Praying for Success

Yesterday, I was reading from Genesis 24 which recounts the story of when Abraham’s servant traveled to the city of Nahor to find a wife for Isaac (Abraham’s son). I’ve read this story many times before, but there was one small detail from verse 12 that popped out at me this time. The verse reads: And he said, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. (NRSV) Specifically, I was struck by this part of the verse – “please grant me success today.” When I pray, I ask God for the healing of those around me, I ask God for a “good” day, I ask God to help me make the most of opportunities around me, and I thank Him for all the blessings I’ve been given. Besides asking for a “good” day, I’m not sure how often I’m specific about asking God to grant me success.

I’m convinced that God cares about the daily happenings of Jon Stolpe, and I’m sure He wants what is best for me; however, I’m not sure that I always give God the okay to help me succeed. It is clear in this passage that God does answer these types of prayers. My guess though is that Abraham’s servant was clearly following God. In other words, he was asking for something that lined up with God’s will. When we put God first in our lives, I believe we will ask Him for success in the areas that truly matter. So where do I specifically want God to help me succeed? Here’s a brief list:

1. I want to succeed at being the best husband that I can be for my wife.
2. I want to succeed at raising my kids in a way that honors God.
3. I want to succeed in my workplace through advancement and through leading with integrity.
4. I want to succeed in making a difference in my community.
5. I want to succeed in helping others to know Christ.

I’m sure there’s more, but these are some of the majors.

Until the next post, may our prayers for success be answered…