Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage” Psalm 84:5.
Pilgrimage-“life viewed as a journey”, “wandering over a distance”, “a journey made to a place for a spiritual reason or to discharge some religious obligation.”
Travel with us on a pilgrimage. We know we cannot do this alone. We need the body of Christ to go before us and beside us. We ask you to intercede on our behalf because we believe that prayer and mission are inseparable. In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, Paul urged God’s people to pray for him, linking the success of his ministry to the faithful prayer support of the people of God. Paul described some of his missionary experiences as “hardships we suffer,” under great pressure,” “beyond our ability to endure,” and “despaired even of life.” But he speaks triumphantly of God’s deliverance, “God has delivered us” and of the role of the saints “as you help by your prayers” and the “gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” Know that we are praying for you too.
Day 1 Our relationship to God-Pray that we would continue to mature in our personal walks with God, growing in grace and faith, personal discipline in our reading His word and praying (Eph 5:15-19), being filled by the Holy Spirit, (Eph 5:18) and not laboring in our own strength. Pray for the fruit of the Spirit and God’s love to be manifest in our lives (Gal 5:22-23).
Day 2 Physical and Emotional Life-Praise God for our safe arrival. Pray for our physical health (Psalm 1:3) and stamina as we face jet lag, cooler weather, various diseases (Jim has already recovered from a brief stomach flu praise God), for safety as the boys travel by bus daily to school, for wisdom about purchasing a car, and for the move to permanent housing which should occur in the next three weeks as well as the arrival of our household air and surface shipments. Pray for our emotional health that we might be protected from the evil one (John 17:15) for strength and protection (2 Thess 3:3) that we might guard against anxiety and worry and have deliverance from discouragement, loneliness and depression. In our loneliness that we would seek God who has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and thus experience fellowship with God in a new and deeply satisfying way.
Day 3 Our Family- Pray that our marriage would remain strong, that all of our children would grow in the Lord, for the boys as they start school; that they will be good students (Col 3:23), that they will be protected from attitudes of inferiority or superiority (Phil 2:3, Genesis 1:27), for sibling unity (Eph 4:32), that their unsaved friends will come to know Jesus (2 Peter 3:9), that they will choose godly friends (Eccl 4:10, Prov 1:10), that they will be firm in their convictions and withstand peer pressure (Eph 4:14), that they will befriend the lonely, discouraged and lost (Matt 25:40, Phil 2:4), for peace as we entrust our parents Alice and Norman Rubash into the Lord’s care, that God would be glorified in this time of stress by our actions and reactions. Help us all to handle stress, frustrations and unfulfilled expectations in a Christlike manner. We are not concerned that God remove us from trials but that we might honor Him in our responses. Pray that we can maintain strong ties with our First Presbyterian Evanston Church family.
Day 4 Cultural Connection and Adaptation-Pray that we might have the mind of Christ as we enter this new culture in humility and service (Phil 4:12) seeking a knowledge of God’s will for us, wisdom and understanding of the culture (Col 1:9-10), avoidance of prejudice “my way as the right or best way,” God’s help in learning the local language Nyanja and wisdom as to the best way to do this, discipline in spending the time studying and practicing, that despite language barriers we would demonstrate a strong Christian witness. Once when praying in Bench Caryl Weinberg prayed, “In the name of the Father, the Son and his wife” and got quite a laugh. We expect to make some equally humorous mistakes.
Day 5 Ministry- Pray that we would have wisdom in discerning our role in the local church reaching the Zambian people and for the establishment of deep relationships with both Zambians and expatriates we meet. Pray in particular that Amy, Ruth and Miriam would be wise about what to pursue and what to leave undone as they seek to find where God wants them to serve. Pray for the CCAP church a PCUSA partner, the Justo Mwala theological school, our PCUSA mission coworkers Nancy Collins and the Ellingtons who we will meet for dinner Saturday August 20th.
Day 6 Relationships-Pray that we would have a proper perspective and work as unto the Lord (Col 3:23), harmony in working with others, wisdom and discernment for Jim as he builds a team at work, humble spirits that are teachable and quick to surrender to the prompting of the Spirit and any need to seek forgiveness, insight into setting priorities and goals. We pray we might empower others in a spirit of community and unity.
Day 7 Country- Pray for stability during upcoming elections for President, for continued openness to the Gospel, for unreached peoples.
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