Blog Archives

Prayer and Intercession October 24, 2019

10/24/2019

Every Wednesday evening we gather for intercession for the restoration of Israel.
The following is shared with you to help you in your own praying and interceding.

These are prayer directions rather than prayer points.
We want to leave room for the Holy Spirit to lead you and your group to pray as you are led.

If you would like to receive these Prayer Directions regularly, or
If at any time you want to be removed from the list, please write us at:
[email protected]

****

Psa. 132:13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place:Psa. 132:14 "This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

We prayed and interceded along the theme of "House": The House of God, The House of Israel, and God's spiritual house on earth — His Body.

The House of God
We looked at praying for Israel's salvation and restoration from the point of view of God's House. Here are a few scriptures that highlight some of this "journey." The leading thought behind this is that God has determined to not only redeem man from sin but that he should dwell with Him in all eternity! That is what the work of God is all about. See Ezekiel 37:25-28

Psalm 132:13-18 speaks of God's eternal decree to dwell with man. He will provide all that is needed, materially and spiritually (Psalm 132:15-16). It will be based on the work of His Son (psalm 132:17). It will be ultimately victorious. God will defeat all enemies that will come against His work in the earth. His Son shall rule gloriously.

Psalm 79 - God's work failed utterly because of His people's sins (Psalm 79:8). The enemy has invaded the land, and God's house was eventually destroyed, His work seemed to have failed.

Ezekiel 10:18-20 God's presence and glory were withdrawn
Ezekiel 36:17-20 God's reputation is lost. The nations thought of him as just another local deity and not a very successful one at that! (Till this day the nations don't think much of God).

But, you know that this is not the end of the story! Praise our God and King!
Zechariah 1:14-17 God is zealous for Jerusalem, God will have mercy on Zion, God will deal with the nations according to their hatred and resistance to Him!

Ezekiel 36:23 God will reveal His great name. They shall see who He is, His character, and power by what He does. They will acknowledge Him when they see the great work of restoration: His great Mercies, and power in restoring sinners to Himself and turning them into saints. All of this and more, He will do by the power of the Cross. All of Grace and all of Mercy.

Psalm 102:13, 15-16 God will have mercy, God shall appear in His glory, God shall build Zion, the nations will fear the name of the Lord as He appears in His Glory.

What can be worse than the Lord withdrawing His presence from us? Worse than God leaving (Ezekiel 10:18-20)! What are we without His presence? Exodus 33:3, 16. (see the whole story there) What are we without the Lord's presence! What separates us from the World if not His Presence. Oh, what a loss….

We cried out to God much for salvation for our people.
We cried out for the Lord to send His Spirit of Grace, Repentance
Turn us O' Lord, and we shall be turned. Grant us repentance, grant us the softening of our hearts towards you and your Son
Oh that salvation would come out of Zion and to Zion
Oh that God would rend the heavens and reveals His Face to our nation
We prayed for God to vindicate His name. To restore His reputation to Himself by fulfilling His promise to cleanse us, give us a new heart, put a new spirit within us.
We cried out to God to "destroy" our self-righteousness and to become our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).
We asked for the day to come soon in which this city, Jerusalem, could be called again: The faithful city (Isaiah 1:26)

The House of Israel
Jeremiah 31:11-13, Ezekiel 34:1-6
As you know, Bibi Netanyahu has not been able to form a government and has returned his mandate to the president of Israel. Our president has tasked Benny Gantz with forming the next government.

We prayed from the scriptures. Israel has been promised a leadership that would not only protect it but also care for it. The prosperity of God's people promised as part of the restoration depends on good leadership, just the same as security does.

It seems to us that a unity government is still Israel's best option to fulfill the scriptures mentioned above. See article regarding this and the difficulty in forming such a government here:

We prayed for Israel's prosperity as promised by the Lord
We prayed for Israel to prosper to make her attractive to immigrants
We prayed for our leaders to become free of religious coercion in their decisions
We prayed for our leaders to be strong against the manipulation of the monied crowd (as in other countries, the tycoons are influencing Israel's decisions according to their own interests)
We prayed for leaders who would genuinely care of the people economically — especially regarding the significant lack of affordable housing, building rental properties, etc.
We prayed for the new government to take care of greatly neglected areas such as education, infrastructure, medical field -- hospitals, and doctors (we need more).

The Spiritual House of God - The Messianic Body
Someone said that the prayers that are answered from heaven are prayers that originated in heaven. That means that if we pray the Word of God where He shows clearly what His will is, we are sure that he will answer (see: 1John 5:14)
We prayed, therefore, according to His Word.

1Pet. 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

We prayed for the Lord to grant us the surrender we need to be living stones in His hand, to shape us according to the cornerstone.
We prayed for the Lord to build us together into a spiritual house
We prayed for believers to go beyond their individualism and self-centered focus to see the whole house and their place in it.
We prayed for the Lord to make us indeed a consecrated, separated priesthood that we may serve Him in His house

Jer. 24:7 Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

We cried to the Lord to give us the heart to Know Him! A heart that recognizes that we are His people, and not our own, and not of the World.
We cried to the Lord to give us a 'returning' spirit, a repentant heart to be wholly His

Jer. 29:12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
Jer. 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

We cried to God to give His Body a heart to seek Him, a heart to call upon Him, a heart to pray and seek and search for Him.

Jer. 32:39 Then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.

We asked the Lord to give us One Heart and One Way — all in Messiah
We asked God to send His fear into our hearts

Thank you, dear praying friends for standing with us, sometimes for things that may not necessarily be real to you or benefit you personally. Thank you for standing for us before God. Surely He is coming, and His reward is with Him.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Prayer and Intercession October 18, 2019

10/18/2019

God is not up for elections
I'm glad God is not up for elections, I am glad God's Word is sure. I am glad God is sovereign; He does whatsoever pleases Him.

Psa. 115:3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. And yet again, Psa. 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places.

Far from making me lax in seeking His Face and praying, these truths much encourage me to seek Him more fervently and with greater earnestness. The times we are living in seem to be times of great change, confusion, moral decay, political craziness, days of increasing darkness, and saddest of all, times in which hearts of many in the Body, are growing cold. This is why God's attributes, as they appear in the Word of God, God's works and acts, are so wonderfully hope-building. No matter what happens, I know He will not be late, He will come, and He will fulfill every one of the least Words He has ever spoken.
Don't you love Him?

Israel's elections and government forming
Prov. 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people
The LORD loves justice…Psa. 37:28

"The prosperity and the power of a nation depend on its righteousness. The verb "exalt" (rûm) means that the people's condition in that nation is elevated. Widespread sin, however, is a disgrace." (Expositor's Bible Commentary)

"God deals with nations as with individuals: any measure of rejection of light is followed by a judicial withdrawal of the measure of light given." (Wileman, William. John Calvin. GLH Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Instead of trying to analyze the current status of Israeli politics (others can do this far better than me.) I will just express my opinion as to what I think Israel needs.

The best for Israel, I think, will be a unity government led by Gantz, but that includes the Likud, whether with Bibi (unless he is indicted),or not. This kind of government will hopefully address some long-standing issues, such as social injustice, it will push back religious coercion, clean up some of the corruption in government and at the same time, bring the best leadership to bear upon our pressing security needs. There are four former chief-of-staff generals in Gantz's party (including him.)

Prov. 20:18 Plans are established by counsel; By wise counsel wage war.
Prov. 24:6 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors, there is safety.

Israel's security needs
With Trump pulling the US forces out of Syria, Israel is left facing the only engaged superpower - Russia, alone. Bear in mind that Russia is close to Iran and Syria. Do you see the danger for Israel?

Some think that the US, as it disengages into isolation and insulation from the world, will eventually abandon Israel when it comes to the substantial financial and military aid it is giving.

Here is one article that deals with some of the issues following the US' withdrawing from Syria. https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-us-withdraws-jerusalem-spooked-by-moscows-growing-control-over-middle-east/

We are living in very challenging and dangerous times, and that is why we must, more than ever, get a hold of God (Isaiah 64:7) by standing before Him and calling on His name to fulfill His promises. All of God's promises are actually an expression of His Will and His Plan and intention. They have been spoken, and are written so that we might know what and how to pray! (See Ezekiel 36:37)

Praying for Israel from Micah
I was drawn to the following verses as a prayer for my people. These verses touch on every need we have. The need for leadership, the need for redemption, both spiritual, and physical from our enemies. Our need for salvation — which will come as a great mercy, and our need for Him! O' how we crave His Presence! His very Presence in our midst!

Mic. 7:14 Shepherd Your people with Your staff,  The flock of Your heritage, Who dwell solitarily in a woodland, In the midst of Carmel; Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, As in days of old.
Mic. 7:15 "As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,  I will show them wonders."
Mic. 7:16  The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; They shall put their hand over their mouth; Their ears shall be deaf.
Mic. 7:17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent; They shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the LORD our God And shall fear because of You.
Mic. 7:18  Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.
Mic. 7:19 He will again have compassion on us And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.
Mic. 7:20 You will give truth to Jacob And mercy to Abraham, Which You have sworn to our fathers From days of old.

With Micah, we can stand before the Lord: Mic. 7:7 Therefore, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.

May we all be given the grace to seek His face in this way.

Thank you for standing with us. God bless you!

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Intercession on the Day of Atonement

10/8/2019

Praying Israel on the Day of Atonement

John 14:6 Yeshua said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Tonight we begin observing the Day of Atonement.

How wonderful to realize that our God is fulfilling His promises by gathering His people back to the Land; we are back in the Land as a people.

But we do not know God.

And as a nation, we still reject the Israel's Messiah and King -- the only way to the Father!

How horrific to think that thousands of people will be seeking forgiveness but will not find any. Many will be looking for some assurance from God, but will not receive it. Why? Because it is only found in Messiah, and as a people we have rejected Him.

Should not those of us who have tasted of the grace of God, be deeply moved by our heavenly Father’s compassion for His people on this day?

How then can we meaningfully pray?

Here are some suggestions:

a. We should pause to give thanks and praise to God for the salvation we have received in the crucified Son of God. How can we pray meaningfully if we do not value or regain our gratitude for our own salvation, for the atonement we have received in the blood of Messiah, for the lifting up of our burdens at calvary, for the fellowship we have with the Father because of and in the Son?

Take time to recognize the great mercies of God poured out upon you in Messiah. Take time to praise Him for His unspeakable love and grace. Take time to contemplate and read about the horror of the cross and what it actually meant for Him to take our place there.

Take time to contemplate what it means to be without Messiah! (Are we not all a little dull to this, as we brush against so many people who are without Messiah, yet are barely moved by it?

You may want to read through one of the epistles such as Galatians, Romans, Hebrews, or one of the Gospels as you contemplate these things.

b. Take time to pray. Find the promises of God in the Word that clearly declare God’s commitment to save His people. O’ how many there are, how wonderful they are! How amazingly kind and generous they are! God’s promises of restoration express His agenda and His commitment. He has gone on record to do this.

Here are some places you can pray from: Ezekiel 36, Zechariah 12:10-13:1, Jeremiah 31-33, Micha 4-5, 7:14-20 and many more…

Please do not forget to pray for the Body of Messiah in he Land, our calling is to be a priesthood and to intercede every single day. 1Pet. 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Messiah Yeshua.

We are challenged in this matter as prayer seems as if it is weak, compared to say, social activism, etc. Not that reaching out is not important, but praying and interceding over the Word of God, is real work, and really important. See Acts 6:4 and the context Acts 6:1-7. What was the outcome of the apostles’ commitment to the Word and prayer?

Acts 6:7 Acts 6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

May the Lord bless you and inspire you to stand before Him in these critical and important day, and may you serve Him in fulfilling His agenda in Israel and on the earth.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Prayer and Intercession October 24, 2019

Prayer and Intercession October 18, 2019

Intercession on the Day of Atonement

Archives

Categories