While my previous prayers have served as a basis for prayers today, such as the ones posted by my ministry, I have privately been at a loss for words because of the emotional anguish over what is taking place in Israel. Until yesterday. While I have still drawn from previous prayers, God has given me thoughts and a fresh prayer that I would like to share with you.
October 17, 2023
An oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. “I have loved you,” says the Lord…”My name will be great among the nations…I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed”. Malachi 1:1,2, 11, 3:6
Like many of you, the news coming out of Israel over the last few days has left me appalled, angry, astounded, outraged and almost speechless…even in prayer. I seem to have no words, only tears. I feel like Jeremiah who cried, Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain …. Jeremiah 9:9
My memories have flooded back to 2014 when I was invited to be a member of the National Religious Broadcasters Delegation to Israel, hosted by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. It came at a strategic time when Israel was under missile attack from Hamas in Gaza. The first night in Jerusalem I was asked to join Tony Perkins of the National Family Research Council, Kay Arthur of Precept Ministries, and Jerry Johnson, President of the NRB, for a live television interview on a global satellite television program. It was filmed at a spectacular studio overlooking Mount Zion and the Old City of Jerusalem. When asked why I had come, my answer was that I had come to encourage as many people as I could to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. When I returned home, I issued a 911 Prayer Call for the Peace of Jerusalem to which approximately 20,000 people responded.
As part of the NRB delegation, I had many interesting meetings with officials that included the man who was creating David’s Sling, a missile defense system that would protect Israel from incoming missiles that were higher than those the Iron Dome was capable of taking out. He wept with passion for his assignment, so afraid he wouldn’t have it completed before it would be needed. We also met with the Mayor of Jerusalem at that time, the Honorable Nir Barkat. I personally challenged him to issue a prayer call to Christians and Jews, which he did several days after we left.
But the memory that dwarfs all of the others was when we visited a kibbutz on the border of Gaza in southern Israel. It was a farming community made up of families who lived and worked together. When sirens sounded to warn us of an incoming missile from Gaza, everyone had fifteen seconds to get into a bomb shelter. We ran quickly into one that was nearby and stayed until the all-clear signal was given. When we stepped out of the shelter, we saw the small white “puff” indicating the Iron Dome had taken out that particular missile aimed at the kibbutz.
We were then guided into an underground bunker where we met with the leadership of the kibbutz as missiles rained down overhead. I will never forget the stark terror on the faces of the Israelis. I opened my iPad and read Psalm 91 to the leadership. They had never heard it before and were deeply moved by the expression of God’s care for them. (At the end of this blog I have included a link to a reading of Psalm 91 with a violin solo as the backdrop. It is very moving.)
As we drove away, we could see Gaza in the distance. The sign posted in the foreground warned of landmines planted by Hamas in the area separating Israel and Gaza.
These memories have quickened my heartfelt compulsion to pray for the Israelis…and the Palestinians… caught up in what surely is a satanically inspired attack on the people and the land that God uniquely loves.
My daughter, Rachel-Ruth, pointed me to a remarkable warning in Amos 1:6-7…This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not turn back My wrath. Because she took captive whole communities … I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses.”
Let the entire world be warned, including Russia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, North Korea, China, and any other hostile, antisemitic nation. If you attack Israel, God will take it personally. He will defend her at great cost to yourselves.
Without doubt, this is a time to pray as best we can…
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Lord of Hosts. God of Angel Armies. Lion of Judah. Show up in extra-ordinary power. Give Your people resounding victory over their enemies.
In obedience to Your command, we pray for the enemies who are coming against Your people.[1] We pray for searing conviction of their sin and demonic cruelty, for them to turn from it, and to ask You for forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. But if they do not, we ask that this day You defeat and destroy them. Every single one of them.
We ask that You strip Israel’s enemies of cooperation among themselves so that they are divided and turn on each other, even as You did the enemies of Jehoshaphat.[2]
We ask that their evil plans would be exposed or fall back on their own head.
We ask that the face of every man, woman, child or baby that the enemy has slaughtered, beheaded, or burned be indelibly imprinted on their mind’s eye, filling them with turmoil and robbing them of clear thinking.[3]
We ask, Defender of the Weak, that You would supernaturally guard and protect the hostages. Reveal Yourself to them in the underground tunnels, reassuring them of Your presence, even as You did to Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.[4]
We ask that You bind the hands, jam the guns, trip the feet of the captors so that the IDF can overcome them and deliver those being held, even as You delivered Daniel from the lion’s den.[5]
We ask that Your fiery chariots would surround the IDF soldiers poised for a ground assault in Gaza, then anoint each IDF soldier with protective power to rout out and overcome the enemy as they proceed.[6]
We ask that You reveal the entrances and exits of the 300 miles of tunnels so that the enemy lurking within has no hiding place.
We ask that the ancient prince of the Persian kingdom and every other demonic force coming against Your people be bound and rendered powerless in the face of the hosts of Heaven.[7]
We ask that the Iron Dome and David’s Sling would be 100% effective against all incoming missiles in the north as well as in the south.
We ask for supernatural wisdom for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Cabinet, his counselors, and all government and military officials, so that they make decisions in line with Your perfect will.
We ask that You give the government and military leaders shared vision and agreed-upon steps to accomplish victory so that Israel has clear, unified leadership during these horrific times.
We ask that You comfort the mothers, fathers, and children living near the Gaza border, especially those that witnessed atrocities. Erase memories of what they have seen. Give them an overwhelming, supernatural sense of Your presence.
Comfort those who mourn. Give peace to the terrified. Hope to the hopeless. Save them. Cover them. Command Your angels to guard them. [8]
You are a great prayer-hearing, prayer-answering, covenant-keeping, miracle-working God. Hear our prayer! Listen to Your children as we pray. Please! Rise up, great Lion of Judah, and defend Your people. Deliver Israel from her enemies so that all the nations of the earth may know that You alone are God. Answer us, we humbly, boldly plead! Answer us!
For the glory of Your great name…Yeshua! Jesus!
Amen
[1] Matthew 5:43-44
[2] 2 Chronicles 20:23
[3] Romans 2:9
[4] Daniel 3
[5] Daniel 6
[6] 2 Kings 6:16-17
[7] Daniel 10:12-13
[8] Psalm 91
Click to Listen | Psalm 91
September 25, 2023
The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8
Read Day Five – Spiritually Filled | PREPARING TO MEET JESUS
Watch Anne and Rachel-Ruth share more about this fifth characteristic:
God’s Word fills me up to overflowing with living water: promises, encouragement, direction, and correction! God wants to be intimately involved in my life and yours. So when you face questions and problems and you need wisdom on what to do or what to say or where to go, turn to God’s Word! Not only will it speak to you, but most important, it will keep your focus on Jesus and not your circumstances.
Isn’t it time you drank deeply of the Living Water?
This week’s challenge :
What words are saturating your heart and mind? Are you filling up on words from the news, social media, movies, friends? Or are you drinking in the Word of God until it overflows in your thoughts, in your words, and in your life? On this day, commit to opening your Bible every day and read it, meditate on it, obey it, and let it transform your life! Don’t dry up. Drink up instead. Stay spiritually filled!
Let’s pray:
Dear Jesus, I have been restless within. Dissatisfied. Longing for something yet not knowing what. Seeking fulfillment in things that don’t satisfy. But now I do know what’s missing. I am thirsty for You. I am humbly asking You to give me a drink of the Living Water, which is Yourself. You have given me this invitation: “Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” So right now, on this day, as I open my Bible to read, please let me hear the whisper of Your Spirit speaking to me. Bring the verses to life. I ask You to fill me with Yourself through Your Word until I overflow. To the praise of Your glory.
For the sake of the Bridegroom,
And in His name—Jesus,
Amen.
After reading Day Five | Spiritually Filled, join our discussion in the comments:
- What challenged or encouraged you? What stood out to you?
- What verse(s) or passage is saturating your heart and mind this week?
- Will you commit to opening up your Bible this week?
[Isaiah 55:10 – 11; John 4:10, 13 – 14; Revelation 22:17; Psalm 121:7 – 8]
September 18, 2023
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 2 Peter 3:14
Read Day Four – Purified | PREPARING TO MEET JESUS
Watch Anne and Rachel-Ruth share more about this fourth characteristic:
When you and I give our lives to Jesus and become part of God’s family, we are forgiven of every sin we have ever committed or will ever commit. Yet as Jesus followers, we must daily come to the Lord and confess to Him whatever sins we have committed that day so we can maintain our close relationship with Him. Sin puts distance between the Lord and us, a distance that we sometimes feel as a spiritual coldness or deadness or misery, a lack of love for Him, or prayers that aren’t answered.
My mom always taught me to keep short accounts with the Lord. God wants us to tell Him what we did, even though He already knows. He purifies us when we acknowledge our sin before Him, admit we were wrong, humbly and truthfully tell Him we are sorry for it, and stop that sinful behavior. He cleanses us of guilt and shame, leaving us washed clean on the inside. And it feels so good to be purified!
This week’s Challenge:
It’s time for an internal scrubbing! Today, spend time cleaning up. Don’t worry about what the Lord will think of your confession. He already knows about your sin, so just tell Him. He won’t blame you for it. Jesus actually shed His blood in order to cleanse you and remove the stain of guilt. The apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthians, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
So talk to the Lord about your sin, confess it, stop indulging in whatever it is at present, and ask Him to heal your memories of the past. Ask Him to wash you on the inside—then enjoy being clean! And know that on the day when He appears and you see Him face-to-face, He will make everything new, erasing even the memories of those sins!
Let’s Pray:
Holy Lord, You are high and lifted up. You live forever. Your very name is Holy. I acknowledge that I am not. I am a sinner. Yet You have promised that You will live with those who are contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive our hearts. I am so sorry for all the wrong things I have done and am currently doing. I am sorry for all the wrong things I have said. I confess to You my _________ (fill in the blank). I am willing to turn away from my sin. I choose to put effort into being found “spotless, blameless and at peace” with You when I see You face-to-face. Help me! “Let me hear joy and gladness. . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation.” Thank You for Your blood, which cleanses me from every sin, large and small, past and present.
For the sake of the Bridegroom,
And in His name—Jesus,
Amen.
After reading Day Four | Purified, join our discussion in the comments:
[Hebrews 9:14; Psalm 32:3; Psalm 66:18; 2 Peter 3:14; Isaiah 57:15]
September 11, 2023
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7,12
Read Day Three – Beautiful…On the Inside | PREPARING TO MEET JESUS
Watch Anne and Rachel-Ruth share more about this third characteristic:
Like Samuel, maybe you and I need to refocus on inner beauty—the beauty of a Christlike character, which draws people to us and ultimately to Jesus. When we stand before God, we won’t be digging for our new lipstick or fixing our hair or polishing our Jordans or flexing our biceps to impress God. Our character will be what is on full display. Make it a priority to be beautiful on the inside.
This week’s Challenge :
Pause now and consider: How much time do you spend on your outward appearance compared with the time you spend in daily prayer and Bible reading? Do you need to make an adjustment? Today, if it’s your goal to be truly beautiful in God’s eyes, make it a priority to develop your character by spending time with Him, then live out your faith so that others can see Him reflected in you.
Let’s pray…
Fairest Lord Jesus, How could I ever desire anything other than to be a reflection of You? So polish me using whatever means You choose . . . stress or suffering . . . problems or persecution . . . obstacles or opportunities . . . hard work or hard times. I’m Yours to mold into a person who is beautiful in Your eyes.
For the sake of the Bridegroom,
And in His name—
Jesus, Amen.
After reading Day Three | Beautiful…On the Inside, join our discussion in the comments:
- What challenged or encouraged you? What stood out to you?
- How much time do you spend in daily prayer and Bible reading?
- Do you need to make an adjustment?
[Galatians 5:22 – 23; I Samuel 16:7, 12; Acts 7:55 – 60; Revelation 1:9 – 18]
September 4, 2023
Read Day Two – Faithful in the Day-to-Day | PREPARING TO MEET JESUS
Watch Anne and Rachel-Ruth share more about this second characteristic:
All the signs of the times suggest we don’t have a whole lot of time left until Jesus returns. What will He find you doing? What task has He assigned to you that you feel isn’t very significant? Your work? Your chores at home? Are you stuck in a house caring for a sick loved one instead of out doing “real work”? Whatever it may be, God is watching! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear Him exclaim, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things”? So . . . be faithful in the day-to-day!
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE (click HERE to download the Journal Page)
What are your daily responsibilities? Examine your attitude toward them. Are you complaining about the demands of life, or are you grateful for the opportunity to serve faithfully with all your strength? King Solomon, the wisest man who has ever lived other than Jesus, challenged the reader of his memoirs, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” Today, as you prepare to see Jesus face-to-face, commit to ensuring that He will find you faithfully doing the work He has called you to do—with all your heart.
Let’s pray…
Lord of my days, I worship You as the carpenter in Nazareth, fulfilling orders for customers, doing the bidding of Joseph. I am sorry when I complain about the day-to-day. Help me see You in my responsibilities, whether they are small or overwhelming. Lift up my eyes to see that even while I am “digging ditches,” I can have an incredible encounter with You. In that split second of the Rapture, when the sky unfolds and You return for me and I see You face-to-face, I want to be found faithful!
For the sake of the Bridegroom,
And in His name—Jesus,
Amen.
After reading Day Two | Faithful in the Day-to-Day, join our discussion in the comments:
[Zechariah 14:20 – 21, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Matthew 25:21, Luke 10:38 – 42 , I Thessalonians 5:2]
