Jerusalem, Israel
OCTOBER 13, 2020 PRAYER UPDATE
Israel and the Nations
PRAISE:
Psalm 41:13: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.”
Psalm 48:1: “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praise, in the city of our God, His holy mountain.”
Psalm 48:10: “Your name, O God, like Your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is full of righteousness
Psalm 96:8-9: “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and enter His courts. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.”
Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the Messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation; the news that the God of Israel reigns!”
Psalm 72:11: “May all kings bow down to Him and all nations serve Him.”
Psalm 72:17-19: “May the king’s name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun shines. May all nations be blessed through Him and bring Him praise! Praise the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen!”
THE STATE OF THE NATION:
Israel has been under a severe lockdown for nearly a month. Demonstrations throughout the land continue to increase. One estimation was that 200,000 Israelis protested over this past weekend. Other statistics are that there are at least 1,000 places, nationwide, where protests are conducted every day at 5 p.m. Sometimes, it is one person demonstrating; other times it can be 200 people. There is frustration, disappointment, and mounting anger against the current government. In addition, Israel still does not have a functioning government budget for next year. It has been delayed, but must be finalized by the end of the year.
Elections are being talked about again. It is a known fact that members of the government coalition from the Likud and Blue and White parties do not get along. Both parties have suffered in the polls, but mostly the Likud party, so it is not to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s advantage to call for elections. Polls that were taken in September revealed that only 27% of the public trust him. Much of the public has lost trust in his ability to rightfully handle the coronavirus pandemic. This is across all spectrums of society. The leftists in society are also protesting against government corruption, as well.
The ultra-Orthodox have been demonstrating about their right to pray wherever they want to, in large groups without wearing masks or social distancing. At least 40% of new coronavirus infections are coming from within Orthodox communities, especially those living in certain parts of Jerusalem. The Orthodox do not want to be under lockdown if the rest of the country is not. There is a constant struggle with authorities about this. The government has continued to zigzag when it comes to the Orthodox, even under the severe lockdown. Before the current lockdown, there was a “stop light” policy that was designed by Israel’s “czar” for the coronavirus, Professor Gamzu. Areas of the country were divided into zones. Most of the Orthodox communities were in the “red” zone because of the widespread outbreak of COVED-19 among them. The Orthodox demonstrations increased as they thought their communities should not be singled out and restricted by the zones they live in. So, the “stop light” policy was not implemented by the government. The nation is now waiting for clear instructions as to how the government plans on easing us out of this lockdown.
PRAYERS FOR THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT -- DIRECTION DURING COVID-19:
We pray that government leaders will put aside their differences and seek the King of Kings and Lord of Lords for wisdom in decision making. We declare, according to Proverbs 19:21 that many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
We ask you LORD, that in Your hand, You will turn the king’s heart. That heart is a stream of water directed by You. You guide it wherever You please. (Proverbs 21:1). Turn Prime Minister Netanyahu’s heart to Your will, O God! May Netanyahu humble himself and say this prayer to You, O LORD: “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of Yours?” (1 Chronicles 1:10).
Lord, we declare Isaiah 44:8 over the people of Israel: “Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I (the Lord) not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are My witness. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Lord, according to Psalm 25:9, we ask you to guide the humble in what is right, and teach them Your way. Please also bring clarity to the people of this nation. You say in Psalm 32:8: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with My loving eye on you.” We ask you this day, Lord, to show these government leaders how to be best effective in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Instruct Your people, Lord! We thank You for teaching us a better way than what has been done so far. Please bring peace and calm in the midst of this current chaos; and, hope where hope has been deferred, and the heart has become sick. We ask You to heal this nation in Yeshua’s name!
PRAYERS FOR THE ULTRA-ORTHODOX:
The Lord loves these people of the Book. But, some of the ultra-Orthodox defy orders and they carry on in rebellious ways. Jesus said in Mark 7:6-8: “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
And, Jesus continued in verse 9: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”
Lord, we do pray that the ultra-Orthodox will have freedom in prayer before You, to honor you with their Bible studies and their attention to the Word of God. But, we also pray that they will care for others in society, by being obedient to do what is necessary to keep their families from getting infected by the coronavirus. If the government commands that they wear masks and social distance, while praying before You, we pray that they will be willing to cooperate with the authorities you have put in position over them in the land, in Yeshua’s name! If they live in a “red” zone, and it means they will have to lockdown until the virus infections decrease, we pray that they will not force the rest of the country to also go on lockdown, despite a decrease in the infection rate in other areas of the nation.
We pray that You, Lord, will break the ultra-Orthodox control in the government that has caused such confusion and disappointment among the Israeli people. Take away all their self-righteousness Lord, according to Romans 10:2 which says, “For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth. They are deeply devoted to God, but they are misguided. And Romans 10:3 states, “Since they did not now the righteousness of God, and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” This is especially true among the ultra-Orthodox communities in Israel today!
We thank you Lord that Messiah Jesus is the fulfillment of the teachings of Moses, so that everyone among the ultra-Orthodox who has faith, may receive God’s approval. (Romans 10:4).
PRAYERS FOR THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL:
LORD, You forgave the iniquity of Your people and covered all their sins. You did this at Calvary. (Psalm 85:2)
But, Your people have turned from You. Yet, You promise in Jeremiah 32:42: “This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.”
And, now according to Psalm 14:7, we proclaim more of Your future promises over this land: “Oh! That the salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!”
LORD, in Yeshua’s name, You will pour out blessings on Your land! You will restore the fortunes of Israel. You have been merciful to Your land and people. And, You will make Israel prosperous again. Amen!” (Psalm 85:1)
John 7:37-38: “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
God, let the rain of Your Holy Spirit fall on the people of Israel. Let them come and thirst on You!
Let them say: Isaiah 12:2: “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.
We proclaim over Israel this day: “With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation. With joy, you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!” (Isaiah 12:3)
In that day, you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted.” (Isaiah 12:4)
PRAYERS FOR WATER:
We have had unseasonably warm weather for 6 weeks in Israel, since the beginning of September. Temperatures should be in the 70’s, but are averaging in the 80’s and 90’s. This is the time when Israel’s religious leaders cry out for the Lord to bring the rains and replenish the land. Just as we have called out for the spiritual rain to fall on Israel, let’s pray for the natural, physical rains to come.
Isaiah 41:18: “I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.
Thank you Lord that You will do this so that Your people may see and know; may consider and understand; that the hand of the LORD has done this; that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” (Isaiah 41:20).
Psalm 65:9-10: “You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so You have ordained it. You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges. You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops.”
We stand, in faith, that soon the rainy season will come to Israel, and as Your word promises, You will crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways will overflow with abundance. (Psalm 65:11).
You say to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and You tell the rain to pour down. (Job 37:6).
You do this so that everyone You have made may know Your work. Then, everyone stops their work so they can watch Your power. (Job 37:7).
PRAYERS FOR THE U.S. ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER:
We pray that the Body of Messiah will represent the Lord in every situation where there is turmoil. Let the believers bring peace, calm and clarity.
Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Psalm 50:15: “Then, call on Me when you are in trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
May God give the believers in America a plan for bringing that nation into stability under His Banner of Love, according to Amos 3:7: “Surely, the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.”
As we pray for the current Trump Administration, and the coming American Administration, we declare: Psalm 124:8: “Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
We ask you God to keep Americans safe, from the hands of the wicked. Protect the people of the United States from the violent, who devise ways to trip their feet. We pray this, especially, for the Jewish People who are facing increased anti-Semitism in America. (Psalm 140:4).
PRAYERS FOR THE NATIONS:
We ask for Your favor for the nations, Lord. Be merciful and bless the remnant of born-again believers. Cause Your face to shine upon them; so that Your ways may be known throughout the earth; Your saving power among people everywhere. (Psalm 67:1-3)
Psalm 67:4: “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for You judge the peoples justly and lead the nations of the earth. Selah.”
Psalm 99:1: The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; He sits on His throne between the cherubim. Let the whole earth quake!”
Isaiah 45:22: “Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”
Psalm 96:10: “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’ The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved; He will judge all peoples fairly.’ ”
Isaiah 54:13: “All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace.”
Nehemiah 4:20: “Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”
Isaiah 62:10: “Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations.”
Isaiah 11:10: “In that day, the Root of Jesse (the heir to David’s throne), will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to Him. They will look to Him for guidance; and the land where He lives (His resting place), will be glorious.”
Psalm 67:7: “May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him.”