This screenshot is security footage of
one of the attacks on Adullam, a private home
in Jerusalem that is set up as a humanitarian outreach ministering to young people
who have left traditional religious communities. The need is because these
young people are ill-equipped to deal with life outside their communities.
in Jerusalem that is set up as a humanitarian outreach ministering to young people
who have left traditional religious communities. The need is because these
young people are ill-equipped to deal with life outside their communities.
Learn more about the situation in this
Ask Dr. Brown video interview and
in the great background article by Tuvia
Pollack for Kehila News,
Anti-missionary activists attack Messianic home for at-risk youth.
Anti-missionary activists attack Messianic home for at-risk youth.
Threat & Tumult
by Donna Diorio
It
seems we are always walking the fine line between the reality of what is
happening in our world and the understanding that by keeping faith with our
God, there is nothing in this world that God does not have the ultimate say
over. Whether it is the scary explosion of the Corona virus sweeping through
the nations or the increased threat level from Gaza, or the increasing
incidents of anti-Messianic violence in Israel — none of these things pose a
threat to God's will. All of them are meant to instill fear in the people of
God so we will not advance God's will.
How so? For one thing, all three of those threats and tumults are affecting tourism to Israel right now. Tourism is a huge factor not only in Israel's economy but also carries a powerful impact on the Israeli Messianic ministries, many of whom have tours booked and paid for whether people cancel on them out of fear or not.
This morning I noticed a friend of mine from Iowa who takes tour groups over and who also leads prayers for Israel, had indeed landed in Israel ready to proceed as planned. Liz is a wonderful example of how we are to live our lives in faith even in times of threat and tumult. Like the saying goes, the safest place to be is in the will of God.
How many people have cancelled or will cancel their trips to Israel because of the threat of Corona virus or the tumult of rockets being fired from Gaza? Liz did not let that stop her and that is something I share with her. I never have fear about going to Israel and did so even in the intensity of the Second Intifada.
Many people thought I was crazy to consider going at that time, but truly I had no fear whatsoever. Why? Because it is God's will that Christians come alongside the body of Messiah in Israel who are bringing the good news to Jews re-gathered by a miracle of God to their ancient homeland.
It's God's plan, God's will that the enemy seeks to disrupt, so I must not let the fear tactics of the enemy disrupt me from participating in God's will. There is no place safer to be than in God's will. We are going to have to live our lives this way increasingly as we go deeper and deeper into the times we are living. We just have to know that we are in God's will and advance in that knowledge.
Which is what the Israeli ministries have been doing since the beginning of their own return to the ancient homeland of Israel. In 1948 when God's promised re-gathering of the Jews from exile was well under way and the Land was officially established as the re-born state of Israel, there were ZERO Messianic congregations in Israel. There were only 29 documented Jewish believers in Israel in 1948!
Today, even though it is a tough number to pin down exactly, we know there are hundreds of congregations and House Fellowships in Israel and thousands of Messianic Jewish believers. It could the 13,000 or 18,000 believers. Pinning the exact number down is not the point. The point is that God is increasing, not decreasing the faith of Yeshua in Israel. This is the will of God, that the faith in Yeshua increases in Israel.
So we also walk a fine line in what we put out before your eyes, Christians in the nations. Because even the religious persecutors of our brothers and sisters in Israel, these are people our brothers and sisters have a heart to be a witness to. We have to balance our need to express to the Christian world how threatening anti-Messianic activism is becoming, but without making hatred rise up against those misguided Jews who are persecutors.
If we could all just remember that while Peter, John and Philip were out evangelizing, doing miracles and touching lives, the apostle Paul was till unsaved Saul! In Acts 9 it is written, "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out threats of murder against the Lord’s disciples."
Dear Christian saints, it is no different today! There is hope yet even for those who are persecuting the ministries and believers in Israel today and how well the Messianic believers know it. That's why they don't speak often or in-depth about the persecutions they go through - just enough to cry out for your prayers when it becomes too intense.
Spiritually we have to respond to their cries with the same heart, to pray for them earnestly for protection, but also to pray that their witness speaks loudly to those in proximity to watch, or those who are even participating against them.
In the article linked above, Anti-missionary activists attack Messianic home for at-risk youth, it is telling how the reporter was asked to us to pray, "Ask them to pray for those who persecute us. They are poor teenagers who have been brainwashed to think they’re doing ‘God’s work’ when they throw bricks and attack us. Pray that God will take them out of this hatred captivity. Pray also for us, for divine protection and for wisdom, and for the populations we serve here, that they won’t get hurt.”
Increasingly, the Lehava activists have been attacking Messianic Jewish events. You might remember the Messianic concert that was attacked a few months ago. Yad L'Achim anti-Messianics get involved too, and are the main ones leading the harassment of a number of congregations, including the one we reported in the past couple of weeks that is led by Israel Pochtar in Ashdod. These are on-going threats the believers are enduring even will continuing to press into the harvest for the LORD.
There is also a lie the Yad L'Achim anti-missionaries spread accusing Korean Christians of purposefully coming to Israel infected by Corona virus. Tuvia Pollack writes, "Yad L’Achim is an extremist group that hardly represents a majority of Israelis. However, the anti-missionary group and others like them are trying to use racism, fear of “strangers” and the general global panic from the coronavirus as a tool to prevent Israelis from hearing the Gospel."
Fear tactics coming and going.
It is a time for us to be courageous, and to have our eyes opened to the spiritual truths behind the things we are seeing. Whether from threat or tumult, we want to be in God's will and praying for God's will in all these major issues before us.
How so? For one thing, all three of those threats and tumults are affecting tourism to Israel right now. Tourism is a huge factor not only in Israel's economy but also carries a powerful impact on the Israeli Messianic ministries, many of whom have tours booked and paid for whether people cancel on them out of fear or not.
This morning I noticed a friend of mine from Iowa who takes tour groups over and who also leads prayers for Israel, had indeed landed in Israel ready to proceed as planned. Liz is a wonderful example of how we are to live our lives in faith even in times of threat and tumult. Like the saying goes, the safest place to be is in the will of God.
How many people have cancelled or will cancel their trips to Israel because of the threat of Corona virus or the tumult of rockets being fired from Gaza? Liz did not let that stop her and that is something I share with her. I never have fear about going to Israel and did so even in the intensity of the Second Intifada.
Many people thought I was crazy to consider going at that time, but truly I had no fear whatsoever. Why? Because it is God's will that Christians come alongside the body of Messiah in Israel who are bringing the good news to Jews re-gathered by a miracle of God to their ancient homeland.
It's God's plan, God's will that the enemy seeks to disrupt, so I must not let the fear tactics of the enemy disrupt me from participating in God's will. There is no place safer to be than in God's will. We are going to have to live our lives this way increasingly as we go deeper and deeper into the times we are living. We just have to know that we are in God's will and advance in that knowledge.
Which is what the Israeli ministries have been doing since the beginning of their own return to the ancient homeland of Israel. In 1948 when God's promised re-gathering of the Jews from exile was well under way and the Land was officially established as the re-born state of Israel, there were ZERO Messianic congregations in Israel. There were only 29 documented Jewish believers in Israel in 1948!
Today, even though it is a tough number to pin down exactly, we know there are hundreds of congregations and House Fellowships in Israel and thousands of Messianic Jewish believers. It could the 13,000 or 18,000 believers. Pinning the exact number down is not the point. The point is that God is increasing, not decreasing the faith of Yeshua in Israel. This is the will of God, that the faith in Yeshua increases in Israel.
So we also walk a fine line in what we put out before your eyes, Christians in the nations. Because even the religious persecutors of our brothers and sisters in Israel, these are people our brothers and sisters have a heart to be a witness to. We have to balance our need to express to the Christian world how threatening anti-Messianic activism is becoming, but without making hatred rise up against those misguided Jews who are persecutors.
If we could all just remember that while Peter, John and Philip were out evangelizing, doing miracles and touching lives, the apostle Paul was till unsaved Saul! In Acts 9 it is written, "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out threats of murder against the Lord’s disciples."
Dear Christian saints, it is no different today! There is hope yet even for those who are persecuting the ministries and believers in Israel today and how well the Messianic believers know it. That's why they don't speak often or in-depth about the persecutions they go through - just enough to cry out for your prayers when it becomes too intense.
Spiritually we have to respond to their cries with the same heart, to pray for them earnestly for protection, but also to pray that their witness speaks loudly to those in proximity to watch, or those who are even participating against them.
In the article linked above, Anti-missionary activists attack Messianic home for at-risk youth, it is telling how the reporter was asked to us to pray, "Ask them to pray for those who persecute us. They are poor teenagers who have been brainwashed to think they’re doing ‘God’s work’ when they throw bricks and attack us. Pray that God will take them out of this hatred captivity. Pray also for us, for divine protection and for wisdom, and for the populations we serve here, that they won’t get hurt.”
Increasingly, the Lehava activists have been attacking Messianic Jewish events. You might remember the Messianic concert that was attacked a few months ago. Yad L'Achim anti-Messianics get involved too, and are the main ones leading the harassment of a number of congregations, including the one we reported in the past couple of weeks that is led by Israel Pochtar in Ashdod. These are on-going threats the believers are enduring even will continuing to press into the harvest for the LORD.
There is also a lie the Yad L'Achim anti-missionaries spread accusing Korean Christians of purposefully coming to Israel infected by Corona virus. Tuvia Pollack writes, "Yad L’Achim is an extremist group that hardly represents a majority of Israelis. However, the anti-missionary group and others like them are trying to use racism, fear of “strangers” and the general global panic from the coronavirus as a tool to prevent Israelis from hearing the Gospel."
Fear tactics coming and going.
It is a time for us to be courageous, and to have our eyes opened to the spiritual truths behind the things we are seeing. Whether from threat or tumult, we want to be in God's will and praying for God's will in all these major issues before us.
Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
Several of the Caspari Media Review summarized translations from the
Hebrew press highlight the things we are addressing in Arrows from Zion this
week: Anti-missionaries, which I have always believed is better labeled as
anti-messianics (anti-Yeshua) are cited in various articles of Caspari's 2/23
issue. One speaks of 500 men anti-messianics who attended a conference in
Ashdod - the city where they come against Israel Pochtar's Beit Hallel
congregation and his Voice of Judah ministries. It seems this anti-messianic
conference was for the purpose of whipping up more zealous persecutors of
Pochtar's ministry which they accuse of luring in innocent Jews to Shabbat
services. The article also notes that police were called to their protest at
the Beit Hallel services, but police said the anti-messianics had done nothing
wrong. Yad L'Achim is the anti-messianic organization behind this one.
Another article details accusations against the Addulam ministry house in
Jerusalem for religious and Haredi youth who have left their communities and
are not equipped to deal with theoutside would. Yad L'Achim is cited in this
article, but it is the Lehava group that has led most of the attacks on
Adullam.
In a third article we are highlighting from Caspari, this time from a major though religious leaning newspaper, Christian tourism is reported to having greatly increased over the past several years and that despite the decrease in other segments due to fears of terrorism, etc. " There has been a particular growth in pilgrims arriving from Asian countries, though most Christian tourists are still American. The strain on holy and touristic sites has been great, and there are not enough licensed tour guides to meet the demand (the law currently states that tour groups must travel with a licensed tour guide). The Ministry of Tourism has said that it is working on solutions, including building new hotels, building a cable car over the Old City of Jerusalem, and changing the law so as to allow certain groups to travel without tour guides."
In a third article we are highlighting from Caspari, this time from a major though religious leaning newspaper, Christian tourism is reported to having greatly increased over the past several years and that despite the decrease in other segments due to fears of terrorism, etc. " There has been a particular growth in pilgrims arriving from Asian countries, though most Christian tourists are still American. The strain on holy and touristic sites has been great, and there are not enough licensed tour guides to meet the demand (the law currently states that tour groups must travel with a licensed tour guide). The Ministry of Tourism has said that it is working on solutions, including building new hotels, building a cable car over the Old City of Jerusalem, and changing the law so as to allow certain groups to travel without tour guides."
It is good news and bad news from the Hebrew press. Please lift these
highlights before the Lord for His will to prevail in these matters.
PLEASE do watch this important short video from Revive Israel's Asher
Intrater: The Corona Virus |
GOD IS MOVING – How can we understand it and PRAY. Also from
Asher, a video on the Spirit of Grace and Favor. Plus the
report on the Nesher (Eagle) Project and part 1 of
Greta Mavro's Mary at the Tomb: Progressive Revelation
Chuck Cohen of Intercessors for Israel sends his Friday Prayer Points 2/21/20 which includes prayers about
the promises Netanyahu has made about annexation and building homes around
Jerusalem, which are in line with the Word of God. An important prayer
point: " Prevent
Israel's leaders from making promises that they have no intention to keep (Isa.
59:12-13). If – as we believe – these commitments are truly where Netanyahu's
heart is at, then we ask that You would honor him as he honors Your Word (Psa.
15:4b)." To read the rest click the link above.
[Donna: I freely admit that I have vacillated
back and forth on this Israeli election. This is the most troubling choice I have ever experienced in an election period - Israeli or American! That tells me there is HIGH LEVEL of WARFARE on this one! #1 I am so concerned that
the rising lawlessness of anti-Messianic activism is because of the sense of
power they draw from being needed in the government coalition of Benjamin
Netanyahu. On the #2 hand, I do not really believe the charges against
Netanyahu are anything more than politics and as far as protecting Israel, I
believe Netanyahu would do a far superior job than the Blue & White
leaders, who in my eyes will be wanting to give away the farm. Lefities of
Labor. Most of the people I talk to in Israel are already locked into their own
beliefs. At any rate, one HUGE factor that impacted my view about Netanyahu
being a political target more than anything else is this program I watched by
Mark Levin. He devoted a whole Life,
Liberty & Levin show to Netanyahu in December. 40 minutes Watch here. GOD
knows for sure: Hi will be done.]
Ron Cantor gives an update on the first Hebrew-speaking cable channel for
Yeshua, Shelanu, that will go live soon on Israel's largest TV network. Click to
partner with them in
this groundbreaking opportunity. You can join an intimate tour of the Land with
Ron Cantor here: Up to Zion
Ron also reports (on Facebook) that the meeting he and Asher had with two
leaders involved in the situation where the national leadership is questioning
Tikkun ministries over an onslaught of accusations against them, went well. A
full meeting of Israeli ministry leaders is scheduled soon so please keep
praying over this to come to good resolution. Because of a letter that was sent
around to all the ministry leaders a few weeks ago, Ron sat down to answer the
five false accusations. Read it here: in What We Believe #1, #2 and #3. I want them to come to
peaceful resolution, but honestly think it is tragic that it was allowed to go
on this long and to reach such levels of slanderous attack.
Marianna Gol's Streams in the
desert serves widows and orphans in the Negev. She writes, " The
children's project has been quite successful and is growing, the 'club'
meetings have been growing in both Beer Sheva and Ashkelon, we have added an agricultural
project teaching the children how to plant and grow vegetables, meetings with
the Sudanese refugee teens are really beginning to flourish, and we recently
had our first gathering with Bedouin youth. Our work with the single moms
continues and the number of families in the project has increased. One thing that has not changed is the need
for prayer. Thanks to your prayers, there are many moms and their children
who have been helped through a number of crises and/or difficult situations....
On 10-12 April we will have our annual Passover hike. Please pray that all
logistics and personnel would fall into place, and that "S", who will
be leading the hike for the first time, will have a smooth transition into this
role."
Dov Bikas whose outreach to addicts & sex workers (many abused) in So
Tel Aviv and rehab in Beer Sheva has a great report that for the first time
since they opened in 2013, the Beer Sheva rehab is filled to capacity with more
wanting to be admitted! Baruch HaShem!
Dov reports on the various men who are now in rehab and coming to faith.
In Tel Aviv, the Aviv outreach center continues to minister on the streets with
volunteer teams from six rehabs and four congregations. "In 2020 we want
to keep working and developing our ministry even further. The field is huge and
the need is urgent." Dov also reports they have finally found a nice home
for their women's shelter in Beer Sheva which they will be able to occupy in
May. Watch this!
Rick Ridings at Succat Hallel is highly recommending the Hebrew worship
album by native Israeli Shilo Ben Hod, who is also on staff at Succat Hallel
and co-leads the youth group there. Shilo is producing the album by means of a crowd-funding campaign at Indiegogo. The
Sarvis' who also know Shilo well, say he is "an
extremely gifted young Israeli worshiper" and "He is also a gifted
minstrel—writing songs which have begun to be sung in congregations all over
Israel." If you would like to help further the reach of Israeli worship
music, please click on the link above.
From the fantastic Israeli Messianic news source news.kehila.org here are just a few of the
articles well worth your time: New Column to Highlight Personal Immigration Stories
| How did Jesus find people named John, James and
Peter in the Middle East? | Anti-missionary activists attack Messianic home for
at-risk youth | by Tuvia Pollack | Members of Lehava, a violent anti-assimilation
organization led by Ben-Zion Gopstein - a former disciple of Rabbi Meir Kahana
- have been attacking a safe house for at-risk youth which is operated by a
Messianic family.
HERE'S A
NEWS FLASH! Howard Bass writes that "At least five members of Yeshua's
Inheritance Congregation have come into contact with persons who have proven
positive with the Corona virus, including a teenage school girl who was
part of a school trip to Tel Beer Sheva, when the S. Korean tour group was also
there. The various persons involved have
all self-isolated themselves, in accord with Health Ministry directives, and it
is not clear yet if they were infected or not.... those who know they have come
into contact are being responsible to remain at home in some measure of
isolation; of course this carries the risk that whole families can become
infected should the one in quarantine test positive. We pray that the Lord
will guard over us, and even use us to bless others at our own risk, if needed,
since we know He is sovereign, and we have the living hope of either healing,
or, the resurrection in that Day. We have a hope that we can demonstrate to
others, and this wide-spread sickness is providing a trainer for things yet to
come, and which can affect anyone."
Howard reports an increase of corporate prayer groups meeting among them,
including one of young adults: "We certainly know that here in Israel
there are a number of 'hot' topics, whether the elections next Monday, or the
containment of this corona virus; in the Body of Messiah here we are still
grappling over some issues of the heart between brothers and sisters; in our
congregation we still have the cases of H, of another H and his parents, of N,
and of M, all who are rightfully appealing for the right to live and to work in
Israel. There have been some inside directives within the Interior Ministry to
make it more difficult for believers to receive visas or other necessary
approvals, such as citizenship. As
Israel becomes more and more the Jewish state for the Jewish people, it will
become increasingly difficult for non-'kosher' Jews or Gentiles to reside here.
But our God is faithful and powerful, and is able to turn the hearts even
of kings and all in authority; so ultimately, we place our hope and trust in
Him, even as we pursue justice through the established systems."
Howard has a jam-packed letter of so many things going on in the body in
Israel and in their own Beer Sheva congregation. To get more connect directly
with the ministry or read in the Weekly Summary if you have a subscription.
Also visit the website which has articles by Howard like this one Things Present and Things to Come.
Avi and Chaya Mizrachi of the Adonai Roi congregation and the Dugit
Messianic Outreach Centre, have their eyes focused on how they are going to
minister in Tel Aviv during the upcoming Purim holiday (sundown of March 9 ending at sundown on
Tuesday, March 10). "Every year Dugit Messianic Outreach Center
celebrates Purim with a special drive for our Distribution Center to
help us feed the hungry. We call it “Purim Mitzvah.” (A mitzvah is something we
do to fulfill one of God’s commandments.) We believe that caring for the poor
and needy is an important part of what God has called us to do here in Israel.....
Over the last thirty years we have learned that as we are faithful to obey the
Lord’s command to care for the “least of these” by meeting their physical
needs, they are often open to hearing more about God’s love. We believe we are
here “for such a time as this.” Click here "to
help those who are lost, poor, homeless, single parents, widows, even elderly
holocaust survivors. Every gift makes a difference."
We also have new soaking music from the fantastic pianist Alyosha
Ryabinov, accompanied on flute by Annette Notzoldt, The Shepherd Of Israel. These are 9
musical pieces recorded live as they were being downloaded from Heaven to the
musicians' instruments. Order now at SongofIsrael.com
The Maoz weekly prayer request email covers a lot of top topics that
reveal prayer needs you wouldn't necessarily think of that relate to the hot
topic - like needs that all the rains have revealed. They also cover the "process of Israel’s rebirth is so clearly
laid out in Ezekiel 36-37" noting that the time factor of the
"process" is over overlooked. Plus the focus on the elections which
are to take place for the third time on Monday March 3. "During this final
week of campaigning, let the true heart intent of all parties be revealed. Move
by Your Spirit on the Israeli Body of Messiah to pray for and take part in
these elections. Let the voice of the righteous be heard." There is much
more worthy insight in this weekly prayer letter. Another focus is the Corona
Virus and the Locust Invasion "...and the fear it has birthed are
beginning to affect our global economy, as well as Israel's economy in trade
and tourism." Also " Lord, locust swarms are devastating northeastern
Africa and Asia. Please protect the innocent and provide for those who have
been devastated. Lord of Hosts, blow
these locust swarms away from the borders of Israel."
Urgent HEALING Needs: Life and Death is
in the power of the tongue
Please keep in prayer these Israeli ministry leaders
and believers with urgent health needs
URGENT PRAYER NEED from Ronit Bender whose cardiologist told her that
her irregular heartbeat is SEVERE, and is suggesting further tests. Please
intercede for Ronit: No weapon formed against her shall prosper! | Pray for
members of the Yeshua's Inheritance congregation in Beer Sheva who were exposed
to the Corona Virus via Christian visitors from Korea. All have quarantined.
Please pray
for full recovery for Rachel Netanel
for food poisoning last month that sent her and Gilad to the hospital it was so
severe. Gilad has recovered, but Rachel after 3 weeks was still in need of
prayer for complete recovery. She also injured her back and continues to suffer
from having to overdo it. | Please continue to pray for Jacob Damkani, who
remains after surgery locked in the place of non-communication. Pray the LORD's
mercies over Jacob and his dear wife,
Elisheva | Continue please to pray
for Ruth
Nessim Critical prayer need she is
losing sight! Prayers for a miracle for Ruth.| Olga Bikas has longstanding severe back pain. please keep praying for Olga. Sadly, she is
not getting better and recently she has even felt worse for a period of time. Please
continue to pray for all the Israeli ministry leaders who contracted influenza - it is a strain that really
hangs on | Pray for Rania Sayegh who asks for prayer of restoration of strength, energy,
and complete healing.
Israeli Ministries on Tours | BOOKING meetings now (See open dates
Guy Cohen leads Harvest of
Asher in Akko will be
in Texas in May (15-17 Houston, 18-19 San Antonio, 20-21 Abilene & 21-25 in
Dallas). Charles Pany chasmetoo@me.com is helping arrange the
itinerary, so please contact for remaining openings for congregations,
organizations, home groups, etc. Guy will share their vision in Acco and
teaching about Israel today. Greatly anointed shepherd in Israel. 
The
Kobi & Shani (Sorko-Ram-) Ferguson family of Maoz Ministries in Tel
Aviv, are to be in the USA July-August to speak at congregations,
organizations, business groups. they have full teachings or short
presentation about Israel, special music, and/or short workshop or
seminar about Israel. Click to invite them to speak.
________________________________________
Praying for Spiritual "Flash floods
in the desert"
2/20/20 Avner & Rachel Boskey Beer Sheva David’s
Tent
Flash floods
in the desert | by Avner Boskey | In the Israeli desert there are scrubby bushes that
thrust their way up through the desert floor. They tenaciously hang on to life
in the sun-beaten wilderness, like the Jewish people have done throughout
history. Psalm 126 is birthed out of the heart of the Negev desert. The psalm
draws spiritual and prophetic inspiration from the wastelands south of
Beersheva and breathes life into promises which seem shriveled up. Our gaze is
lifted to the amazing day when hope will become sight for the Jewish people – indeed,
for the whole planet as well (see Romans 11:15).
[This is the opening paragraph and an excerpt from the article which you can read in full online]
Gently down the stream | The Hebrew wording unpacks the phrase “streams in the South.” ‘Ka’afiqim baNegev’ is the exact phrase.
The Negev is a semi-arid desert area south of Beersheva. For the most part one
cannot live there. There are two reasons for this – little rain, and a soil
that immediately ‘soaks up’ (that’s the Hebrew meaning of Negev) what little
rain there is.
When it rains in the
Negev, the silty loess soil (Löß; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loess) causes
the water to skate across its surface and build up into wild channels of
rushing water. These ‘afiqim’ (flash floods) cascade down (either
to the Dead Sea or to the Mediterranean) as a wall of water moving at great
speed (40 miles/60 km. per hour) and sometimes attaining a height of 30 feet/9
meters (see
www.timesofisrael.com/desert-highways-flood-as-rains-lash-israel/ for a recent
example).
The psalmist is asking the God
of Israel to stretch out His mighty arm and restore the Jewish people from
Exile with the speed and force of a wall of water sweeping away everything in
its path! This should also be our prayer for the restoration of the Jewish
people to their land and to their God today.
Irrigation through tears | Crops can grow in the northern Negev when there is rain. Ancient
farmers knew that the season of sowing would only bring a harvest if sufficient
rains came at the right time. The psalmist hands over to us a prophetic vision:
when there is no rain, let our intercessory tears for Israel’s restoration be
the water that does the trick!
As we put our hand to
the plough of Jewish restoration – whether in intercession, in supporting the
Messianic remnant, in helping Jewish people to return home, in sharing the
precious gospel seed with Jewish people (see Romans 1:16’s Jewish priority!) –
as we labor with tears, there is a promise of reaping a real and significant
harvest. “Those who sow in tears shall
reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of
seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with
him!” (verses 5-6).
The psalmist assures us of two things: there will be a harvest, and it
will be accompanied by joyful shouting – just as it was in the days when Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the walls
and rededicated the House of YHVH in Jerusalem!
God’s word of promise – that Israel will return to her homeland, will
embrace her Messiah, and will bring life from the dead to the nations of this
world (our national calling in Isaiah 49:5-6; Romans 11:12, 15) – is rock-solid
prophecy based on the unchanging nature of our covenant-keeping God.
Your prayers and
support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in
the work He has called us to do. —Avner
Boskey
THANK YOU to those who have considered this ministry worthy of financial support.
Donna Diorio donna@israelprayer.com or donna@d10r10.com
Donations appreciated | paypal.me/DonnaDiorio
Or look up on paypal: donna@israelprayer.com
Or by postal mail make
donations payable to the order of Donna Diorio
P O Box 111302 Carrollton, Texas 75006 | I do not have tax exempt status.
P O Box 111302 Carrollton, Texas 75006 | I do not have tax exempt status.
