“And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.”” (Genesis 24:54–56, ESV)
Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. I have functioned for some time under the credo, “To delay is to disobey.” Why? I can be a professional procrastinator. What about you? Are you known for your rapid response or do you have a “to do” list that keeps getting more and more “not done?”
While many make perfectly good excuses for their postponements, the reality is that I choose to delay because, well, to be honest, I just don’t want to do it. Do you understand? Can you empathize with me? Do you know what I mean when I say, “I like to rest?”
Perhaps it’s the perspective of experience. I mean, really. Has anyone else noticed that if you empty your list by evening, the next morning there’s a new list?! What’s up with that? So, if a few things don’t get done today, well, there’s always tomorrow, right?
Such are the attitudes of those who do not function in close relationship with the Almighty, as I have learned. (Read through Proverbs in the middle of your Bible and track the concepts of diligence and laziness if you don’t believe me.)
When Abraham’s servant got the good news that Bethuel and Laban were in agreement with Rebekah becoming Isaac’s wife, he was ready to depart the next morning. Imagine, a one-day mission!
Where do you think the servant had learned such a quick response time? From his boss, of course. Abraham was known for his rapid responses to God. As a part of his character, we can safely assume that this trait carried over into his personal and business life as well.
Faith responds; it doesn’t delay. And perhaps that’s why God honors it. After all, parents appreciate it. Bosses respect it. Spouses praise it. Why wouldn’t we want to possess it? And when we do, we discover that life is filled with more prosperity and good success.
Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.
