Do you ever question God's will for you life?  Do you wonder what His plan for you might be?  Are you doing what He has called you to do?  Are you questioning that He has a plan for you at all?  Do  you feel hopeless when it comes to knowing God's plan for you?  Friend, we can be hopeful in God's will for us.  God has a plan for our lives.

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. - Jeremiah 29:11

Image Credit - Yolanda - CCO Public Domain Image - via Pixabay

The following are my notes taken during my pastor's sermon.

Hopeful in God's Will

First, God is the source of our hope. 

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13

Our focal scripture passage is Genesis, chapter 24.  At this time, Abraham is about 104 years old.  Issac is about 40 years old and is unmarried.  YET, God promised a plan.

This is a beautiful story about how God provided a wife for Isaac, but the principles learned throughout the story can be applied to any other situation when you doubt God's plan for our life. 

It was he to whom it was said, "In Isaac your descendants shall be called. - Hebrews 11:18

Regarding Genesis 24, we find in verses 1-4 that Abraham did not want a wife for Isaac who would turn his heart away from God.

Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way.  Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of Heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” - Genesis 24:1-4

In verses 5-9, God instructed them not to leave the land He had given them.  If Isaac chose to leave the land, it would cause the people to believe that God would not keep His promise.

God's will - His plan - is perfect.  We have to trust him.

Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. - Romans 4:20-21

 In verses 10-11, Abraham's servant traveled 500 miles on a camel train.  A camel train consisted of about 10 camels.  They traveled for approximately 20 days, maybe more.

Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.  He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. - Genesis 24:10-11

 Now, here is a very important part.  Upon arrival into the city, Abraham's servant prayed.

He said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’— may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.” - Genesis 24:12-14