SITUATION ANALYSIS -- 70

Jerusalem, Israel

SEPTEMBER 2013 PRAYER UPDATE

Israel and the Middle East 

Psalm 25:22; Psalm 81:13-14; Isaiah 62:6-9

PRAYER POINTS:

(1)   Pray that Israel’s peace will be her governor and that righteousness will be her ruler (Isaiah 60:17b). Ask the Lord to bring confusion to the current peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians if Israeli leaders are secretly negotiating away the Land of Israel. Pray that all evil plans to divide the Land, or to divide Jerusalem, will be exposed to the general public and stopped immediately.

(2)   There is a big gap in the interests of Americans and the interests of Israelis in regard to Syria. Some people in the Obama Administration and in Congress, as well as a majority of the American people do not want to confront Syrian President Bashar Assad with Western military action. However, Israelis want to see immediate military action against Assad because he, reportedly, launched a chemical attack that killed 1,400 of his own citizens, and injured thousands. It’s the worst poison gas attack against a civilian population in 25 years.

There is a warning about this in Ecclesiastes 8:11:  “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.” 

If Assad is not dealt with quickly and swiftly, it is expected he will continue to poison his own population with WMD’s.

Israelis want to see the weakening of Assad and his regime. This is because it will also weaken the alliance between Syria, Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Shiite axis in the region. 

For Israel, the main threat to its existence is Iran and the possibility of Iranian leaders being able to build a nuclear bomb that would be used against the Jewish State.

For Americans, the greatest evil that they have faced is 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaida. They are afraid that if Obama launches military attacks against Assad, and Assad is weakened, then Al-Qaida extremists will be strengthened as they fight side-by-side Sunni opposition forces in Syria. 

Meanwhile, the current military in-action by the United States is causing Middle East nations to mistrust the true intentions of American President Barack Obama. Israelis are worried that Obama will not keep his word. He has drawn a red line in the sand concerning Assad’s use of chemical weapons. And, he has repeated over and over again that the U.S. will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear capability. But, the delay in military action against Syria is proving to Israeli leaders that they cannot trust Obama’s promises to stop Assad or Iran. 

Please pray for greater understanding and clarity of purpose between Israel and the United States in regard to Syria. Pray that every issue is coordinated between both governments with strategic cooperation in mind. Pray that Israeli interests in regard to hostile neighbors in the region will be understood and considered seriously by the American people. Pray that the United States stands by Israel in all its critical foreign policy decisions. 

Intercede for America, as part of the hesitation in sending armed forces to Syria is a lack of U.S. military funds; and, not enough fighting troops that are ready and able to serve in another Middle East conflict.

The point of view in the Middle East is that America’s superpower status has weakened. This means that U.S. leverage against Israel’s enemies has been less effective. This is contributing to regional turmoil.  It is not good for the U.S. and not good for Israel. 

Pray for the Lord to intervene to prevent a tip in the balance of power in the Middle East. Declare that God will bring His peace to this turbulent part of the world.  (John 14:27).

(3)   Israel has called up a small number of reservists; the IDF has employed air defenses throughout the state; and thousands of citizens have updated their gas masks.  The Goliath's in the Middle East, including Iran and Hezbollah, have threatened that if the U.S. strikes Syria, then Israel will be destroyed.  

Declare that God will raise-up David’s in Israel’s fighting forces that will have the courage, wisdom and insight to know how to defend the nation and defeat the enemy. Proclaim 1 Samuel 17:25 over Israel:  “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’ ”

(4)   “Operational Sandstorm” is Israel’s home front preparedness operations for war, including a war that would involve an unconventional attack against the Jewish State. Currently, Israel’s Home Front Command has admitted it is somewhat prepared for a war in 2013; but, not for a war in 2014. This is apparently due to a disagreement in funding between Israel’s Defense Ministry and the Home Front Defense Ministry, and it also involves an overlap in areas of authority.  

Pray that the Lord will intervene and bring unity in Israel between the various war departments. Pray for the funding that is needed to protect Israel’s home front. Pray that all chain of command is clearly understood and that there are no overlaps in authority over critical branches of government.

(5)   Hamas and Israeli Arabs planned a bomb attack against shoppers at Jerusalem’s Mamilla mall during the High Holy Days. It was thwarted by Israel’s security forces. However, it reveals the constant threat of terrorism against Israelis, even from within the state of Israel.  

Please continue to thank God for His supernatural intervention and protection over the citizens of Israel, and over tourists, especially during the Fall Feasts. Pray for a double measure of protection during this critical time period.

(6)   Americans have begun to get international news from a new start-up of Al-Jazeera’s television network that is broadcasting “live” in English to U.S. outlets. However, few Americans realize the extreme bias that Al-Jazeera portrays in its coverage of the Middle East. 

 

Pray that all attempts to influence American opinion through biased broadcast communications will be rendered null and void. Pray that God will intervene and stop Al-Jazeera from obtaining licensing permits to show their subjective programming on local U.S. television stations.  Pray that its current coverage will be extremely limited and not have any negative influence on American public opinion, especially concerning Israeli and U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East.