One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible - Flipbook - Page 53
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January 11
LADI SPRINTED FROM HER NIGERIAN VILLAGE, the staccato of gunfire
behind her. With her baby on her back, she prayed: Please, Lord, let
my family survive. She and her children lived—but Ladi became a
homeless widow without money until a worker with The Voice of the
Martyrs (VOM) helped her settle in a safer town and find training as
a seamstress. • LORD, THANK YOU for never taking your eyes off Ladi
and other Nigerian Christian widows like her. Thank you for meeting
Ladi’s needs through her global Christian family and for giving her a
place to call home. Your faithfulness is amazing. Amen.
GENESIS 24:52–26:16
When Abraham’s servant heard their answer,
he bowed down to the ground and worshiped
the Lord. 53 Then he brought out silver and
gold jewelry and clothing and p
resented them
to Rebekah. He also gave expensive presents
to her brother and mother. 54 Then they ate
their meal, and the servant and the men with
him stayed there overnight.
But early the next morning, Abraham’s servant said, “Send me back to my master.”
55 “But we want Rebekah to stay with us at
least ten days,” her brother and mother said.
“Then she can go.”
56 But he said, “Don’t delay me. The Lord has
made my mission successful; now send me
back so I can return to my master.”
57 “Well,” they said, “we’ll call Rebekah and
ask her what she thinks.” 58 So they called Re
bekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?”
they asked her.
And she replied, “Yes, I will go.”
59 So they said g
ood-bye to Rebekah and
sent her away with Abraham’s servant and
his men. The woman who had been Rebekah’s
childhood nurse went along with her. 60 They
gave her this blessing as she parted:
“Our sister, may you become
the mother of many millions!
May your descendants be strong
and conquer the cities of their enemies.”
61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted
the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s
servant took Rebekah and went on his way.
62 Meanwhile, I saac, whose home was in the
Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. 63 One
evening as he was walking and meditating in
the fields, he looked up and saw the camels
coming. 64 When Rebekah looked up and saw
Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel.
65 “Who is that man walking through the fields
to meet us?” she asked the servant.
And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah
JANUARY
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covered her face with her veil. 66 Then the servant told I saac everything he had done.
67 And
Isaac brought Re
bek
ah into his
mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife.
He loved her deeply, and she was a special
comfort to him after the death of his mother.
25:1 Abra
ham married another wife, whose
name was Keturah. 2 She gave birth to Zimran,
Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan.
Dedan’s descendants were the Asshurites,
Letushites, and Leummites. 4 Midian’s sons
were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and El
daah. These were all descendants of Abraham
through Keturah.
5 Abraham gave everything he owned to his
son Isaac. 6 But before he died, he gave gifts to
the sons of his concubines and sent them off
to a land in the east, away from I saac.
7 Abraham lived for 175 years, 8 and he died
at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his
ancestors in death. 9 His sons Isaac and Ish
mael buried him in the cave of Machpelah,
near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zo
har the Hittite. 10 This was the field Abraham
had purchased from the Hittites and where he
had buried his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s
death, God blessed his son I saac, who settled
near Beer-lahai-roi in the Negev.
12 This is the account of the family of Ish
mael, the son of Abraham through Hagar, Sar
ah’s Egyptian servant. 13 Here is a list, by their
names and clans, of Ishmael’s descendants:
The oldest was N
ebaioth, followed by Kedar,
Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These twelve sons of Ishmael became the
founders of twelve tribes named after them,
listed according to the places they settled and
camped. 17 Ishmael lived for 137 years. Then
he breathed his last and joined his ancestors
in death. 18 Ishmael’s descendants occupied
