We live in a world where “ instant gratification” is the order of the day. We eat fast food , we want lightning speed internet and emojis have replaced letters or long text messages. We also desire the same thing with our prayers. We want immediate answers to our prayers. Now, whilst this is not a bad wish, we have to realize that God is not our Personal Assistant or Butler!
You can’t hurry God!
True, there are some situations that are truly desperate and you need immediate answers to your prayers to arrest the situation. However, most people want immediate answers to all their prayers and when the answers are not instantly received, they give up.
So, does God answer prayers?
The answer is a definite “ Yes!”
There are three ways that you can receive from God after you have prayed. One is a “ Yes” and what you you received answers to your prayers, you are happy and at peace. God can also tell you to “Wait”. This is a very difficult period for most people, because the waiting period involves exercising a lot of patience and travailing in prayer. Finally,God can say “No”because that is not his will for you.
This is when most people give up, as they are not ready to wait for God’s best plans for them. It could be that God has something better for you, but you may not see that because you are too fixated on your present desire which can lead to problems later in life.
There are several examples of how God answered prayers immediately they were prayed. For example,Hagar, the maidservant of Sarah in the desert was desperate for water for her son. She cried out to God and was shown a well where she quenched his thirst and he was revived.She gave the Bible one of the most precious covenant names of God- “Jehovah El -Roi” or the God that Sees Me”.
Also, Elijah on Mount Carmel with the Prophets of Baal, prayed for a few minutes and fire fell from heaven!
One of the greatest examples in the Bible of instantly prayer is the prayer of Eliezer of Damascus.
So, who was Eliezer ? He was Abraham’s servant and the head of his household. He was not a Jew, yet God honored his prayer. He had not even finished praying when God answered him! This confirms what God said in Isaiah 65: 24, when He said:
“I will answer them before they even call to me.While they are still talking about their needs,I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” NLT
We are first introduced to Abraham’s servant in Genesis 15. Then , Abraham was without a son or heir and he was afraid that his oldest servant will take over his inheritance when he died. In Genesis 15:1-6:
“Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.”NLT
After this conversation, God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to fulfill his words. This covenant was fulfilled with the birth of Issac, the promised child.
After the death of Sarah, Abraham was concerned that his son was not married. So, he got his servant Eliezer to go and look for a wife for his son. Abraham was concerned about who his son will be married to, especially when he saw the poor choices that Ishmael made when he got married to the Canaanite women, amongst whom they lived. So, he got Eliezer to swear an oath that he will travel to his ancestral place and look for a befitting wife for him from amongst his own people.
In Genesis 24:1-9:
“One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.” The servant asked, “But what if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to travel so far from home? Should I then take Isaac there to live among your relatives in the land you came from?” For the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and my native land, solemnly promised to give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel ahead of you, and he will see to it that you find a wife there for my son. If she is unwilling to come back with you, then you are free from this oath of mine. But under no circumstances are you to take my son there.” So the servant took an oath by putting his hand under the thigh of his master, Abraham. He swore to follow Abraham’s instructions.” NLT
So, Eliezer travelled back to Abraham’s homeland. Let’s see what happened next.
In Genesis 24:10-12:
“Then he loaded ten of Abraham’s camels with all kinds of expensive gifts from his master, and he traveled to distant Aram-naharaim. There he went to the town where Abraham’s brother Nahor had settled. He made the camels kneel beside a well just outside the town. It was evening, and the women were coming out to draw water.” NLT
At the well, Eliezer prayed to the God of Abraham his master. In Genesis 24: 12-14, he prayed like this:
““O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.” NLT
Even before Eliezer finished his prayers, the miraculous happened! In Genesis 24: 14-20:
“Before he had finished praying, he saw a young woman named Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, who was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife, Milcah. Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married, but she was still a virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. Running over to her, the servant said, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” “Yes, my lord,” she answered, “have a drink.” And she quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and gave him a drink. So she quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels. When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.” NLT
Wow! Talk about instant answers to prayers!
God is still in the business of giving instant answers to prayers. Remember, he is the same yesterday, today and forever. As long as your prayer is in alignment with his will for your life, he will answer your prayers!
Remember, “ with God, nothing shall be impossible!” Luke 1: 37
As expected, Eliezer was stunned, surprised and shocked at how God answered his prayers. Let’s see what happened next. In Genesis 24:26-33:
““Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.” The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. The young woman ran home to tell her family everything that had happened. Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, who ran out to meet the man at the spring. He had seen the nose-ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man had said. So he rushed out to the spring, where the man was still standing beside his camels. Laban said to him, “Come and stay with us, you who are blessed by the Lord! Why are you standing here outside the town when I have a room all ready for you and a place prepared for the camels?” So the man went home with Laban, and Laban unloaded the camels, gave him straw for their bedding, fed them, and provided water for the man and the camel drivers to wash their feet. Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, “I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.”“All right,” Laban said, “tell us.”NLT
The next few hours were indeed an example of God’s favor added to answered prayers of Eliezer. He requested that Rebecca’s family allow her to marry Issac and also asked that she follow him back to Canaan immediately! Talk about a whirlwind proposal and marriage!
In Genesis 24:34-58:
““I am Abraham’s servant,” he explained. “And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys. “When Sarah, my master’s wife, was very old, she gave birth to my master’s son, and my master has given him everything he owns. And my master made me take an oath. He said, ‘Do not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my father’s house, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son.’ “But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’ He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. Then you will have fulfilled your obligation. But if you go to my relatives and they refuse to let her go with you, you will be free from my oath.’ “So today when I came to the spring, I prayed this prayer: ‘O Lord, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission. See, I am standing here beside this spring. This is my request. When a young woman comes to draw water, I will say to her, “Please give me a little drink of water from your jug.” If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will draw water for your camels, too,” let her be the one you have selected to be the wife of my master’s son.’ “Before I had finished praying in my heart, I saw Rebekah coming out with her water jug on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’ So I drank, and then she watered the camels. “Then I asked, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, and my grandparents are Nahor and Milcah.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. “Then I bowed low and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, because he had led me straight to my master’s niece to be his son’s wife. So tell me—will you or won’t you show unfailing love and faithfulness to my master? Please tell me yes or no, and then I’ll know what to do next.” Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The Lord has obviously brought you here, so there is nothing we can say. Here is Rebekah; take her and go. Yes, let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.” When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the Lord. Then he brought out silver and gold jewelry and clothing and presented them to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents to her brother and mother. Then they ate their meal, and the servant and the men with him stayed there overnight.But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.” “But we want Rebekah to stay with us at least ten days,” her brother and mother said. “Then she can go.” But he said, “Don’t delay me. The Lord has made my mission successful; now send me back so I can return to my master.” “Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and ask her what she thinks.” So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her.And she replied, “Yes, I will go.” NLT
Finally ,in Genesis 24: 59-66:
“So they said good-bye to Rebekah and sent her away with Abraham’s servant and his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s childhood nurse went along with her. They gave her this blessing as she parted: “Our sister, may you becomethe mother of many millions!May your descendants be strongand conquer the cities of their enemies.” Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way. One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming. Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi.
When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel. “Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant.And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother. Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done.” NLT
Truly, God answers prayers!
Invitation to Salvation.
Jesus is calling you today. He is saying to you:
“Come to me all who are tired from carrying your heavy loads and I will give you rest”. Mathew 11:28
If you want to accept this invitation, pray to God. You can say something like this:
“Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I confess my sins before you today. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I want to know you personally.I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in and be my Lord and personal Savior.Take control of my life.Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life.Make me the kind of person that you want me to be. In Jesus name I have prayed. Amen.”
If you have sincerely put your trust in Jesus to be your Savior, welcome to the household of God!
