The Most Romantic Meet-Cute Story Ever

I was reminded of this meet-cute scenario when I was meditating on Genesis 24 during my quiet time this morning.  Genesis 24 details the story of how Abraham was able to find a wife for his son Isaac. To summarize the story, Abraham is now very old  and wants to make sure that his beloved son Isaac will not get a Canaanite woman for his wife. So he sent his oldest servant to his hometown to get a wife from his relatives. Abraham asked his servant to make an oath to make sure that he will only do what he was instructed to do. So the servant left for his master’s hometown to find Abraham’s relative, Nahor. After his long journey, he arrived at a well located outside the town of Abraham and asked God to bless his mission and lead him to the right woman whom Isaac can marry. He also asked for signs that will tell him that he had found the right woman.
While he was praying, Rebekah came and the servant realized that she meets the signs he was asking from God. It turned out that Rebekah is the daughter of Nahor’s son so the servant thanked God that He led him on his journey to the house of his master’s relatives.The servant told Abraham’s relatives about his intention of finding a wife for his master’s son, Isaac and how God has led him to Rebekah. Rebekah agreed to go with the servant and become Isaac’s wife.

Probably you are now thinking that this is a typical arranged marriage story so you find nothing romantic in it. So now this is the exciting part and let me quote the passage directly.

⁶² Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. ⁶³ He went out to the field one evening to meditate,^[f] and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. ⁶⁴ Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel ⁶⁵ and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

⁶⁶ Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. ⁶⁷ Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (Genesis 24:62-66)

When I saw this passage, I can’t help but notice the reactions of Rebekah and Isaac when they first saw each other. There was surely an attraction between the two of them I even thought that though God has pre-arranged their meeting, their story may still be love at first sight. And even if I’m wrong, I’m pretty sure that their marriage was a happy one since it was clearly stated that Abraham did really love Rebekah.

The love story of Rebekah and Isaac is not a new story to me, actually, because their marriage is always our reference whenever we talk about love, courtship and marriage at church. And because of their example, I am very much convinced that God can also arrange a perfect marriage for me.

That is why I’m not really into dating.

One funny thing about me though is that lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about marriage. No, it’s not because of wanting to get married but more of fear that what if marriage will happen to me sooner than I expected? I know deep in my heart that I’m not yet ready and I really don’t know how to prepare for it. I also thought that just like Isaac, when the man that God has prepared for me started looking to for his wife, will he also find me as a woman of godly character like Rebekah?

The truth is, right now, I don’t think he will. And marriage is still one of the areas in my life that I really need to submit and lay down before God.