Dear friends,A lot is going on in the spiritual realm over Israel (as well as in the physical!) A couple of days ago Israelis paused from everything they were doing and remembered the victims of the Holocaust, as sirens blared across the nation. Today they celebrated Israel's Independence Day, and remembered their rebirth as a nation. And we have to wonder: as the Jewish people paused to remember all those whose lives ended in the ashes of the death camps' ovens, was the Holy One of Israel raining down His tears in the volcanic ashes over Europe?
Here is a prayer update that came today from Glory of Zion. I hope it will bless you as you continue to pray for the Jewish people. May we never forget what happened in the Holocaust - and may we never let it happen again!
PRAYER UPDATE FROM ISRAEL (APRIL 19, 2010)
1. REBORN ISRAEL TURNS 62-A YEAR FOR TAKING A TURN.
" 'Nahamu, nahamu ami,' yomer Eloheikhem.'-'You comfort, You comfort My people,' says your God'" (Isaiah 40:1).
"It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them" (Psalm 44:3).
Yesterday (Sunday) evening at 8:00 the sirens sounded to begin the day when Israel pauses to pay tribute to the 22,682 of her sons and daughters who have fallen as soldiers or victims of terror. Since last Memorial Day 111 Israeli soldiers have been killed. It is a day taken very seriously in this tiny nation where sixty two years have seen six wars interspersed with almost continual hostilities both within and on our borders. Yet at sundown this evening the country turns out into the streets to celebrate Israel's independence and birth as a renewed nation. It is an unusual juxtaposition-grief and sorrow followed by celebration. As one man bereaved of a brother shared with a HaAretz reporter, "On Independence Day our family celebrates with all the more conviction because of the memorial ceremonies the day before, which take so much from us, both psychologically and physically. On a personal level, I find the connection hard. On a national level, I think it's important. That's also what I tell my children: Without sacrifices, there would have been no independence; and without independence, there could be no memorial."
So, on 20 April Israel turns 62. Our population stands at 7,587,000, 75.7% of which is Jewish, 20.4% Arab (this is excluding the contested territories of Judea and Samaria). In some ways we are weak-our territory uncertain, our government precarious, our relationship with other nations not strong. And yet, in God's grace our economy has held steady as others have foundered, and we continue to be cutting-edge in the high-tech and medical fields of the world. Morally and spiritually we are in large part diseased and feeble-yet an awakening is taking place as a tiny indigenous Messianic Body of Messiah is coming into notice in the schools, in the workplace, in the Government and in the military. This past year has seen an unprecedented acknowledgment of and in many cases accurate description of Messianic Judaism (i.e. Jews who believe in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah, Saviour and Lord) in the mainstream Israeli media. Two years ago most Israelis were unaware of its existence.
The number 62, written in the ancient Hebrew alphabetical numbering system happens to actually spell a word-Sav (samech-vet). Sav is a verb form meaning "encircled, went around; turned around; gyrated, spun."
As Israel memorializes her dead and enters into her 62nd year, feeling "encircled" more than ever by hostility without, may this be the year for a "turn around" within! Isaiah 62 portrays an intercessory charge regarding that turnaround which the Holy Spirit releases to many willing to stand with her-"until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns"-until she be "called by a new name"-until she "shall no longer be termed Forsaken nor her land be termed Desolate"-until "He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."
