I love it when God answers prayers with such accuracy that there can be absolutely no doubt that it was him. I can remember a friend being presented with a bill for repairs to his car that he couldn’t afford. He prayed that God would bless him with what he needed and a couple of days letter a tax rebate come in the post that covered the bill almost exactly.

I love the specific way that this story unfolds. Abraham gave his servant very detailed instructions. The servant followed them to the letter even praying that God would give him very specific signs that his prayer was being answered. It gives the whole story the sense of an ongoing conversation between God the servant and back again.

I wonder if sometimes our prayers are too general or not quite direct enough? I wonder if we don’t hear or see as much of God at work as we might because we don’t ask the right questions? In some cultures if you ask a question you get a very black and white answer to the question you’ve placed. For example in some African cultures the question “Is [name] here?” might be answered “S/he is not!” while we might say, “No s/he has gone out but will be back in 15 minutes”. In our culture we tend to read a little more into the context so our communication is more expansive. In James 4:2b it says “You do not have because you do not ask God.” Perhaps it might be helpful to our own walk with God to define our prayers a little more clearly. “Lord can you show me…” or “Lord can you give me a sign that my prayer has been answered even if it’s not in the way that I’ve asked?”

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Question:

How specific are your prayers? Do you include details? Do you ask God to show you the results of your prayers? Do you ask Him for signs that he has blessed your prayers?

Prayer:

Helps us Lord God to pray well, to hear well and to see clearly. Let us not become despondent when we do not see or hear the answers to our prayers but instead help us to ask more clearly. Amen.