Jerusalem, Israel
JULY 2013 PRAYER UPDATE
Israel and the Middle East
Lamentations 3:21-26
The Israeli
Jewish Agency seems to have lost its vision for Aliyah. While it wants to
upgrade cooperation with Diaspora communities, it is more interested in
promoting Jewish identity than it is in encouraging Jews to immigrate to
Israel.
At a time when Israeli
leaders are in fear that the land will soon contain an Arab majority (a lie
they believe!), they are doing little to encourage Jewish People to return to
their homeland, Israel. Ethiopian Aliyah is also
coming to a close as the Jewish Agency will no longer support it.
Pray
that leaders in Israel will have dreams and visions of God’s prophetic promises
to the Jewish People regarding their return to the land of their inheritance.
Pray for an awakening, especially in the life of Jewish Agency Director, Natan
Sharansky. He, himself, was a Refusnik in the former Soviet Union, imprisoned
for years, and then came to Israel on Aliyah many years ago. Pray that faith
will increase within the Israeli government to believe for the Aliyah that they
do not yet see. Pray that their hearts will hope for it! Intercede that all lies will dissolve and
they will begin to study the Word of God about the return of the Jews to the
land of Israel. (For further reference
see Zechariah 8:7-8; Jeremiah 30:3; Jeremiah 30:10; Jeremiah 31:10; Psalm
107:2-3; Isaiah 11:12; Isaiah 43:5-6; Isaiah 49:12; Hosea 11:10).
Proclaim
the release of the Jewish People from the nations -- that the gates of Aliyah
in Israel would be open, welcome and inviting. Pray that every stronghold that
is keeping Jewish people from entering those gates will be broken. Pray that
the immigration authorities in Israel will be staffed with those who are more
lenient, less intrusive, more helpful, and more encouraging to every Jewish
person who has the desire to live in this land!
At the recent President’s Conference, former
U.S. ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer said that there is an incorrect
perception in the Middle East of a decline in American power. He claimed that
this perception has dramatic implications for Israel. The U.S. Administration
believes that America is Israel’s strategic backup. Kurtzer stated: “If there is a decline in U.S. power, there’s
a perception of a decline in Israeli deterrence.” Basically, he is saying that Israel needs the
U.S., militarily and diplomatically, as a shield to defend itself from its
enemies.
Pray
that Israeli leaders will be less dependent on the United States for military
or diplomatic power. Pray that God will use whatever resources He chooses to
increase Israel’s strategic defense forces. Intercede for the IDF to rely on
the Lord, and His Word for wisdom and protection. Declare that Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will submit to God’s Kingdom purposes in the
administration of his government, looking to please the Lord and not man in
every decision made. (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Egypt is in great turmoil with half the
population demanding that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi be removed from
office and new elections called. Hundreds of thousands of people are on the
streets protesting. Ask God to bring
mercy to the Egyptian people; and that His justice and righteousness would
prevail in the halls of government in Egypt.
Pressure on Israel has intensified with the
continued visits by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to the region. The
Palestinians are blaming Israel for the lack of progress in re-starting peace
negotiations. Netanyahu, so far, is standing strong in the face of lies and
deception.
But, there is a lie that is
being told throughout the land, and government leaders have accepted it as part
of their world view. Recently, a member of Israel’s Labor party, MK Hilik Bar,
declared, “The dream of all Israelis and Jews is to live in Greater Israel, but
unfortunately, the political reality makes that impossible if Israel wants to
guarantee its future as a Jewish democratic state in Israel.” (Jerusalem
Post, 6/4/2013).
Declare
John 14:27 in prayer for Israeli leaders who are considering another round of
peace talks. Pray for them to stand strong against the wiles of the enemy who
wants Israel to give up land for an illusion of peace. Declare the rights of
the Jewish People to this land, according to God’s covenant promises! (Psalm 147:19; Jeremiah 31:9; Ezekiel 34:25-31).
Leaders in Israel’s Yesh Atid and Hatnua
parties are pushing for a bill that would allow homosexual couples to wed. It’s
part of legislation that would deal with civil marriages in Israel. Israeli
Minister of Justice, Tzippi Livni wants to change a bill that is being proposed
in the Knesset. It refers only to heterosexual couples being allowed to wed in
a civil ceremony, without the need of Orthodox approval. She would change the
bill’s text from “man and woman” to “spouse” in order to open up the door for
same-sex couples to marry (as is now the case in the U.S.).
Pray that God would weaken every political strategy
that goes against His Word regarding the sacredness of marriage.
Pray
for Naftali Bennett, head of the Bayit Yehudi party in Israel, and Israel’s
Economy and Trade Minister. He has declared, on more than one
occasion, that the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel and is not
occupied territory. At a public relations conference in Jerusalem, sponsored by
communities in Judea and Samaria, Bennett claimed, “We have to tell ourselves
and the whole world that this land has belonged to us for 3,000 years. The most certain path to defeat is for Israel
to forget its sense of justice. This is true historically and legally. There
has never been a Palestinian state here.”
Thank
the Lord for this true standard-bearer! He is challenging Israeli leaders to believe in what they have
been given stewardship over by God. Intercede that Bennett will begin to quote the
Holy Scriptures and proclaim Israel’s biblical
right to the land.
Netanyahu recently said that his new government
is a government of reforms. In less than 100 days since Netanyahu’s coalition
was formed, a lot has been accomplished that has been good for the country.
Pray that under this new leadership, the
nation will be blessed with reforms that are Godly, biblical, full of truth,
and righteous before the Lord.