Isaac’s father Abraham had many personal experiences with the Lord. This seems to be the first such experience for Isaac. Isaac feared the Philistine herdsmen, and God told Isaac not to be afraid. God confirms his promise to Isaac for Abraham’s sake. Altars and tents marked Abraham’s life. Abraham had full trust in the Lord. Similarly, Isaac followed in the same paths of his father, Abraham. Calling upon the name of the Lord, Isaac enjoyed the blessing of a new well.
I was a little child when my father, the late Rev. T. Devairakkam, decided to move from India to Malaysia as a missionary. As a family, we always knelt together and prayed. My father was true to his calling as a missionary. He had full trust in the Lord. We were there to see how God answered our father’s prayers, and how our needs were met miraculously.
From Port Swettenham, in the State of Selangor, my father moved to the southern State of Johor. He “pitched his tent” in one of the villages in Johor. He did a lot of community service and shared the gospel too. The people (Indians) in the new place loved him and held him in high regard. Many came to him for prayer and help for some form of need. As I recall the early years of his ministry, I praise God for the wonderful ways he blessed my father, even as he served him so faithfully until the age of 86. Even today, the children of my father’s friends look for my husband Wilfred and me for prayer. Some of them may not be Christians, but they still visit us, and we share the goodness of Christ with them.
I believe that when we walk in the footsteps of God-fearing parents, elders or leaders, God still keeps his covenant with us for Jesus’ sake. Just as he confirmed his promise to Isaac for Abraham’s sake, God is still the same for us. He will continue to protect us and bless us abundantly where we “pitch our tents.”
When we walk in the footsteps of God-fearing parents, elders or leaders, God still keeps his covenant with us for Jesus’ sake.
Ruth Devairakkam
Extended Scripture: Genesis 25–26 (NKJV)
