One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible - Flipbook - Page 40
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January 7
31
32
Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of
living their own way,
choking on their own schemes.
For simpletons turn away from me—
to death.
33
Fools are destroyed by their own
complacency.
But all who listen to me will live
in peace,
untroubled by fear of harm.”
WHEN MEMBERS OF our persecuted Christian family flee for their
lives, it’s often at a moment’s notice. A mad dash into darkness or
a slow trudge across the border means taking only what can be
carried. But something never left behind is a treasure carried in the
heart: a life-giving, hope-sustaining faith in Jesus Christ. • LORD,
FIX THE EYES of my persecuted family members not on what they’ve
lost but on you. Fill them with your eternal hope, and connect them
with those who can provide help. If I can provide help, tell me what
to do. I’m listening. Amen.
GENESIS 16:1–18:15
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to
bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian
servant named Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram,
“The Lord has prevented me from having
children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And
Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. 3 So Sa
rai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian
servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This
happened ten years after Abram had settled in
the land of Canaan.)
4 So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar,
and she became pregnant. But when Hagar
knew she was pregnant, she began to treat
her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. 5 Then Sa
rai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put
my servant into your arms, but now that she’s
pregnant she treats me with contempt. The
Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”
6 Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant,
so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai
treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran
away.
7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside
a spring of water in the wilderness, along the
road to Shur. 8 The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sa
rai’s servant, where have you come from, and
where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,”
she replied.
9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return
to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”
10 Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”
11 And the angel also said, “You are now
pregnant and will give birth to a son. You
are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God
hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of
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distress. 12 This son of yours will be a wild man,
as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his
fist against everyone, and everyone will be
against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility
against all his relatives.”
13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name
to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her.
She said, “You are the God who sees me.”* She
also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees
me?” 14 So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi
(which means “well of the Living One who sees
me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and
Bered.
15 So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram
named him Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six
years old when Ishmael was born.
17:1 When
Abram was n
inety-nine years old,
the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am E
l-
Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully
and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a cov
enant with you, by which I will guarantee to
give you countless descendants.”
3 At this, Abram fell face down on the
ground. Then God said to him, 4 “This is my
covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! 5 What’s more,
I am changing your name. It will no longer be
Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham,*
for you will be the father of many nations. 6 I
will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings
will be among them!
7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and
your descendants* after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting cov
enant: I will always be your God and the God
of your descendants after you. 8 And I will give
the entire land of Canaan, where you now live
