact, he was praying for a woman who exhibited the same hospitality for which his master was renowned. Just as he prayed, when Rebekah arrives, he asks her for a drink, which she gladly provides, and she also offers to water the camels.

Allow us to put ourselves in Rebekah’s shoes. This man is a stranger, which certainly meant something different in this culture of hospitality, but still she did not know him or even ask his name. She gave him a drink, which seems reasonable for the desert, but the offer to water the camels is astounding. Verse 16 tells us that she “descended” to get the water. She likely walked up and down stairs, carrying approximately 250 gallons of water. Imagine carrying a 5 gallon bucket of water. 50 times. For someone you don’t even know. The physical exertion and the extra time are unimaginable in our modern world. 

What stands out to me in the story is the fact that the servant prayed for a sign from God that was going to be a benefit to his master’s son. He did not request the sheep to be a certain color or for there to be a certain number of them. His request was in line with his goal. In contrast, Gideon’s literal requests about the fleece appeared to be random, irrelevant to the cause he was asked to pursue. Judges 6:13 explains the way that Gideon saw himself, and his fleece requests appear to be out of desperation – or perhaps hope that they wouldn’t actually happen so that he could avoid leading the army altogether. 

The Time I Needed a Fleece of Faith

I worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation for about 18 months when we moved to Denver, Colorado. I was incredibly grateful for the job, but the hours were long and the work was tedious and frustrating. It was a government job, which I had always had. They didn’t always pay the best, but it was stable, and the likelihood of losing my job was almost zero. I appreciated the stability. One day a good friend of mine from a previous job emailed me with a job description for a financial investigator at Western Union. It was exactly the kind of work that I loved, and it paid almost double what I was currently making.

Despite these draws, there were two major issues: it was a private sector job, and I was eight months pregnant with Ana Lia. I was terrified to leave my public sector job. Even though I have always been a hard worker and very skilled at my jobs, I had a deep rooted fear of being fired. That fear was multiplied exponentially because I was pregnant. There was also the strong likelihood that they would not want to hire me because I was eight months pregnant. 

There were too many positives about the position for me not to apply, so I sent my resume in. I got a response that asked if I preferred a telephone or in person interview for my first one, and I immediately responded that I wanted a phone interview. I thought that I might be able to convince them that I could be good at the job before they could see how close to giving birth I was. At the end of that phone interview, the woman who would eventually become one of my favorite managers asked me about a potential start date. I took a deep breath, telling myself I was ready for whatever the response might be, and I told her that I was 36 weeks pregnant so I would need time to wrap up my current job and have some time for maternity leave. Her response: “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!” Her enthusiasm completely caught me off guard.

So, the pregnancy was not going to be a huge problem, but my fear of leaving my government job still was. As I went through all the interviews, this fear weighed heavily on my heart. I started asking people to pray for me as I was trying to make the decision. Because Ana Lia was due on March 18, I decided that the earliest day I could start was April 27. I asked them to pray that if God wanted me to take this job that they should offer me a start date after April 27, but if I needed to keep my current job, that Western Union would be unwilling to wait until that date.

This “fleece” would allow me to spend a few weeks with my newborn before returning to work. When HR eventually called me to offer me the job, I was still in the hospital with Ana Lia; and the representative told me that due to the background check and drug test that the earliest day that I could start would be: April 27th. To me and Afa, it was a clear communication that it was the right next step. And to this day, it was the best job I have had. 

What This Can Look Like For Us

There will be times for each one of us that we need direction from God to make a wise decision. It would behoove each person to consider their requests in order to make one that is going to support the eventual goal. Praying that someone wear a specific color depends on a very capricious outcome. Can God work through that? Absolutely. Does it work toward achieving righteous ends? Not necessarily. We can pray prayers in faith that move us forward rather than ones that simply answer a question.

Each person is on their own faith journey, and if that’s where your faith is, pray like Gideon and watch the Lord work. However, if you can take the time to set out a fleece that helps you move even further forward like Abraham’s servant, see how the Lord will move in incredible ways.