One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible - Flipbook - Page 87
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January 22
For who is God except the Lord?
Who but our God is a solid rock?
God arms me with strength,
and he makes my way perfect.
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
enabling me to stand on mountain
heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
he strengthens my arm to draw
a bronze bow.
You have given me your shield of victory.
Your right hand supports me;
your help* has made me great.
You have made a wide path for my feet
to keep them from slipping.
18:35 Hebrew your humility; compare 2 Sam 22:36.
PROVERBS 4:7‑10
7
8
9
10
“Getting wisdom is the wisest thing
you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop
good judgment.
If you prize wisdom, she will make
you great.
Embrace her, and she will honor you.
She will place a lovely wreath on your
head;
she will present you with a beautiful
crown.”
My child,* listen to me and do as I say,
and you will have a long, good life.
4:10 Hebrew My son; also in 4:20.
HAMID HAD EVERY REASON to hate Muslims in his Pakistani village.
Villagers bullied him and harassed his Christian family. Authorities
even banned them from the local well during peak summer heat. But
God’s command was to love his persecutors. With God’s help, Hamid
sees his neighbors as God sees them: people made in God’s image
who need a savior. • LORD, MAY ALL PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS be
like Joseph in Genesis and like Hamid, forgiving those who wrong
them. May their persecutors place their trust in you. Amen.
GENESIS 44:1–45:28
When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph
gave these instructions to his palace manager:
“Fill each of their sacks with as much grain as
they can carry, and put each man’s money
back into his sack. 2 Then put my personal
silver cup at the top of the youngest brother’s
sack, along with the money for his grain.” So
the manager did as Joseph instructed him.
3 The brothers were up at dawn and were
sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys. 4 But when they had gone only a short
distance and were barely out of the city, Jo
seph said to his palace manager, “Chase after
them and stop them. When you catch up with
them, ask them, ‘Why have you repaid my
kindness with such evil? 5 Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup,* which he uses to
predict the future? What a wicked thing you
have done!’”
6 When the palace manager caught up with
the men, he spoke to them as he had been
instructed.
7 “What are you talking about?” the brothers
responded. “We are your servants and would
never do such a thing! 8 Didn’t we return the
money we found in our sacks? We brought it
back all the way from the land of Canaan. Why
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would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If you find his cup with any one
of us, let that man die. And all the rest of us, my
lord, will be your slaves.”
10 “That’s fair,” the man replied. “But only the
one who stole the cup will be my slave. The
rest of you may go free.”
11 They all quickly took their sacks from
the backs of their donkeys and opened them.
12 The palace manager searched the brothers’
sacks, from the oldest to the youngest. And the
cup was found in Benjamin’s sack! 13 When the
brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in
despair. Then they loaded their donkeys again
and returned to the city.
14 Joseph was still in his palace when Judah
and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the
ground before him. 15 “What have you done?”
Joseph demanded. “Don’t you know that a
man like me can predict the future?”
16 Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can
we say to you? How can we explain this? How
can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just
our brother who had your cup in his sack.”
17 “No,” Joseph said. “I would never do such a
thing! Only the man who stole the cup will be
