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:
ofer@israelprayercenter.org
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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:
ofer@israelprayercenter.org
****
Sin, Redemption and the Grace to come
Every praying person, or group, need to continually come back to the Word to be refreshed in understanding, re-aligned with the mind of the Lord and to be re-inspired to pray.
We read Isaiah 59, an astounding chapter in that it begins with an excoriating revelation and rebuke of Judah’s sins and corruptions, but ends with mighty salvation and outpoured grace that continues to flow right through the next chapters; so powerful are the flow of grace and mercy!
And wherefore the change? In one word: Messiah!
Is. 59:16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
Is. 59:17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
On these verses, JFB comments: “…namely, to atone by his righteousness for the unrighteousness of the people. “Man” is emphatic, as in 1 Kings 2:2; no representative man able to retrieve the cause of fallen men” “no intercessor — no one to interpose, “to help . . . uphold”
His arm — (Isaiah 40:10; 51:5). Not man’s arm, but His alone (Psalms 98:1; 44:3).
his righteousness — the “arm” of Messiah.1
And while these verses describe the victory of the cross, the next verses are a prophecy of the future, of this outpoured grace.
Is. 59:19 So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun, for He will come like a rushing stream which the wind of the LORD drives.
Is. 59:20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the LORD. (NASB)
He will come like a mighty rushing stream driven by the Spirit (see Acts 2:2) He will come to Zion as Redeemer. (This verse is quoted in Roman 11:26-27) His glory will arise in the earth (Isaiah 62:2), He will judge the nations (Isaiah 59:18), He will arise over this nation in great light and glory (Isaiah 60:1). And best of all, He will save His people, He will redeem them from their sins, He will reconcile them to Himself, and He will abide in their midst. His presence, once again, will be the covering of His people. They shall dwell and live before Him. They will behold His beauty, they will taste His Goodness and Mercy and will live in His presence.
What a prospect is this? It just underlines the disaster that Sin is! It only fills the heart with longing for That Day! We long for the Day that He will come to wash our sins away! Oh for the prospect of His Presence filing this land!
We prayed for Israel's redemption
We prayed for the Body of Messiah in the Land
Some of the prayers we prayed:
We also prayed for the coming elections
We noted how, as usual, the campaigns have turned into mud slinging and ugly name calling. People seem to hope for a party that will fix everything and is different than all the others, only to be downhearted after the elections that it is all more of the same.
Oh, how we need God’s intervention.
Thank you for standing with us.
Blessings from Jerusalem,
_______________________
1. JFB commentary
Every praying person, or group, need to continually come back to the Word to be refreshed in understanding, re-aligned with the mind of the Lord and to be re-inspired to pray.
We read Isaiah 59, an astounding chapter in that it begins with an excoriating revelation and rebuke of Judah’s sins and corruptions, but ends with mighty salvation and outpoured grace that continues to flow right through the next chapters; so powerful are the flow of grace and mercy!
And wherefore the change? In one word: Messiah!
Is. 59:16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
Is. 59:17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
On these verses, JFB comments: “…namely, to atone by his righteousness for the unrighteousness of the people. “Man” is emphatic, as in 1 Kings 2:2; no representative man able to retrieve the cause of fallen men” “no intercessor — no one to interpose, “to help . . . uphold”
His arm — (Isaiah 40:10; 51:5). Not man’s arm, but His alone (Psalms 98:1; 44:3).
his righteousness — the “arm” of Messiah.1
And while these verses describe the victory of the cross, the next verses are a prophecy of the future, of this outpoured grace.
Is. 59:19 So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun, for He will come like a rushing stream which the wind of the LORD drives.
Is. 59:20 “A Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the LORD. (NASB)
He will come like a mighty rushing stream driven by the Spirit (see Acts 2:2) He will come to Zion as Redeemer. (This verse is quoted in Roman 11:26-27) His glory will arise in the earth (Isaiah 62:2), He will judge the nations (Isaiah 59:18), He will arise over this nation in great light and glory (Isaiah 60:1). And best of all, He will save His people, He will redeem them from their sins, He will reconcile them to Himself, and He will abide in their midst. His presence, once again, will be the covering of His people. They shall dwell and live before Him. They will behold His beauty, they will taste His Goodness and Mercy and will live in His presence.
What a prospect is this? It just underlines the disaster that Sin is! It only fills the heart with longing for That Day! We long for the Day that He will come to wash our sins away! Oh for the prospect of His Presence filing this land!
We prayed for Israel's redemption
- We prayed first for the redemption of our nation
- We prayed into the verses in Isaiah 59 acknowledging our state and asking for redemption
- We prayed for the Lord to confront our nation with its sins
- We prayed for the Spirit to come like a mighty rushing Wind (see John 16:8)
- We prayed for the Lord to bring Israel low spiritually (sense its need)
- We prayed for God to give Israel a sense of its spiritual bankruptcy
- We prayed for a revelation of the crucified Messiah to our people
- We thanked God for the cross of Yeshua
- We asked God for forgiveness (as representing the nation) for our idolatry
- We asked God to give Israel a divine dissatisfaction and with it a longing for God Himself
- We asked God to give people in the land an insatiable curiosity regarding Yeshua
- We asked God to bring us to brokenness and neediness in the things of God
- We asked the Lord to bring Yeshua up, into society as a subject
- We asked God to pour out His Spirit on us according to the promises in the Word (See Joel 2:28, Ezekiel 37, etc.)
We prayed for the Body of Messiah in the Land
- We asked for the grace to set Yeshua as our chief Joy
- We acknowledge how worldly we have become as a Body
- We asked for revelation in the Body of how much we need Yeshua
- We asked for a renewal of the spirit of gratitude in the Body
Some of the prayers we prayed:
- You desire a grateful heart
- Show us how to Love you so we can pour our heart out before you
- Teach us how to listen to you
- Teach us how to wait on you, how to sit at your feet and wait on you
- Give us grateful hearts for the forgiveness of our sins
- Give us the heart to make Yeshua and the cross central to our lives and the life of the congregations
- We submit ourselves to you, have your way, we surrender our plans for the future to you
- Take the reins of our life into your hands
- Let you Spirit operate fully in our life
- Carry out Your plans for each one of us in the Body
- Give us a fresh revelation of Yourself dear Lord
We also prayed for the coming elections
We noted how, as usual, the campaigns have turned into mud slinging and ugly name calling. People seem to hope for a party that will fix everything and is different than all the others, only to be downhearted after the elections that it is all more of the same.
Oh, how we need God’s intervention.
- We all cried out to the Lord for mercy on Israel
- We put before the Lord many of the different issues regarding the need of this nation: social and economic, security, the big question of the future of the Palestinians, the political sellout to the Orthodox (religious) parties.
- We prayed for the right people in office, those who would further God’s agenda for Israel at this time: “whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down.” (Daniel 5:19) Although this is said of Nebuchadnezzar it is truer of the Lord, who can put in office anyone whom He wishes, whenever He wants. (Luke 1:52 and Daniel 4:37)
Thank you for standing with us.
Blessings from Jerusalem,
_______________________
1. JFB commentary