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Today: September 4, 2010

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Praying for Israel

Posted: Wed 7th October 2009 12.04 PM  | Author: Ofer Amitai

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Although Israel is a political entity and ex ists in a political world, praying for Israel is not a matter of politics but rather an issue of the Word of God and the will of God. Not praying for Israel because of world politics is playing politics with God.

 

 

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” (Luke 11:2)

 

The only prayer that Yeshua taught h is d isciples should be our model for intercession. In it, Yeshua instructed us to pray for H is will to be done on earth, as it is done in heaven. Our prayers and intercessions for Israel must be based on H is will. All we have to do is find out what the will of God is and then pray into those things, holding them before the Lord until He fulfills them. 

 

Where, then, can we find out what the will of God is regarding Israel? 

 

We can find H is will plainly expressed in H is Word. The Word of God is the expression of the will of God, and we can be absolutely certain that if we pray according to H is will, as expressed in the Word, He will bring it to pass. 

 

“And th is is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to hi s will, he heareth us.” 1John 5:14 

 

What then is the will of God for Israel in these last days?

 

Let’s look at just one portion from the Word of God regarding th is subject.

“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

“And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

“I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

“And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

“Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

“Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

“Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.

“And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. (Ezekiel 36:24-35)

This passage of scripture is part of a much larger portion that speaks about the restoration of Israel in the last days. However, it is enough for us to look at th is portion to be able to grasp the will of God regarding Israel’s restoration.

 

What is the expressed will of God? What did He prom ise to do in the last days?

 

1.  He prom ised to gather the Jew ish people back from all over the world to the Land of Israel. 

2.  He prom ised to cleanse us from our filthiness and idols. Th is is a picture of repentance; God has prom ised to bring repentance to the Land. 

3.  He prom ised to give us a new heart – This is a picture of the New Covenant.

4.  He prom ised to put His Spirit in us.

5.  He prom ised to give us the Land of our Fathers to dwell in.

6.  He prom ised to make us H is People and be our God again – This is a prom ise to restore Israel to be H is Nation again and to be Israel’s God on the national level as well as a personal level.

7.  He prom ised to bless and prosper us here in our Land.

 

God has begun to fulfill every one of these prom ises. Although the Arabs and many of the nations of the world have done their best to stop the aliya (return to the Land) process, they have not been able to do so. In fact, today, Israel is the largest community of Jews in the world.   

 

Certainly, God has also begun to fulfill h is prom ise to make Israel prosperous. In spite of every effort of Israel’s enemies to destroy her and in spite of the great expense needed for security and defense, Israel is booming economically.

 

One hundred years ago, Israel was a wasteland full of malaria and void of almost any vegetation. Today Israel is blooming and is the world leader in agricultural innovation. Israel is second only to the US in technology and electronic development. It is a world leader is water desalinization, solar energy, medicine and much more. Why is th is so? Because God is faithful to H is word to fulfill it! 

 

What about the spiritual prom ises? One has only to look and see the Body of Messiah in the Land. Almost 10,000 believers, most of them Jew ish, who have been cleansed, washed, forgiven and filled with God’s Spirit. These Israeli believers are only the first fruits and a sign of what is to come.

 

Before your very eyes God is fulfilling H is Word. Israel’s restoration since the beginning of the last century is a testimony to H is faithfulness.

 

Christians have the privilege of recognizing these facts and cooperating with the Lord by standing before Him and praying that H is will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. Do you not want to join the Lord in the great work of restoration by taking these scriptures and praying into them?   

 

“But what about all the bad things that I hear Israel is doing to the Palestinians?” you may ask. No doubt you have heard many bad reports and stories in the media about Israel. Should that stop you from praying? No. It should not stop you from praying for several reasons. 

 

1.  The will of God – as expressed here and in many other places in scripture – is not conditional. Notice that God did not prom ise to first save the Jews and then bring them to the Land, when they were worthy of it, but He prom ised to bring the Jews back to the Land and then meet them there and reveal Yeshua to them. 

2.  Much of what you hear in the media is lies and an expression of anti-Semit ism and hatred for Israel. Islam does not see lying as a bad thing, but only as a tool in the war against the Jews. Many Europeans are willing to believe these lies because there has been an underlying current of anti-Semit ism within much of European culture for many centuries. Actually, Israel has one of the most moral armies in the world. 

3.  You should know that the enemy is not interested that the Word of God would come to pass. Since Israel is such a key to the fulfillment of God’s will in the last days, Satan will do all he can to stop your praying!   

 

What will be the result of Israel’s restoration?  Here are two main results:

1.  World peace, eventually. Although there seems to be much turmoil in store for the world in the near future, God has indicated He will speak again to the nations from Jerusalem. Read Isaiah chapter 2, and you will see that peace is the result, not of the agreement of nations in the UN but of the Word of the Lord spoken from Jerusalem to rebuke and judge the nations. Only then, will they turn their swords into plowshares.

2.  The restoration of the Body of Chr ist to its fullness - see Romans 11. Paul the apostle clearly states that when Israel is restored, the Body of Chr ist – being part of the Olive Tree – will partake in the blessings of Israel and come into the fullness of what it was meant to be. 

 

Much more can be shared and taught regarding praying for Israel. This article is only meant to help you to start praying. You can begin today by praying into the few, but potent, prom ises l isted in Ezekiel 36 and God will begin to give you your own revelation about it.

 

Your comprehension will grow and your faith and prayer life will grow as well, as you continue to meditate and pray over the Word. You will find yourself able to d iscern between the truth and the lies spread in the media, and when you hear the news or read the newspapers you will be able to understand it from a Kingdom perspective.

 

Start praying the Word of God today!   

 

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