Jerusalem, Israel
JANUARY 2014 PRAYER UPDATE
Israel and the Middle East
*Eight years ago on January 4th, former Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon went into a coma after a serious stroke. During the past
several days, his vital organs have begun to fail. Preparations are being made for
his funeral. Sharon is considered one of the founders of the State of Israel
and a mighty warrior during many battles for the survival of the state. But, he
is also known for the controversial withdrawal of thousands of settlers from
the Gaza Strip in 2005 during the Disengagement. Many older Israelis have
considered him of the same stature as a king, and his passing will be like a
father of Israel being torn from his children. Pray, according to Isaiah 61:1-3, especially, "to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who
grieve in Zion.”
*U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in
Israel trying to push a “framework interim agreement” on Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Both leaders have
resented American pressure, as the gaps between them are very wide. The Palestinians have refused to accept
Israel as the state of the Jewish People. They want their own state to be
militarized. They want it to be totally free of any Jews. They continue to
claim that Jerusalem is their capital, and they plan to bring millions of
Palestinians to settle in their land.
The key issue here is about legitimacy. The
Palestinians believe that the land belongs to them and that they are the
rightful owners of the land. But, God gave the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
through an eternal covenant with the Jewish People, and He is displeased with
Palestinian demands for statehood.
Read
Ezekiel Chapter 36:1-7 in your times of intercession before the throne of God.
This deals with the Lord’s judgment on the nations.
Proclaim
Ezekiel 36:8-12 on behalf of Israel: “But, you, mountains of Israel, will produce
branches and fruit for My people Israel, for they will soon come home. I
am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and
sown, and I will cause many people to live on you—yes, all of
Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of people and animals
living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle
people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then
you will know that I am the Lord. I will cause people, My people Israel, to live on
you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never
again deprive them of their children.”
The Lord has shown us that part of the
problem regarding the peace process is that some Israeli government leaders
have lost their way and they want to
give up the land. They have believed a lie that the only way that Israel can be
both Jewish and democratic is to divide the land into two states. They do not
believe that Israel can maintain a Jewish majority within the land like it is
now. They are afraid that the Arabs will become the majority. So, they want to
withdraw from Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). They do not believe in a future Aliyah
(immigration to Israel), and have come under a great deception. This is also true of the general public.
According to a recent poll, a majority of Israelis want the Palestinians to
have their own state based on the Clinton Parameters (which calls for the
dividing of the land and of the city of Jerusalem)!
Proverbs
29:18 says: “When people do not accept Divine guidance,
they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.”
Here’s
another translation of the same verse: “Where
there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who
heeds Wisdom's instruction.”
Please
intercede that the leaders of Israel, especially those involved in the current
negotiations with the Palestinians and the U.S. (primarily, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Tzippi Livni), will seek Divine guidance and Wisdom’s instruction.
Pray
that those government leaders who are running wild will be tamed by the Lord.
Ask Him to give dreams and visions to Israel’s liberal politicians, which will
lead them into receiving new revelation of His purposes concerning Israel and
the Palestinians.
Proclaim
Isaiah 59:1 for every member of Israel’s government that has influence in the
current peace process: “Listen! The LORD's arm is not too
weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call.”
Pray that the Israeli
public will not live under the same deception as some of these government
leaders. Intercede that Israeli citizens will call on the name of the Lord and
He will save them out of all their troubles. (See Psalm 25:22).
*One of the greatest dangers within the
“framework” of the current peace negotiations is that the American government
wants Israel to give up sovereignty in the Jordan Valley. The Palestinians are
demanding that Israel do so. This would be catastrophic for the Jewish
State! Without an IDF presence on the
border between Israel and Jordan, Israel would lose its strategic depth. And,
Israel needs settlements to remain along that border community, so there is no
vacuum of people (which could be filled with terrorists). Netanyahu recently
hired former Ambassador to the UN, Dore Gold, to be his main Foreign Policy
Advisor. This is a good move as Dore Gold is an expert on Israel’s need for
defensible borders. He has explained, in depth, the reason that Israel must
maintain a presence in the Jordan Valley.
On Sunday, December 29th, 2013, the Knesset
Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted in favor of a bill that would annex
the Jordan Valley and place it under full Israeli
sovereignty. The bill has little chance of surviving through Knesset
committees. However, it sent a strong
message to those engaged in peace negotiations, that the Jordan Valley is a “red”
line for many senior members of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, as well as a “red”
line for members of other political parties in Netanyahu’s government.
Pray that all the
land God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – from the Great Sea to the Euphrates
River -- would be protected and preserved, as it is the Lord’s land! (See Joshua 1:3-5). Pray that Netanyahu will
hold fast to the promises of God and not concede to pressure from the U.S. or
any government. Declare Joshua 1:6 over him: "Be
strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land
which I swore to their fathers to give them.”
*An article in the Jerusalem Post
(1/1/2014) reveals that U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice has been the
creator of foreign policy for the Obama Administration. She was U.S. President
Barack Obama’s first choice to replace Hillary Clinton as U.S. Secretary of
State, but was rejected by Congress in what were perceived as her “cover up”
television interviews regarding the Benghazi attack. So, rather than John Kerry
calling the shots, it appears that Susan Rice is doing so. Rice has pushed for
final-status agreements on Iran’s nuclear program and the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
Perhaps, not realizing it, U.S. presidents
and their administrations have been used by the enemy to chip away at Israel’s
resolve – trying to get more and more concessions out of Israeli government
leaders through “interim” peace agreements.
Pray
that Susan Rice has a revelation of God’s heart for the Jewish People and His
eternal covenant with Israel. Pray that she puts Israel first in her policy
decisions for the Obama Administration. Intercede, according to 1 Timothy 2:1-5, that President Obama,
Susan Rice, and John Kerry will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth
about their Messiah; and, about Israel’s place in God’s Kingdom purposes in the
last days. May they seek His wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and know His
ways, so that they can live out their lives on earth with His true and
everlasting peace in their hearts.
*There are several important leaders
scheduled to be in Israel over the next several months. Canadian Prime Minister
Steven Harper is planning to come in January. February meetings are scheduled
for Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron and Germany’s Chancellor Angela
Merkel. Pray that strategic cooperation
between Israel and these countries remains strong and that the best interests
of the Jewish State are held in the highest regard by these world leaders.
Continue to thank God for the strong faith of Stephen Harper, declaring that he
will have a positive impact on the leaders of Israel, and will bring an
abundant blessing to the land and people when he visits.
*A recent survey shows that 1/10th
of religious people in Israel have not opened up a Bible in the past year. More
than 90% of respondents support teaching the Bible in schools. But, knowing
scripture is another issue. The survey reveals a gap between the importance
that Israelis attach to the Bible, and their knowing the actual context of the
Bible (which they are less sure of).
It
is important to meditate on God’s Word. Please pray that the Word of God will
not be “rote” for Israelis, but that they will be touched by the Lord as they
read His Word.
Declare, Isaiah 55:9-11 over Israel: “For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your
thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there without watering the earth; and, making it bear and
sprout; and, furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So
will My Word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty,
without accomplishing what I desire; and, without succeeding in the matter for
which I sent it.” (Also, see Psalm
1 and Psalm 119).