BODYGUARDS FOR LIFE
Mario told me he drives 23
hours straight through when he takes his family to visit relatives in Mexico. I
asked him why. He replied, “There are many banditos in the hills along the way,
and I am protecting my family.” It reminded me of Genesis 24, where Abraham
sent his servant to find a bride for Isaac. The servant had doubts about the
trip, but Abraham told him, “The Lord will send his angel before thee and with
thee, and prosper thy way.” What did this mean?
The servant had to travel
about 450 miles through rough lands carrying a dowry for the prospective bride.
Like with my friend Mario, there were bandits along the way ready to rob the
servant of his many precious treasures. Part of the angel’s job was to go ahead
of the servant and make sure the bandits were not going to be around to attack
and steal the goods. Abraham was wealthy, so he would have had many camels with
loads of gold, silver, beautiful clothing, and other wonderful things.
The other part of
“prospering thy way” was to make sure the servant acquired the treasure (the
wife) he came for. And, indeed, it did happen.
How do these scriptures
relate to us? If you consider that our lives are a journey, then these verses
from Genesis 24 relate to us in many ways and can be applied in many circumstances.
We all have possessions we consider treasures. We’d like them to last and not
be lost or stolen along the way.
In Matthew 26:53 we see
that Jesus could have asked for the help of angels: “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray
to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions
of angels?” Twelve legions equal 72,000! Then Jesus tells us we can do the
same: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall
he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).
Considering all the
servant took with him, he most likely had other people with him as well, and
the angel protected them too. We can pray as Jesus did, and ask God for protection
for our loved ones, as well as for our personal safety and the security of our
goods.
Part of the angel’s
mission in Genesis 24 was to prosper the servant by making sure he fulfilled
the purpose of his trip. In this case, it was the right woman. Whatever things the
Lord has given you a desire for, you can pray that He sends an angel to prosper
your way too and direct you to be in the right place at the right time to
receive that desire fulfilled in the very best way.
It’s also something to
note in Genesis 24 that the angel was sent out to prosper the way of a servant.
This guy wasn’t a king or a corporate giant; he was a servant. Every single
born-again person has access to angels like it says in Hebrews 1:14: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to
minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Galatians 3:29 says
we are those heirs: “And if ye be Christ's, then
are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Today I am praying for you
that you will read this record in Genesis 24 in light of your life’s many
journeys and think about how you can pray for the assistance of angels to
prosper your way too.
Love, Carolyn
QUESTIONS AND EASY
CHALLENGES
1. Where in the Bible is
the record of Abraham sending his servant to get a bride for Isaac?
2. How do you think
Abraham got the idea that an angel would go before and with his servant? How do
we know angels are willing to go before and with us?
3. What do you think some
of the things angels would do to help prosper the servant’s journey?
4. List a couple of ways
these scriptures in Genesis 24 could relate to you on your present journey.
5. Do you think the angels
would be willing to protect the people you take with you on your journey like
they did with Abraham’s servant? What can you do to employ these angels for
service? Cite a scripture to document this.
6. Hebrews 1:14 says
angels minister for heirs of salvation. Cite a scripture that says we are heirs.
USER-FRIENDLY BIBLE PRINCIPLES FOR
EVERYDAY LIVING: real life stories of how GOD works to
make ordinary life extraordinary.
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