Meddling

"And it came about when he came near to Egypt, that he [Abram] said to Sarai his wife, 'See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; and it will come about when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.  Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.'

"And it came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.  And Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 

"Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.  But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife." Genesis 12:11-17

"Before leaving this subject, there are some words of caution we need to consider lest we wrongly use the doctrine of Gods sovereignty over people.  First, we should never use the doctrine as an excuse for our own shortcomings.  God has not promised to work in the heart of another individual just to make up for our shortcomings.*

Abram did not trust God and made a back-up plan to protect and prosper himself...not even thinking of his wife or his witness to Pharaoh or the dire consequences of God's wrath in protection of Sarai.  God does not need our help to work out His plan, He is quite capable of managing without our meddling.

Take care with love, especially His!  Your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene

PLEASE NOTE THE PRAYER UPDATES! AND THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO ARE FAITHFUL TO PRAY AND TO KEEP ME UPDATED ON GOD'S PROGRESS!

For any of you who wonder if prayer is worth taking time for, just page through previous entries and see the hand of our loving Father in action!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST:   Adrian continues to be in a serious state since they took him off morphine.  Now his blood pressure and heart rate are seriously erratic.  Give the new doctor insight and sensitivity.

NEW PRAYER REQUEST:  Elina has been looking for full-time work since completing her university studies and needs wisdom to make wise choices.  Bettina needs our prayers to give her strength and wisdom.  Deepak's father passed away.  He travelled home to Colombo (Sri Lanka) to be with his family and now is making his way home to New Zealand.  Thank God, Deepak is part of the Body of Christ.

Paul NS's final job interview was postponed till today.  We are praying for good news and that his spirits remain hopeful.

Hans needs employment where he can make an honourable contribution.

PRAISE & THANKSGIVING:  For probably a couple of years now we have been praying for God’s grace on USA & REVIVAL for His children there.  Here is what I received today from Patti:

"I just want to share what I think is a positive happening to your prayer for: God’s grace on USA & REVIVAL for His children there:

"Just recently the U S Supreme Court justices upheld the right to have prayer to open town government meetings! (An atheist and a Jew apparently protested it), and the Supreme Court voted 5-4 that it did not violate the Constitution.

"Also, just recently there has been a surge of Christian movies at the theatres across the nation! The first one (that I did see and enjoy) is "God is Not Dead", then there is "Heaven is for Real" (I read the book and saw the movie -- both very good based on a true account).

"Then coming out this weekend is "Mom's Night Out" which I don't know is necessarily Biblically based, as the other two I mentioned, but it is made by the same ones who made "Fireproof" a couple of years ago. Anyway, my hopes are up that the Christians are finally taking a stand instead of being as passive as we have in the past."   

PRAY FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS:  Pray for my brother, Tim, that his COPD (cardio-pulmonary artery disease) is manageable for him and that he will have the patience and wisdom to cope with the limitations. 

Things seem to finally be settling down for Fion and his family.  Please keep them in your prayers. 

Baby Saige faces a lifetime of surgeries, procedures and time in hospital.  Please pray for all those who care for her, especially her family.

Please pray for Deepak's wife recovering from treatment for stage-2 breast cancer.  Her chemo is over. 

David R losing his eyesight due to macular degeneration.  I hope to go home to see him before he can no longer see me.  For Audley and Beverly’s situation and his return to the ministry.  For Nancy who is growing stronger and for Fred as he cares for her. 

Pray for Raven as she regains her strength from the cancer treatments.  Patty, who lost her three year old daughter four years ago has sent a most amazing letter of thanksgiving.  She is not 100% but says she is around 85%. 

Prayer update......Scott is doing a little better, he is taking baby steps but he still needs lots of prayers for healing, and ability to think clearly,  he also needs prayers to focus on God which he is NOT doing right now.  He thinks he can do everything himself.

ONGOING JOB RELATED:   Sergio seeking new employment - is in Mexico City. 

For PJ that he may find projects to fill his needs.  Justin B and his father in India need prayer that Justin will find work in his field of BPO and voice in the Lord's perfect time. 

ONGOING PRAYER REQUESTS:  Pray the Lord’s hand is dramatically apparent in the lives of all who receive and read this devotion...that His mighty works would be worked out in each life for His purposes in surprising and wonderful ways!

Elaine and Jim in Hong Kong have begun a new ministry.  Please pray the Father keeps guiding them in their work. 

Isaias & Judith need our continued prayers for protection and good health.  They lead the efforts of Ambassadors for Christ in the Philippines.  The financial needs are so great, please consider contributing...just click on Ambassadors for Christ link above. 

For Linda and Ian.  For Rob and his daughter.  For Reg.  Pray for Annette and Lyle and their wonderful family.  Pray for wisdom for my brother as he deals with an important matter.  For David K, in his studies and Matthew K as he grows up.  

PRAY FOR THE WORLD:  For the many nations and individuals suffering from global financial mismanagement.  Pray for Birgit who is in Germany.

Please pray for the many individuals in India.  Just recently the WeakDay Devotion blog is being read by many people there!  God is mysterious! 

Pray for the Catholic Church and that the new Pope will always put Jesus first.  

* "Trusting God" is copyright protected since 1988 by Jerry Bridges.  All rights are reserved, including translations.  The ISBN is 08910-91742.  I quote carefully and respectfully from his wonderful book.