7-5-26 “A Prayer that Opens the Way”

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“A Prayer that Opens the Way”

I want to start with something funny. You may know this story, but it’s a new version: Two men were walking through a game park when they came across a lion that hadn’t eaten for days. The lion immediately started chasing them. They ran as fast as they could, but one of the men began to tire. In desperation, he prayed, “Lord, please turn this lion into a Christian!”

He glanced back and was amazed to see the lion kneeling on the ground. Delighted that his prayer had been answered, he turned around and walked toward the lion.

As he got closer, he heard the lion praying, “Thank You, Lord, for the food I am about to receive. Amen.”

How many of you have received answers to your prayers?

Now, how many of you have ever felt that your prayers were never answered?

Today, I want to talk about “Prayer.” We pray every day—somehow in every moment and on every occasion. You may have heard that prayer is a key that opens heaven. Do you believe that’s true?

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8).

It sounds like prayer is a master key that brings us closer to God in our everyday lives.

You know this story, and I use this verse in our insert alongside the prayer requests. When Jesus’ disciples failed to cast out an evil spirit from a boy and asked Him, “Why could we not cast it out?” Jesus said, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Therefore, prayer is a key that helps us find the way we are looking for.

In today’s Scripture reading, we meet Abraham again. Last week, we learned about Abraham’s final test from God. God asked him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Through this test, the angel of the Lord said to him, “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” Abraham passed God’s test. Afterward, he came to a firm belief: “God will provide-Jehovah Jireh.” This meant a great deal in Abraham’s life. An unshakable faith in “God will provide” was established through his lifelong experience with God.

Today, Genesis chapter 24 tells the story of how Abraham sought a wife for his only son, Isaac. In this story, we can see how strong Abraham’s faith in God had become.

Abraham had lived a long and eventful life. At the age of seventy-five, he left his parents, his home, and his homeland because God said to him, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you” (Genesis 12:1–2).

Abraham immediately obeyed God and left his homeland, trusting in God’s promise. Yet even though God had promised him a son, he remained childless until he was eighty-five years old. Thinking this might be God’s will, Abraham had a son, Ishmael, through Hagar. Finally, when Abraham was one hundred years old, God fulfilled His promise, and Isaac was born.

Along the way, Abraham’s family experienced many struggles—conflict between Sarah and Hagar, tension between Isaac and Ishmael, and heartache within the family. At God’s instruction, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away. Later, God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. Once again, Abraham obeyed God without hesitation. After Abraham passed this test of faith, God blessed him in every way (Genesis 24:1).

He is now old and advanced in years. But he still had work to do. Like many parents, Abraham thought about his son Issac’s marriage before he died. Since Isaac was the son God had promised, choosing the right wife was important. Abraham followed three principles, all based on his firm belief that “God will provide.”

First, she must come from his own relatives and his father’s family (24:4, 38). Second, she must be willing to leave her homeland and come to Canaan, the Promised Land (24:5–8, 39–41). Third, Abraham trusted that God Himself would provide the right wife for Isaac (24:7, 50).

Abraham was too old to make the long journey himself, so he sent his trusted servant to his homeland. Before sending him, Abraham made the servant swear that he would follow these three principles. His servant asks him, “If she does not want to come over here, should I bring Isaac back to the country you were from?” But Abraham’s answer was firm. He says, “Do not take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the Land of my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘I will give this land to your offspring.’” So, Abraham’s faith is steadfast on God’s promise. It is not negotiable at all. If the woman was unwilling to come, Abraham believed she was not the one God had prepared for Isaac.

Through Abraham’s faithfulness, the servant had also learned to trust in God. He also had a very specific way of seeking God’s guidance. He prayed that the right young woman would not only give him a drink of water but would also willingly draw water for all of his camels. Such kindness and generosity would reveal the person God had chosen. Through the prayers in detail, the Abraham’s servant tried to find God’s will.

How about you? How do you know whether a decision is God’s will? Yes, I know you pray to God. When we face an important decision, we naturally pray. If we are still uncertain, we may ask God for a sign, just as Abraham’s servant did.

I believe that God cares for each one of us personally, not in exactly the same way. The Holy Spirit may come to one person like a dove, to another like fire, and to another like the wind.

God knows each of us perfectly and leads each person in the way that is best for them.

Moses also asked God for a sign when God called him to lead the Israelites. God told him to throw down his staff, and it became a snake. Then God said that this sign would help the Israelites know that the Lord had truly appeared to him (Exodus 4:1–5).

Our faith should be practical. There are good days and difficult days. Sometimes we don’t feel that God is with us. Sometimes it seems that our prayers go unanswered, or we feel alone. During those times, we can ask God to show us a sign of His presence.

Just as we pray for our daily bread in the Lord’s Prayer, we need fresh spiritual nourishment every day. We meet God in prayer, in His Word, in our relationships with others, and in the beauty of His creation. I sometimes sense God’s presence as I watch the birds at my bird feeders or work among the vegetables in my garden.

I have also received wonderful feedback about our Prayer Shawl Ministry. Some people who have received a prayer shawl have told me that it made them feel warm and at peace, as if God were embracing them. God is present in many ways, often in the ordinary moments of our daily lives, if we have eyes to see and hearts to recognize Him.

God may be much closer than you realize. I hope you will experience His presence in your everyday life. And may your prayers open the way that God has prepared for you.

Thanks be to God. Amen!