God's Big Picture: Genesis 24

CIT: Because God loves us, he will keep his promises and will work all things together for our good. Therefore, we can be firm in our faith in God.

Hear the story (exegesis)

Believe the story (theological implications)

Live the story (application)

There was once a battle where a leader in the military was captured, so the army sent in two special forces soldiers. These two soldiers bravely fought their way through enemy combatants to finally reach their leader. Exhausted from all the battle one of the soldiers led the leader through the enemy camp to a plane while carrying his comrade unconscious on his back. Once they got to the plane the enemy almost destroyed the plane, but the two brave soldiers bravely returned their leader back to base. In the most improbable mission of their war these two soldiers believed in their plan and it ended up working out in the end as Obi-Wan Kenobi leaned back and said, “Another happy landing!”

Sometimes in life the plan that God has for us seems like it’s never going to work, but God always keeps his promises and works all things for our ultimate good, therefore we can be firm in our faith. We see this very clearly in Genesis 24

Hear the story

Abraham sent out a servant to find Isaacs wife

Gen. 24:1-9

The servant asks for God to help him

Gen. 24:10-14

Rebekah meets all the criteria

Gen. 24:15-28

The servant tells Laban what happened

Gen. 24:29-51

Rebekah leaves her home in faith

Gen. 24:52-61

Isaac marries Rebekah

Gen. 24:61-67

Believe the story

Even when it seems like God’s promises might fail, he is still faithful

Abraham had every right to think that God’s plan would fail, Sarah was barren for 90 years and he was told to go sacrifice his only son just two chapters ago, but God is faithful and gives Isaac a wife confirming that God is going to continue Abraham’s lineage

Lam. 3:21-23

The Israelites were in exile in Babylon due to their sin. One would think that God had forgotten them and had stopped keeping his promise, but the author of Lamentations understands that even in the middle of sorrow and doubt one can remember that God is still faithful to his plan!

God is using all things to accomplish his good purposes for us

Eph. 1:11, Rom. 8:28

How can it be though that God is still faithful to his plan even in the midst of sorrow? He is working all things according to his will for our ultimate good!

Live the story

1 Pet. 5:6-11 is how we can apply this story

Humble ourselves

Cast our anxieties on God

Be ready to resist unbelief

Be firm in your faith

Believe that our eternity is better than our present

Give God all the glory

Conclusion

A song that I think encapsulates this whole story and application well is the Doxology

So let’s cast our anxieties on God trusting that his plan is for our good and that his kingdom, which is forever, shall triumph in the end!