No Small Task
A short while ago, God spoke to my spirit, telling me to do this thing. It was the oddest thing and I tried so hard to resist doing it, fearful that I would embarrass myself. I was sitting having dinner with my husband, our pastor and the first lady of our church and being told by God to go and speak with an older man who had walked in. I sat through the ordering of the food - God kept nudging me. I sat through the eating of the food - God continued nudging me. FINALLY, just as we were winding down, I got up from the table and went and talked to the gentleman. As it turned out, both he and the gentleman with him, were old friends of my uncle. This isn’t just any uncle; this is my dad’s only brother. He is the uncle that walked me down the aisle at my wedding this past October, because my dad had passed away seven years prior. He is the uncle who left for Vietnam on the very day that I was born - coming by the hospital first so that he could meet his oldest brother’s first child.
He is one of my favorites!
My uncle relocated after the war, and over the course of the past 40 something years, the gentlemen had lost touch with him. My uncle had gone to high school with these guys and they all left for the war together. They were even guests at my uncle’s wedding all those years ago!
Well, there I was walking up to them – shoulders shrugged, but still respectfully bold - asking them to pardon my interruption (while they sat eating and talking). I said something like, I feel like I am supposed to talk with you. Still weird, but perhaps not as weird as some woman walking up and saying God told me to…
As we tried to figure out the why, I gave them my dad’s name; they didn’t recognize it. I told them what my dad’s occupation was. My dad was one of very few black contractors in Miami fifty years ago. Nope. Just as I was about to walk away after having given them my father’s first and last name, the gentleman said that they use to know a Tommie Smith. I screamed “that’s my uncle!” I ran (in a restaurant, in high heels) and grabbed my cell phone (while my husband looked puzzled-but not surprised) and scrolled back to my wedding pictures. The guy said, “that’s him! That’s our friend Tommie. We have been looking for him for YEARS!” I gave them my uncle’s telephone number and I will tell you this, my uncle was quite happy and astonished at how this whole thing had played out. I listened to God and did this simple, yet seemingly odd thing that He had asked me to do – I went and talked to that guy. In doing so, I reconnected three long lost friends and did this amazing thing for my favorite uncle.
Wait, but y’all know this is a bible teaching, right?
In Genesis 24:3, Abraham had his servant make an oath that he would go to Abraham’s native land and find a wife for his son Isaac. He expressed the importance of doing this task in a certain way, and the servant swore that he would do as Abraham had asked. This was no small task.
As we travel down to verse 14, we find the servant in position and praying to God. “May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may 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.” (NIV). The bible tells us that even before he could finish praying, Rebekah showed up with a jar on her shoulder.
Ok, so a few things:
I can think of a few reasons why his prayer was answered even before he was finished praying it. 1. He had been obedient to his servant. 2. It was an unselfish prayer. This prayer was not for his benefit. 3. It was in line with the Will of God.
But, let’s talk about Rebekah for a moment.
The bible describes her as a beautiful woman. I cannot imagine that Rebekah was any different than us. Out here praying for a mate. The bible tells us that when the servant went and positioned himself at the well, it was during the time when the young women went out and drew water. Rebekah went out to fulfill her daily task – filling the jar of water for her family.
Imagine Rebekah, praying for a husband, and God sends her to the well for water instead. “God, I am asking you for this blessing and you are having me go do this small task?” Makes no sense, right? Except for this – there are no small tasks!
God is an intentional God, and what seems insignificant to us is usually not. God took that small task and placed a blessing behind it!
Genesis 24:17 says, “The servant (after seeing Rebekah) hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” How could Rebekah know that the small act of kindness that came about because of that small task, would be her blessing?!
OH MY GOODNESS!!
There is enough here for 10 different teachings. We can talk about what kind of woman Rebekah was. Without the servant even asking, she volunteered to get water for the camels too!
Isaac was about to be blessed!
I have so many stories that I cannot wait to share with you about how God uses the littlest things to bring us the biggest blessings. But we must be obedient and never so haughty that we cannot do the little things. There are no small tasks.
Amen!