Genesis 12:3: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Israel is a clock on the wall of prophecy, an indicator of the state of the world, the epicenter of human history and the future. All that is true, but Israel is much more than that. Israel is people, the people about whom the ancients prophesied when they saw the future. These are the people who today inhabit the land, work hard to serve their country and its people, and for many, their God. The prophets saw the people who were alive when the new nation was reborn in 1948, the people who saw the miracle of Ezekiel’s dry bones coming together, gaining strength and muscle, and now breathing life into a fledgling nation (see Ezekiel 37). Israel is the people whose ancestors suffered persecution and pain and even death. Israel is alive with people determined to survive and thrive and possess the Promised Land given to them so many centuries ago.
Dear Lord, Thank you for the moment when Israel became more than an amazing historic site, more than the prophetic clock on the wall, even more than “The Holy Land.” The key to it all, we know now, is the people and Your love for them. And now, may we continue to build friendships and deep, spiritual relationships with these Your people, and may our love for them be real and helpful and a blessing to them. Help us to do what You asked: Comfort, yes, comfort My people!…“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned… The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” —Isaiah 40:1-5
Psalm 122:6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Peace be within your walls… Peace in Jerusalem is the key to peace on earth. The turmoil…
Pray for those who choose Israel as their home, making aliyah, and for those who greet them and help them make a home. Jeremiah 32:37: Behold, I will gather them out…
Genesis 25:9 —“Then Abraham breathed his last, and died in a good old age… and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the…