Purpose:  To improve the health of marriages and families in the Siouxland area through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Devotion 3

Finding the Right One - Devotion 2

I suppose there are many dating techniques in the world, but my favorite is the story of Isaac and Rebekah. These two did not even date. The key to their marriage's success was that both were committed to the marriage. Both believed in God and both would work through everything together.

Genesis 24:1-21 says:

Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 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, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."

Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, `Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, `Drink, and I'll water your camels too'--let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar."

"Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful.  (NIV) To make a long story short (Genesis 24) Rebekah did go back with the servant and she was immediately married to Isaac. The key to this marriage is not that they knew everything about the other person, but instead that they were committed to the marriage. In a sense any marriage can work with God's help if both are committed to it.

Prayer: Lord God, provide for me too! You are the God of miracles. Prepare me, prepare my future spouse, if it be your will, for a marriage that will last a life time. In Jesus name. Amen