Praying Specifically

Dear Sisters,

Happy Thanksgiving, dear Canadian sisters! I so love the timing of your celebration – giving ample space between Thanksgiving and Christmas, not letting one blend right into the other. Your American sisters join you in giving thanks to our generous God, the Giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17)! Have a wonderful holiday! And to all of us –may we have a thank-filled week in all circumstances!

PRAYING SPECIFICALLY

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.”

Genesis 24:12-13

Abraham’s chief servant could’ve went about the business of getting a wife for his master’s son in a number of different ways. He could’ve interviewed women as they came to draw water, he could’ve initiated a genealogy search for Abraham’s relatives, or he could’ve prayed, “Bless my search, O God!” Instead he prayed very specifically and before he finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder (Genesis 24:15)!

Does God still give specific answers to specific requests today?

Middle-daughter Stephanie called the day after I read and reflected on this servant’s prayer. Even though the hour was late, she was laying on her dorm room bunk bed wide-eyed, praying specifically. “God! I’m a sophomore in college and need to know if I’m pursuing the right major. Do you want me to be a Special Education teacher? Please make it clear that I’m doing what You want me to do!”

The next morning there was a card on her floor that someone had slid under the door overnight. It was from the quietest girl on the wing, a girl who prefers to be alone. It read, “Stephanie, thank you for being such a wonderful RA. You’re very patient and kind and I can tell you’re going to be a GREAT teacher. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Love, _____.”

He continues to give specific answers to specific requests!

Do you pray in generalities? Please bless my GEMS Club? Or do you pray by name and get specific . . . praying for counselor Yolanda who is distracted by many things, that she will better be able to focus on preparing her lessons and loving on the girls and for little Jenny who’s navigating a new way of family life after her parents’ divorce.

And how did Abraham’s servant respond to God’s specific answer? With specific praise! The man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, saying, “Praise be the LORD the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives” (Genesis 24:27).

Prayer Step: Are you looking for specific answers in prayer? Then give specific requests and specific praise!

[Abraham’s] servant teaches us by his example that when we pray for God to lead us to the person whose heart He has prepared, we need to be specific.

Anne Graham Lotz

Grace and peace,

Lenae