1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 2: You're listening to Everyday Prayers with Million Praying Moms, where 3 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 2: we're dedicated to helping moms pray God's word for their 4 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 2: families in the areas they needed most. I'm your host, 5 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 2: Nicolette Bell. Over the last decade, we've helped thousands of 6 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 2: moms make prayer a priority for their families. Our mission 7 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 2: is to help you do the same. Prayer is not 8 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 2: a last resort. It's our first and best response to 9 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 2: the challenges of parenting, a partnership for the hearts of 10 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 2: our children that God invites us into. Today's devotion is 11 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 2: written and read by April Grainy, author of three children's books, 12 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 2: including her newest release, If Jesus Came to My School. 13 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 2: To learn more about April, or to learn more about 14 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 2: how you can get involved in the ministry of Million 15 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 2: Praying Moms, visit today's show notes or Million Prayingmoms dot Com. 16 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 2: After a quick word from our sponsors, we'll pray together 17 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 2: for our children. 18 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: Hebrews eleven eight by Faith. Abraham, when called to go 19 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, 20 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: obeyed and went, even though he did not know where 21 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: he was going. We were flabbergacied when our daughter called 22 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: to tell us that she had turned down her dream job. 23 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: She was completing her internship at a great public school 24 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: when the Christian principal offered her a fourth grade teaching 25 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: position for the following year. She said, I just didn't 26 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: feel a peace praying about it. We wondered, really, and joked, 27 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: which God are you praying to? It didn't make much 28 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: sense to us. We waited to see what other schools 29 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: she might apply to, and prayed for the Lord's direction 30 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: in her and her husband's life. A few weeks later, 31 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: when she and her husband called and asked to come 32 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: over to dinner with us on a Tuesday night, I 33 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: was certain they were coming to tell us she was expecting. 34 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: Since the day they were married a year and a 35 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: half before, I'd been hoping for a pregnancy announcement. I 36 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: planned a special dinner, bought her prenatal vitamins and a 37 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: small stuffed bear, and decorated blue and pink cupcakes that 38 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: I hid for just the right moment. After dinner that night, 39 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: she and her husband explained to us that the Lord 40 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: was calling them to be missionaries in Guatemala. The Bible 41 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: doesn't specifically say how God spoke to Abraham when he 42 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: told him to leave his home and family and go 43 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: to a land that he would show him later. Genesis 44 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 1: twelve one only says, now the Lord said to Abram. 45 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: It makes me wonder did God speak to him in 46 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: an audible voice, did he appear to him in a 47 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 1: vision or perhaps a dream, or was it just a 48 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: pressing feeling in his gut. We don't have the specifics 49 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: of exactly how God first spoke to Abram back in Heron. 50 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: What we do know is that Abram's obedience to leave 51 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,920 Speaker 1: on the journey God sent him on would ultimately become 52 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 1: a blessing to him, his family, and the rest of 53 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: the world. Our obedience to follow God's calling on our 54 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: lives will ultimately be a blessing to us too. That's 55 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: not to say day that sometimes things won't be difficult, 56 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: or that we won't ever run into roadblocks on our journey. 57 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: But the Lord was with Abraham from the time he 58 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: began his journey until the day he died. Abraham became 59 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: the father of the Jewish people, and from his line 60 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: God would send his son Jesus to redeem the world. 61 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: Our daughter and her husband sold all of their possessions, 62 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: and on their second anniversary, boarded a plane with their 63 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: two pieces of luggage each and moved to Guatemala. People 64 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,959 Speaker 1: will sometimes ask us how long will they be there, 65 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 1: and when they announced that they were pregnant the following spring, 66 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: people asked will they come back to the US to 67 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: have their baby. Our first grand baby, David Lee Case, 68 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: was born just over a year later, and we were 69 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: able to be there for nearly a month cuddling our 70 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: new grandson. We witnessed the incredible work their organization is 71 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: doing in Guatemala, building houses, installing ovens, providing water filters, 72 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: teaching Bible classes and discipleship groups. We could not be 73 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: more excited about the work they're doing. And what we 74 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: are most proud of, though, is their courage to follow 75 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: God's leading in their lives. In Matthew nine, Jesus said, 76 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask 77 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers 78 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: into his harvest field wherever we are and wherever God 79 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 1: calls us to, whether that be to a public school 80 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: in the United States or at the base of a 81 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: volcano in Guatemala. May we have the courage to be 82 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: ambassadors for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, 83 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: I pray for the courage to listen to your voice 84 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: and to obey the callings that you place on our lives. 85 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: May we also support and encourage that calling in our 86 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: children's lives. We release our children into your loving hands 87 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: and pray your blessing upon them and those they touch 88 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 1: with your love and grace in Jesus' name. 89 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 2: Amen, friends, We have completely revamped our Patreon tears. Now 90 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 2: with a ten dollars monthly donation, you automatically receive our 91 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 2: favorite monthly downloadable prayer calendar of curated scripture inspired prayers 92 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 2: that complement the devotions and prayers from the podcast. You 93 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 2: also receive each day's devotion and prayer in written form, 94 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 2: including reflection questions to accompany your quiet time. Many of 95 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,679 Speaker 2: our members enjoy having the ability to read the day's 96 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 2: devotion or to save the prayer for future use. Lastly, 97 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 2: when you become a Praying Mom, you're invited to a 98 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,320 Speaker 2: monthly mom chat with me and surprise guests from our 99 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 2: other million Praying Mom authors. You can learn more in 100 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:40,359 Speaker 2: today's show notes or at Millionprayingmoms dot com. Until next time, friends, 101 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 2: the Lord bless you and keep you. Make his face 102 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 2: shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the 103 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 2: Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.