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Circumcision of the Heart
By Begin in the Word
“Thus says the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel, ‘For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and will bring them all down as
fugitives, even the Chaldeans, into the ships in which they rejoice. I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of
Israel, your King.’
“Thus says the Lord, who makes a way through the sea and
a path through the mighty waters, who brings forth the chariot and the horse,
the army and the mighty man (They will lie down together and not raise again;
they have been quenched and extinguished like a wick).
“‘Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things
of the past. Behold, I will do something
new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert.
“’The beasts of the fields will glorify Me, the jackals
and the ostriches, because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in
the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.
The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.’” Isaiah 43:14-21
Sometimes I wonder what it must have been like to be one of
the Israelites. To KNOW that God had
chosen them as His special people to witness of His power to others as they
wandered around. To KNOW that the
Messiah was promised when all else seemed to be failing them!
Recently, I remarked to the woman who is managing a project
I’m working on that they were a ‘take no prisoners’ type of project
manager. She asked me where that phrase
came from.
I was a bit unsure if I could tell her but shared that it
was from the Bible, in Exodus where God told His people to enter the Promised Land
and clear the way for His plan. How often,
He would tell them to defeat a city and ‘take no prisoners’.
She shared with me that she was Jewish. And I, ever so foolishly, was warmed to her --
thinking she was someone with an understanding of the Old Testament (Torah and
Tanakh), at least, and that it would give us something in common. Little did I realise that liberalism has
infected Jewish communities as she shared how their synagogue was as liberal as
the real world today. I nearly
wept.
Today, she asked me to meditate with her because it helped her
align her chakras – a Hindu practice.
Please pray for me, because I am sad and unsure how to go forward with
her except in ‘vanilla-isn’t-it-a-nice-day’ ways.
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 (Thank you for the
updates.)
·
Joni – a long-time friend who has been wandering
through the challenges of cancer treatment.
They did a PET scan and I’ve not heard of the results, but tests had
shown that her cancer was gone.
Nevertheless, she is still recovering from the treatments and needs your
prayers as she lives alone.
·
Jill –
will soon have cataract surgery. Please
pray for the surgeon and those who support her that the procedure will go smoothly,
and her eye will heal quickly and that Peter, and those who love her, would
rally to support her.
·
Barbara –
the beloved wife of my brother (who recently passed) of nearly 50 years – thanks
you for praying for her (and for me as we struggle with our loss of Tim). Please pray God places people in her path who
will help her with all the things He knows she needs help with. Pray for Barb’s peace and protection at
night.
·
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.
·
Hans–
a dear friend in Germany struggling with lung cancer and financial difficulties. Pray his new social worker will be able to
help him and that he will have patience.
Pray for his healthcare providers and that he is surrounded by faithful
and compassionate Christian friends who will remind him of the Lord’s love. Pray for his Mom (age 84) -- that their time
together is filled with extraordinarily good memories and lots of love.
·
Jake – No news about Jake, a friend of my brother, also
living with COPD (emphysema) and heart problems. Please pray for his daughter, Tiffany and for his other friends and health
carers to help him through his health journey.
·
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.
·
Pray for Jeff and
Rachael’s family in Louisville to
desire and seek a relationship with the Lord.
·
Philip and Sue –
Philip recently had surgery. Pray for
his health carers and for Sue as she supports him through his recovery.
·
Sarah and Andrew – he left his job a year ago -- she went to work
in a new role. Pray for this precious
Christian couple that they focus on family balance to the glory of the Lord.
·
Sue and Rob – opened their home to support Luke who is lost, angry and refuses to move
out. Please pray he wakes up and
realises he must take responsibility for his own life and most of all that he
needs the Lord. Pray for the continued
patience and compassion of Sue and Rob.
·
Ray and Kathy –
Ray’s mom is fading away into the growing fog of dementia. She lives a couple of hours away and recently
had a serious fall and is now in an aged care facility. Pray that she might adjust and stay
healthy. Pray for travelling mercies for
Ray as he drives back and forth to visit her, and for Kathy as she supports him
through this difficult time. Pray also
for their separate ministries to grow through the witness of their love and
compassion.
·
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, spouses
and 18 grandchildren grow to love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
·
Paul –
please pray for him. He was unsuccessful
for the job he applied for (after more than ten years without work). He is very discouraged and now unwell. Please pray the Lord provides needed work so
he can begin to heal and strengthen.
·
Ian – continue
to pray that his desire to grow his understanding and effectiveness with
personal evangelism is fulfilled.
·
Peyton and Carter
- Grandchildren of Jeff and Rachael. Payton, their granddaughter is now a senior
in university. Carter, their son is now
a freshman in college. Both are
exceptional students and love the Lord. Pray
they are not distracted by worldly things, that the Lord watches over and
protects them, that they continue to do well in their studies and that their
love of God’s Word increases daily.
·
Elina –
needs courage of her convictions and resolve to live a life that is
Christ-honouring for herself and her young son, Jimmy.
·
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.
·
Christine –
give her strength as she journeys to heart-healing and pray her husband gives
his heart to the Lord.
·
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.
·
Pray for true,
Christ-centered revival in America.
Pray for those in full-time service
Pray the Lord upholds 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.
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