February 4, 2026

Business by the Book

Genesis 24:27  …I being in the way, the LORD led me…

Abraham’s servant was given an unenviable task: to find a wife for Isaac. Where does one begin to do such a thing? Can you imagine the thoughts of this servant as he began his trek? “How will I know her, what does she look like, will she be willing to believe me, what do I say, how do I propose for another man, etc.?”  His thoughts must have been a jumbled up mixture of emotions, fear, intrigue, and adventure. He began at the only place one could begin. He began by getting in the way.

Years ago, whenever I would arrive home, I had a big chocolate lab that would meet me at the door. She would get in the way. She thought she had to be right under my feet, she was in the way. This is not the meaning of the servant’s words as quoted above. He meant that while he was in the way of doing the job that had been given him, as he began the task, as he was where he was supposed to be, the Lord led him. …I being in the way, the Lord led me…

Many times that which we know we should be doing we find difficult to do. But as we get in the way, as we begin the task, then we are led in the way, we are led in the task. Many times people who have accomplished great things did not know exactly how they would perform the task at hand, but they got busy and somehow, while they were in the way, they found the answers they needed to complete the job.

Moses is a great example of this. When God called him, Moses had no idea all that would befall him. The Lord in His infinite wisdom and understanding did not tell Moses all that would happen. If Moses knew every detail from the beginning he may not have been willing to obey God’s calling. But in every aspect of the trouble, challenges, and danger that Moses encountered, the Lord was there to lead him.

I remember reading one time that Thomas Edison failed in over 100 experiments concerning the incandescent light bulb. Let’s say the number was 120 (I really don’t remember the exact number but it was large). Someone asked him if he had failed. He said “No, I have just learned 120 ways it will not work.”  His being in the way was led by his failure. The old phrase “trial and error” is a form of …being in the way the Lord led me. After all, the Lord God is the one who gives us the ability to learn and build on past learning to bring about future success.

Do you have a task that you really don’t know how to complete? Get busy. Get in the way, the Lord will lead you. Ask Him to. Sadly though because of uncertainty many will never start, therefore their failure is guaranteed. And that is a thought for a devotion for another day.

Dr. William Howe