Regarding the promises of God for our lives, I have a question. When do we leave things with God, and when do we take action ourselves? We are going to read the next part of Abraham’s life, where he is intentional about protecting the promise and making sure it has space to live, while also being content to leave the outcome with God.
“He said to the senior 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.” (Genesis 24 v 2-9)
The arrangement of marriage for his son is Abraham’s protection of the promise God gave him. If Isaac married a local Canaanite woman, it could ruin the promised future for the next generations. Abraham takes control of the promise, not to change it but to preserve it. However, he also knows God is ultimately in control, for in answering, ‘what if she won’t come?’ he bows to the presence and sovereignty of God, ‘He will send his angel …’
We need the wisdom he demonstrated. To know when to hold on to the conviction we have, and yet to know to surrender to Him when things are beyond our control.
Who you bring into your inner relational circle is crucial to your future. Are they causing the promises of God to thrive within you, or do they drain you into disbelief? What matters most to you? The environment we place ourselves in will help shape our destiny.
God’s promises don’t eliminate our responsibility to make wise, intentional decisions. Be intentional about who influences your life and family, for proximity shapes destiny. Who we surround ourselves with matters.
Who you allow to influence you and the compromises you choose to keep not only impact your life now but also your future. Be diligent, and God will be your God and do what only He can do.
Missions Paul 