Jerusalem,
Israel
OCTOBER
29, 2023 PRAYER UPDATE
Israel and
the Nations
On October 27, 2023, Israel entered the next stage of the on-going
war with Hamas, sending in a limited number of ground troops, which targeted a
specific city in the Gaza Strip. Despite initial media reports, Israel has not entered
into a full-scale ground invasion.
Some military experts say that northern Gaza is now destroyed, but
it is obvious that Hamas continues to operate from command centers underground,
in a sophisticated network of tunnels. Rockets continue to be launched, daily,
hitting Israeli cities, in the south, north, and central parts of Israel.
More than 200,000 Israelis are displaced, living in hotels and
with friends and relatives in the central part of the state. The numbers of
missing Israelis, presumed to be kidnapped, has risen above 230.
The two goals of the Israeli government are to destroy the
capabilities of Hamas both in its ability to remain a militant terrorist force,
and in its ability to govern Gaza. And, to see every hostage set free and
returned to their loved ones.
The current leaders of Hamas are Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.
They do not care about the Gazans. They just want to see Israel eliminated.
They hold an Islamist Jihadist ideology. They have not been willing to
negotiate for the release of the Israeli hostages without outrageous demands.
Israel is pressing in to see these Hamas terrorists either release the hostages
or suffer the consequences.
PRAYER POINTS:
Pray for the release of the hostages! We declare that God will set His
people free!
Isaiah 51:14: “Soon
all you captives will be released! Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not
be your fate!”
Isaiah 49:10: “They
will not hunger or thirst, nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them.
For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs
of water.”
Lord bring the fresh water of Your
Holy Spirit for Your people who are suffering at the hands of evil men. Take
them out of the chains that bind them. Lift them out by Your miraculous right
hand!
Zechariah 9:11: As for you also, because
of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners
free from the waterless pit.
Pray for the protection
of the soldiers!
The Israeli soldiers that are
remaining inside the Gaza Strip for a short period of time need your prayers
for their safety in Israel’s military operations. May their mission be
successful and may they return home quickly in Jesus name!
One military expert, a former
intelligence official said that during the three weeks waiting on the Gaza
border to get their orders to go in, soldiers were being trained for their part
in Israel’s ground operations.
Psalm 144:1-2: “Praise the LORD,
who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for
battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my
shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. (He is my loving
ally, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in
him. He makes the nations submit to me). “
Psalm 3:3: “But You, O LORD, are a
shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.”
Psalm 18:2: “The LORD is my rock,
my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is
my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”
Psalm 18:39: “You have armed me
with strength for the battle; You have subdued my enemies under my feet.”
Psalm 59:9: “O [God] my strength, I
will watch for You; For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high
tower].”
Pray for
Israel’s Iron Dome, the Lord Himself, to shield all civilians from the constant
rocket barrages, and to carry Israel to victory!
The rockets continue to fall on
Israeli cities, buildings, and homes, and injuring people.
The military keeps claiming that this
is going to be a long war. We declare
that this is not going to be a long war; that Israel will move forward,
quickly, into a great victory, with signs, wonders, and miracles following! We pray that the goals set by the Israeli
government and military will be accomplished!
We pray that leaders of nations
will not try and stop Israel from meeting those goals; nor constrain the
determination of Israelis to see the mission through.
Pray for
Israel’s leaders, especially for the security cabinet:
We declare favor and endurance for
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the rest of the Israeli war cabinet
(especially Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz) to fulfill the
mission no matter what adverse reactions they may incur along the path to
victory!
Isaiah 61:2-3: “From the ends of
the earth I call out to You whenever my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a tower of strength against
the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of
Your wings. Selah!”
Joel 3:16: “The LORD will roar from
Zion and raise His voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will tremble. But the
LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.”
Micah 4:8: “And you, O tower of the
flock, The stronghold of the daughter of Zion; To you shall it come; even the
former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”
What does the
future hold?
Some say that a new era is coming;
that God is going to pour out His Spirit on Israel, and Israelis will begin to
come to the Lord in great numbers! Others say that this current period will
remain a time of war not peace for a long while, extending beyond Israel into
the Middle East region and beyond. We
ask the Lord for continued constrain and refrain of this war expanding to
multiple fronts.
Whatever time is coming, we pray
that we will endure to the end, without fear or trembling, but in great trust
of the Lord, expecting Him to bring faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of
these is love! It’s time to reach out to Israelis with the love of God, and
introduce them to the Hope of their salvation!