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By Pastor Landon
“Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava,
that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey
for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.
“For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and
horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the
king, ‘The hand of our God is favourably disposed to all those who seek Him,
but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.’ So we fasted and sought our God concerning
this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.” Ezra 8:21-23
Ezra is the prophet who had the distinction of planning a
new Jerusalem wall (Nehemiah built it.)
Although, it is easy to remember Daniel and all the neat things he did
and all the lessons presented in that book, Daniel was only in Babylon because
he had been taken there as a captive as a young man after Jerusalem was
destroyed.
Seventy years had passed since that time before Ezra was
given permission to travel back to Jerusalem to plan for the rebuilding of God’s
city. Ezra travelled with a band of
skilled craftsmen.
The journey was about 900 miles on foot and took them about
four months. The territory was very dangerous and difficult. Before they set off and all during their
journey, they prayed that God would give them safety and His protection.
Like your journey today…it may not be as difficult and
dangerous as Ezra’s, but you know how important it is to take our needs to the
Father. He is the all wise One, who will
care for you as your travel. When you
take time to put God first in any endeavour, you are preparing well for
whatever lies ahead.
Take care with love, especially His, Darlene (who still
prays for you daily)
PS: Find my statement
of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com
(where you will also find a series of
beginner Bible studies to share). You can easily find the WeakDay Devotion
online by doing a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’. (Also, there is an android ‘Google
Blogger’ app you can download to read them on your phone. Not sure about Apple.). For the books, go to Amazon
books.
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS (any updates?)
·
URGENT - Peter and Jill – Peter’s surgery is tomorrow
to place stents in his arteries. Pray
the Lord quiets his concerns and gives him a surprising trust and calmness
during the procedure. Pray also for his
wife, Jill as she has been unwell and
is Peter’s most effective supporter.
·
UPDATE - Barbara – the beloved wife of my brother (who
recently passed) -- pray that she would be comforted and cared for by those
around her as she manages so much all by herself now. Pray for her safety and peace and protection
at night.
·
UPDATE - Patti and John – pray God continues to inspire
them with His love and compassion and that He will guard their health. Pray also for travelling mercies as Patti is
now the only one who drives.
·
UPDATE - Annette and Lyle –
pray for travelling mercies as they are leaving for Vancouver Tuesday to visit
Lyle’s parents (his Dad has dementia that is getting worse, as is his
hearing). Lyle’s Mom has just moved into
a retirement home and is selling her house).
Pray also for their first grandchild that he will continue to grow
strong and be healthy.
·
THANKSGIVING - Grant – thank you for praying for his eye
infection. It has cleared up and he is
as bright eyed as always.
·
UPDATE - Ian – continue to pray that his desire to
grow his understanding and effectiveness with personal evangelism is fulfilled.
·
THANKSGIVING - Yoshimi – has been selected for a role she
will be trained in and is not yet a Christian.
She is new to the house and who knows what the Lord is working out in
her life. Let her be open to His Word.
·
UPDATE - Peyton and Carter - Grandchildren of Jeff and Rachael. Payton is their eldest granddaughter and now a
senior in university. Carter is a freshman
in college. Both are exceptional
students and love the Lord. Pray they
are not distracted by worldly things, that they continue to do well in their
studies and that their love of the Lord increases daily.
·
UPDATE - Ray – please give him grace and comfort as he cares
for his mother who has Alzheimer’s and whose memory is too quickly fading away
and pray for Kathy, his wife who supports
him through this.
·
THANKSGIVING - David – had double cataract surgery with
good results, still being treated for macular degeneration. He now awaits some new glasses but is feeling
stronger each day. Pray for wisdom for
his health carers and for Heidi, his
daughter, who cares for him daily, to be strong and healthy through this time.
·
UPDATE - Callilah- a lost child. Pray in thanksgiving that the Lord is
softening her heart and that the Lord has placed Patti just where she needs to
be. Pray for Patti’s safety and patience.
·
Sarah and Andrew – he left his job and she has gone to work in a
new and exciting role. Pray for this
precious Christian couple that they focus on family balance to the glory of the
Lord.
·
Joni – a
long-time friend who is wandering through the challenges of cancer
treatment. Pray for her health carers
and for her strength and all the adjustments she must now make during her
recovery.
·
Jake - A friend of my brother, living with COPD (emphysema)
and heart problems. Please pray for his
daughter, Tiffany and for other
friends and health carers to help him through his health journey.
·
Wayne B – is slowly losing his beloved wife, Lyn,
(diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia three and a half years ago). She has been in care since May of 2020 but
recently had a succession of falls and is now in a psycho-geriatric facility.
She sometimes knows who he is but is no longer able to respond. Pray for comfort for Wayne as he deals with
this difficult situation.
·
Jen – lost
her only sister and still needs your prayers to get through this difficult time
and pray her health remains good.
·
Demi and John – one evening he went out his backdoor to run an
errand and was attacked by someone with a knife who stabbed him several times
(one pierced his heart). He has recovered
physically, but please pray for him and his wife as they pull their lives
together – that they might find the Lord in all the chaos left behind.
·
Megan (for
emotional healing) and Scott, her
husband (for patience and wisdom) and wisdom for his sister, Clare, as she seeks to support them through
troubled times.
·
Sue and Rob - need prayers for wisdom and resolute spirits as
they deal with their adult nephew, Luke. They invited him to stay with them during a
difficult time in his life, but he refuses to leave now and is ungrateful and
disruptive. Pray for salvation for Luke
and that he accepts their request.
·
Bettina –
continue to pray for her as she grows into a new phase of her life in the Lord. Pray each of her five married daughters,
their spouses and 17 grandchildren grow to love and follow the Lord Jesus
Christ.
·
Robin –
lost her beloved mother (was 93 years old), please pray for strength and
healing for her as she navigates through this time of mourning and for her
daughter who is comforting her.
·
Family of Eric – Eric died suddenly at 52 leaving his
47-year-old wife and three girls (ages 16, 19 and 23). Pray the Lord brings strength to them as they
regroup into a new life. Pray for trustworthy,
honourable, Bible-based friends to continue to support them.
·
Pray for true,
Christ-centered revival in America.
Pray for those in full-time service
Pray the Lord uphold our Christian leaders – that they never compromise God’s Word and remain bold and courageous in the face of evil. Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.
Pray for those with ongoing health concerns
Many of us have family, friends and loved ones with fragile health. Pray God takes special care with them and protects them in practical ways and that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.
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