Attendees: Cary and Renee
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
We come with great thanksgiving and praise to You today, Lord. You have called us out of Your love, sending Your only Son to pay for our sin, drawing us to Yourself. In this same love, You allow difficult circumstances to enter into our lives. But You promise to take all of these things and work them for our good. We confess that we cannot always imagine what the good is that You will bring because our surroundings seem so dark. But Your truth does not change, so we cling to this promise. Enable them to be confident in Your truth, expectantly waiting to see how You will redeem any difficult situation. May the retreat be a safe sanctuary where they can share their heart with others.
We recognize, Father, that no matter what continent you live on or what your station in life is, infertility and miscarriage are very painful. Lord, we ask that You comfort the women who live with this reality day in and day out. Please give them grace and strength to deal with the complicated medical terminology in a different language, learn first-hand how different cultures grieve (not usually our way), and deal with unintentional hurtful, thoughtless comments of others. Abba Father, please remind them today that You really care about them. You know their secret thoughts and feel their heart’s yearnings. They matter to You. “Thou hast…put my tears in thy bottle…“(Psalm 56:8). In Jesus’ name, Amen.
One cannot help but be overwhelmed by the numbers associated with the country of China, over 1.3 billion people in the third largest country in the world. Some estimates have the number of Christians approaching 300 million, reflecting incredible growth in spite of a government that obsesses on control. Many cross-cultural workers from a wide range of countries are in China spreading the good news but not in traditional ways. From teaching English to compassion ministries, men and women are being used by God to reach this massive population. As the country continues on its road in becoming the world’s economic giant, many feel that the window of receptive hearts will be closing. Materialism may prove to be a far greater enemy of the gospel than any repressive regime. Pray that the church would continue to grow in spite of official persecution within the church house movement as well as the temptation to soften one’s witness in the churches officially recognized. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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