About 24 years ago God did a deep work in me and in my wife. We were introduced to a Jewish lady who had recently immigrated to Israel. After listening to her love for Israel, and wanting to go there ourselves, she prayed for us that God would give us a heart for Israel. WOW! Did He ever answer that prayer! Since that time we have been to Israel eight times and were blessed with a six month stay in Israel in 1993.
While we were living there, the first Oslo accord was signed on the White House lawn between Yasser Arafat and Yitsak Rabin. That began a downward spiral for Israel in which the hoped for peace was replaced by increased violence of Intifadas, terrorist bombings, and growing international pressure to give up more and more land.
Meanwhile, we noticed a huge upswing in support for Israel among people of faith around the world. We began hearing about groups in Korea, New Zeeland, Australia, South America, Europe, and across the United States that were praying passionately for Israel. Our own hearts grew in support for Israel as we began praying for her on a regular basis. The more we have prayed for Israel, the more we have noticed the intensity of spiritual warfare increasing.
This past week our church held around-the-clock prayer and one of the emphases was Israel. One six year old boy told his mother that he was going to pray that Israel would be protected from her enemies. We also just returned from an evening of prayer with other churches in our city—and the whole two hours was prayer for Israel. God is stirring up His Body to intercede for Israel. What an awesome privilege to partner with Holy Spirit and voice His heart for His people and His Land. Join us. Pray as Holy Spirit prompts you.
If you want more information on why to pray and how to pray for Israel, I urge you to read Don Finto’s book Your People Shall Be My People.
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