Encouragement, God's Plan, Guidance, Hatred, Jesus' Return, Peace, Persecution, Prayer, Protection, Relationship to Christ, Salvation, War, Wisdom

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

My heart has been breaking for the people of Israel over the past couple of weeks. They have enemies on all sides, and the hatred for the Jewish people is once again raising its ugly head. I would have hoped that this world would have learned something from World War 2 and Hitler’s extermination of millions of Jews, but as long as Satan is the ruler of this earth until Jesus comes back to claim His people, we will have to deal with this type of hatred.

I have heard all my life, “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.” I knew that it was a mandate from God to us, but I wasn’t sure where to find it in His Word, so I searched and found verses that talk about how we are to pray for Israel. Psalm 122:6 says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” (KJV) Isaiah calls for intercessors for Israel, “On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7 ESV) What did Watchmen do? They stood on the wall watching for any attack against the city and gave a warning at the first sign of trouble. We are to pray and intercede for the Jewish people, being watchmen on the wall.  

What should we pray for? The website for Kehila News, which is “a community news and online information portal of the Messianic/Christian Community in Israel” gives some things for which we can intercede. We should pray for the leaders of Israel, asking God to give them wisdom in knowing what they should do, for the military for safety, and for the people of Israel who are daily having to find shelter from rocket attacks from their enemies, that God would put a hedge of protection around them. Pray also for the enemies of Israel, “Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back.  Let them be as the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,” (Psalm 129:5-6 NKJV)  We need to pray that their efforts will be turned back, that God will show Himself for Who He is, and that they come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. Pray also that the Jewish people will recognize Jesus as their Messiah and know that He loves them. Pray that God will remove the veil from their eyes. “But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 3:14 NASB 1995) We should pray also that the people of Israel will turn to God and not put their full trust in the military. “So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6 NIV)

We also need to pray for the Holy Spirit to intervene in the current conflict in Israel. Isaiah 59:19 says, “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” (KJV)  The standard is the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  Pray also that God will pour out His Spirit upon the people of Israel, especially the younger generations so that they can carry the Good News of Jesus to others.

As we listen to the news reports of what is happening in Israel, also remember that this appears to be a sign of the End Times, as described in Revelation. We as Believers are to keep our eyes lifted, and while we are watching for His return, we need to be working to bring as many people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as we can.

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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