“Then he prayed, ‘LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.’” — Genesis 24:12

Each week in synagogue or at home, Jews read through the Torah from Genesis to Deuteronomy. The Torah portion for this week is Chayei Sarah, which means “the life of Sarah,” from Genesis 23:1—25:18.

My husband and I taught our children to start their day with prayer from the time that they were very young. One time, when I reminded my daughter to say her morning prayers, she responded with a question: “If God can read my mind and He already knows everything that I want, why do I need to pray for anything?” Good question!

I told my daughter what my father taught me when I was young. God doesn’t need us to tell Him what we want, but we need to know that everything we want comes from God. When we turn to God in prayer for everything we desire, we recognize that He alone is the source of all blessings.

In this week’s Torah portion, Abraham’s servant set out to find a wife for Abraham’s son, Isaac. The woman had to be a blood relative to Abraham, willing to leave her immediate family, and possess the character traits that would make her worthy of becoming the next matriarch. How would the servant succeed? It was like finding a needle in a haystack.

The servant responded to this challenge by turning to God and praying, “LORD… make me successful today…” Scripture tells us, “Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder” (Genesis 24:15). Out walked Rebekah! She was beautiful, kind, and met all of Abraham’s criteria. God answered the servant’s prayer immediately and granted him success.

We must never underestimate the power of asking God for help. As I explained to my daughter, God wants us to turn to Him for all our needs. Recognizing that God is the source of all blessings is often the key that unlocks those blessings.

When you are faced with a challenge that seems impossible to overcome, ask God for help. When you begin another day, unsure of what it will bring, ask God for help. From raising our children to becoming successful in the workplace, there is no request too big or too small for God. The more we ask for His help, the more we will receive it.

Your turn: Start your day with the prayer of Abraham’s servant: “LORD, make me successful today!”