"Now Isaac loved Esau,
because he had a taste for game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. And when Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in
from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, 'Please let me have
a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.' Therefore his name was called Edom.
"But Jacob said, 'First
sell me your birthright.' And Esau said,
'Behold I am about to die, so of what use then is the birthright to me?' And Jacob said, 'First swear to me'; so he
swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank and rose
and went on his way. Thus Esau despised
his birthright."
Genesis 25:28-34
The
two boys were rivals from the time they were in the womb. One a hunter in times of plenty, the other a
"solid-hearted" man who tapped his foot waiting for the birthright to
be transferred. Add parents who choose
their favourites and you have trouble brewing.
Esau did not care about his birthright and Jacob did not care to wait
for God's plan to work out.
Take
care with love, especially His! Your
servant and friend in Christ, Darlene
PS:
ANY PRAYER UPDATES TODAY? Please send
updates! For any of you who wonder if
prayer is worth taking time for, just page back through previous entries and
see the hand of our loving Father in action!
URGENT
PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for Adrian, his physical pain is so
difficult now for him. He needs the arms
of the Lord surrounding him with warmth and love right now. His isolation is difficult as he begins this
4-6 week journey as they kill his immune system before they replace his T-cells
in the hope of stopping this cancer. He
will be in isolation in Royal Brisbane Hospital for 4-6 weeks. If any of you
can help by sending him an email or card and perhaps paying him a visit in a
couple of weeks, please contact me. PB needs a heart-kidney
transplant and is waiting in the hospital now.
NEW
PRAYER REQUESTS: Please pray for John, Patti's husband how has
had his second knee surgery and is not progressing well. He needs to manage his health now to prevent
blood clots and infections. Deepak:(who still needs our
prayers for his situation) asks that we please pray for Melanie Karunaratne, a young mother who has two little boys
and is in the hospital with cancer. Raven - they found a lump under her
arm and are doing further tests. Remember
Daniel Craver, now 4 years
old, he had a liver transplant last summer.
Now he has signs of fever and that his body is rejecting the transplant.
Pray
for Paul R, that his present
challenges will work out and that he would grow his time management skills. Pray for Milo
and Sabine as they travel to Germany, that they are safe and healthy
and accomplish what they need to during the next six weeks.
PRAISE & THANKSGIVING: Betinna’s
husband, Jim (with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) got to go out for the
first time on Monday, his birthday!
Please thank everyone again, for their prayers. She sent this message today for Adrian: "Jim and I can send an encouraging
email. We know that God is God and that
He has Adrian in His hands."
Isaias and his wife Judith need prayers for their
ministries in Mindanao, Philippines from 31 July to 20 August, as they have a
very heavy teaching schedule during this time - guard their health and hearts. PNS
is finally recovering and has arrived, pray for him finding a job and
continued growing strength and bless him for his patience.
PRAY
FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS: David R doing well through
complicated health challenges. Tim (my little brother) with
CPRD, needs financial help and satisfying work.
For Audley and Beverly’s
situation and his new endeavour.
For Carlton still suffering from
horrible infections and pain in his bones.
For Nancy who is
growing stronger and for Fred
as he cares for her. For PJ
ONGOING
JOB RELATED: Barbara (sister-in-law) eager to find new work since her
project ended. Be with Hans as he struggles through
changes in his life – that he will cling quietly to the Lord and that there
will be an unexpected, satisfying job in his chosen field for him. My project, actually the product and entire
department where I was working, has been dissolved. Please pray for the wisdom of my next steps.
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!
Carla & Paul K for good results from their
business plans. Please pray for Deborah as she deals with a
difficult situation, that she would keep her focus where it must be and that
her hurting heart is soothed by the Father as He brings about the result that
is His will.
For
Tarrega, as his hearts
settles and strengthens. For Linda and Ian. For Rob
and his daughter. For Reg. Pray for Annette
and her career adventures. 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. Elaine and Jim back in Hong
Kong.
PRAY
FOR THE WORLD: God’s grace on USA & REVIVAL for His
children there and for the many nations and individuals suffering from global
financial mismanagement. Pray for the
Catholic Church and that the new Pope
will always put Jesus first.