"The urgency of praying for Israel"
As this year progresses I have marvelled at the acceleration of events around the world, from political turmoil to natural disasters.
Many prophetic ministries of credibility have spoken of this decade beginning with a shaking of things on the earth to parallel the shaking that is now taking place in the heavens.
From the first devastation of the earthquake in Haiti to the subsequent destruction in Chile, one incident seems to have followed close upon the heels of the other.
From the volcanic eruption in Iceland to the floods in Brazil to the landslides in Italy to the eye of the discerning something is going on.
Our usual weather patterns are often Topsy turvy, consider that last month people were killed in freak storms in northern Spain and my own parents in law were cut off in their usually tranquil home without electricity telephone or running water by powerful snow storms that virtually dismantled the northern Costa bravas infa structure(over 75 per cent of the power grid was brought down)And this at a time of the year when people would normally be basking in the sun in tee shirts and shorts.

The question that needs to be asked is this "are these simply unrelated incidences or are they signs to us of a great shaking that is now taking place in the heavenlies precisely because of that which God is about to do to reap the greatest harvest of souls upon the earth that history has ever known"? I believe that the answer to this question is the latter.

There is a verse of scripture in the Old testament that has often been a challenge and a spur to me in my own prayers for wisdom.
It is in 1 chron 12 32 and speaks of the sons of Issachar who discerned and understood the times in which they lived and knew what they should do.

There are far to many Christians who are living in the past, their vision of the ideal Christianity goes back to John Calvin or Martin Luther or to John Wesley or George Whitefield or to Charles haddon Spurgeon.
But it is never now that they are excited to be alive never now that God is moving powerfully, never now that God is speaking, and never now that the Glory of God will be seen in a way that far eclipses anything that we have seen in the history of the church.I call this lopsided Christianity it is always weighted by the past being better.

The truth is however that the Lord wants us to be biblically aware of where we stand in terms of his purposes for these last days, furthermore we can only pray effectively if we discern correctly where the Lord is taking us and how we are to prepare ourselves(this does not imply an elitist mentality of I hear from God you don't but it does involve learning from and listening to cutting edge and freshly anointed ministries in other words those who are hearing from heaven and learning from them)

The book of Hebrews tells us to not refuse Him who speaks and the literal Greek is continuous present tense do not refuse Him who is speaking.
In other words we serve a God who did not cease to speak when the cannon of scripture was closed or cease to move with Charles Spurgeons generation, but who is constantly desiring to communicate with his children, and is moving in powerful ways in many parts of the body of Christ today as he sovereignly moves history towards its grand finale and the return of His beloved Son.

I have said all of the above to say this, there is no other event in twentieth century history and there is no other event this year that indicates where we are in the divine calender than Israel.
Furthermore it is my conviction that the most significant sign that is before us in 2010 is what is currently taking place between Israel and the United States, and as such requires the body of Christ to pray.

I have never regarded myself as an intercessor in the sense of those individuals who are called to pray intercessory prayers often, rather as one called to teach in the body of Christ I have tended to spend a greater proportion of my time in the word of God and in praying in other tongues which charges my spirit and sharpens me to the unction of the Holy spirit.
This year however I have sensed the Spirit of God laying the burden to pray for Israel upon me and as I have been obedient to that unction so I have watched as world events concerning Israel have developed at startling speed.

I have always recognized the importance of Israel to the purposes of God and have even done some teaching upon this subject as a pastor in my previous church,however until this year I never really endeavoured to study this subject with the intent that I am currently doing.

There is no doubt that anti semetism is on the rise and to an extent not seen since the 1930,s.
Partly this is seen in overt forms like the hostility in many university faculties across Britian,but partly it is being expressed in more devious ways but no less hateful towards Israel or Gods purposes for her.

With regard to the former sense of open hostility I was shocked on a recent visit back to my mother in Aberystwyth as she told me of her encounter with a student who positioned himself daily outside Morrison's supermarket to distribute anti Israel propaganda and to urge passeres by to boycott the sale of any goods from Israel.This is anti semetism in its most blatant form.
What strikes me most in this incident is the blatant hypocrisy involved in it.
Why is it that Israel has a standard applied to her that is applied to no other country on earth today?

Since Iran and Syria are currently the two leading nations in the sponsoring of terror and militant Islamist organizations why does not anyone call for the boycott of goods from those countries? The behaviour of such individuals as my mother witnessed has alarming similarities to the treatment against Jewish shops and businesses in Germany in the 1930 which began with calls to boycott those businesses and then turned to aggressive systematized persecution against all Jews.

If we think that history can never repeat itself then consider that as I pen this blog one of the most radical anti Semitic parties in Europe is poised to take power in Hungary. If that should happen what would that mean for the quality of life for those Jewish Hungarians?

By far the most serious development in my mind however is as I intimated earlier the shift of stance of the United States towards Israel which if it continues on its current course has major implications for not only the U.S but for Europe(since we are greatly affected by the U.S economic fortunes)

There is a scripture in Joel 3 v2 which says "I will also gather all nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgement with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up my land".

This passage of scripture is a salutary warning against any nation that thinks that it can deal in a proud or arrogant manner towards Israel . "Dividing up my land" in contemporary speech is called partition, and this is precisely what the current U S administration, the EU and other middle eastern nations are seeking to put pressure upon Israel to do.

Consider this: In 1920 the league of nations(the forerunner to the UN) assigned to Britain a mandate for the land of Israel the terms of which were to provide a national home for Israel. In 1922 Winston Churchill with a single piece of legislation signed away 76 percent of that land to an Arab nation called Trans Jordan, now called Jordan, and in that territory no Jew is permitted to live.

They divided up the land 76 percent to 24 percent. In 1947 the united nations arranged a scheme to divide up the land so that out of the remaining 24 percent Israel would get maybe 10 percent and 14 percent would go to the Arabs.

What where they guilty of? Dividing up Gods land.

Derek Prince who taught so passionately and ably on Israel recounts how he was a personal eye witness of the birth of the Jewish state at the time that it was still under British administration.His observation was that short of open ware fare Britain did everything in its power to seek to prevent the birth of the Jewish state.

History bears eloquent witness to the fact that Israel was born into a nation in a day, in fulfillment of Gods Word and the British empire faded away almost overnight. God takes seriously the treatment of Israel by other nations.
Likewise America stands at a crossroads today as to whether she will side with Israels enemies or stand in a spirit of love and solidarity towards Israel.
Make no mistake God will not stand by and allow other nations to attempt to piecemeal Jerusalem up to satisfy political expediencies. Rather he will demonstrate his faithfulness to His word by being swift to judge the nation or nations that attempt to do so.

At this moment behind the face of thinly veiled civilities towards Israel America is acting with a high handed manner to place enormous pressure and threats upon her if she does not take steps to comply with the road map that they together with the EU and several other nations have drawn up.
To his credit Netanyahu recently spoke at a press conference in the U S and defended the right of Israel to Jerusalem, saying in effect that the issue is not over the building of some new houses (which was in a Jewish quarter) but the issue of their right to regard Jerusalem as their capital city.
Would any other country take kindly to the interference of another sovereign power dictating the rights and terms of their use of the land?

Let me state unequivocally that I love and hold a great affection for America , for its people and for the individuals and ministries that have blessed and continue to bless me. There is also a ground swell of Americans who are raising their voices in alarm at the direction that this present administration is moving in, from both within the church and amongst the resident Jewish people within the US.
We need to pray for this present US administration that it will act according to Gods wisdom and truth and come into agreement with his divine purposes.

It is a sobering thought to consider that Americas vast economic strength has been largely due to her unwavering support of Israel, one cannot imagine the possibilities of her renouncing this stance,but surely the history and fate of other nations that dealt treacherously towards Israel should be a sober reminder.

It is always important to remember that the bible states clearly that God has made sovereign provision for every nation upon the face of the earth in terms of the allocation of land.
Acts17 26 says that"From one nation He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth;and determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."
If the Lord of heaven and earth has allotted the exact places where nations should live and the times that they should live there that reminds us that the boundaries of nations are not arbitrary, and that He has a place not only for Israel by Divine plan but for every other nation as well.
There is just something very important for us to consider, the place which he has assigned to Israel is not up for negotiation for other nations to occupy .Neither does this mean that Israel was called to function as a hermetically sealed unit excluding the presence of all other races or nationalities(this has never been the case in their history)

In Ezek 47 22 23 God makes an allotment for Israels land that still awaits future fulfillment.

In this passage of scripture he also makes specific provision for people of other nations to reside among the people of Israel, however that rests upon the understanding that Israel has a right to her own sovereignty within her own land.

Really when you consider the fact that at present the Arab nation from the Atlantic to the Persian gulf encompasses a land mass of 14 million square kilometers.By comparison Israel controls only 28,00 kilometers, and yet the nations are desperate for her to yield up more of her land mass.

Psalm105 is a powerful reminder of the Lords attitude towards Israel, for v 7 says He is the Lord our God; His judgements are in all the earth( which speaks of Gods sovereign right to rule and of his justice over all the nations of the earth.)

v8 continues He remembers His covenant forever, The word which he commanded for a thousand generations, The covenant which he made with Abraham, and His oath to Issac, and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant Saying "To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance"

In this one passage of scripture the Lord speaks of his unwavering attitude towards Israel by using repeated statements of his commitment, first he speaks of His covenant then of His word , also of His statute and finally of His oath.
All of these statements are given to underscore v11 "To you I will give the land of Canaan, As the allotment of your inheritance."
One thing that anyone who has read through the bible will discover is that the Lord does not waste words but such is the integrity and power of His word that He says precisely what He means to say.
So why does he employ so many different words here to express His chosen allotment of the land of Israel to the people of Israel? Precisely because He intends for us to know that His commitment towards the Jewish people in the land of Israel will never change.The wise thing for us to do is to bow before this and to bless Gods purposes and pray for their accomplishment.
In the book of Hebrews it states that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie we who have been given a strong consolation might draw near to God. The two immutable things are Gods word and his oath which he gave in raising Jesus from the dead and giving him as our great high priest to appear in the presence of God for us.
Similarly God has given not only his Word and His promises to Israel to give them the land of their inheritance but has confirmed it by His sworn oath.(when we really understand this we begin to realize how utterly foolish it is for us to go crosswise of his purpose for Israel.)

As a point of fact there are 47 instances throughout the bible where God has given his oath towards Israel concerning their settlement in the land. In three instances this oath is joined to an everlasting covenant that God established with the descendants of Abraham Issac and Jacob, and in three instances it is explicitly stated that Israels possession of the land is forever.
The simple truth is that the land boundaries that God promised to Abraham and to his descendants belong to Israel because God gave it to them by an everlasting covenant for an everlasting inheritance.

One thing that we should not be is uncertain concerning Gods intent to resettle the people of Israel in their land boundaries, given the clear and overwhelming testimony of the scripture.

It is tragic that in the history of the church antisemitism has often been nurtured and cultivated.
It has even been protected by various theological teachings that transfer all or most of Gods promises towards Israel over to the church in the misguided belief that Israel forfeited the right to these blessings by her unfaithfulness.
If that is so then I would like to ask just one question where does that leave the church? If Gods dealings with Israel have ceased to be founded upon His integrity and His Word and His sovereign election, then what is to say that He cannot discard the church on the same basis.For to be sure the churches record of unfaithfulness over the last two millenia is just as bad or probably far worse than Israel checkered history.
No thank God the same Jesus that said concerning the church that the gates of hell will never prevail against it also said concerning Israel that if the sun ceased to give light by day and the moon by night then the seed of Israel would cease being a nation before the Lord. And that if the heavens can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out only then would he cast off the seed of Israel for all that she has done.(jerm 31 35 37)

We need to understand that our commitment to pray for and to love Israel has nothing to do with our agreement with a particular political party or the thought as to whether Israel deserves the land, as I stated above all of the spiritual blessing in Christ that God desires to pour upon us have nothing to do with our deserving them, in both instances it has everything to do with the integrity of what God has said and of His great Love.

So what should our response be in our thoughts and prayers towards Israel?
In psalm 122 we read the following words "pray for the peace of Jerusalem may they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces." For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say "peace be within you ." Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good.
We pray for Israel because we desire to be obedient to Gods word (and psalm 122 is pretty explicit) and because we want to see Gods kingdom come to this earth in fullness one day.
We also desire to co labour together with Christ in his purposes for Israel and for the church, and according to psalm 122 we pray also for the sake of the house of the Lord our God.
That is we pray for the release of the Spirit of the living God to be poured out mightily upon Jerusalem and upon the people of Israel in our day, that many would turn to the Lord our God and be saved.
The wonderful thing about this psalm is the promise of verse 6, "may they prosper who love you"
I believe in biblical prosperity and that begins with the prospering of the soul(3 john v1)
The promise of prosperity is all encompassing here but in the Hebrew scripture here in psalm 122 v6 the emphasis is especially laid upon that prosperity that speaks of the quality of our peace and the sense of well being .
If you and I desire to experience a greater measure of Gods peace and a sense of His well being in our souls then there is nothing calculated to bring this down upon us as quickly as praying for Israels and Jerusalem's peace.
I have been doing this for several months now and can testify first hand to the change that I have felt in the increasing quality of peace that I am walking in. Thank God that He is always faithful to his word.
Some Christians dont know how to pray for Israel but a good place to start is psalm 122,which can be prayed as virtually a single sentence each morning.
In addition I would pray for Israels protection, for her prosperity and blessing according to Deut 28, and for the wicked schemes in the hearts of wicked men towards Israels harm or destructionto be exposed brought into the light of day and come to nought.
Also we should pray for the success of the gospel not in word only but in demonstration and power of the Holy Spirit. I often pray the prayer of acts 4 that the Lord would once again strectch forth his hand to heal and to perform signs and wonders in the name of His holy child Jesus.
Pray that the eyes of many Jews would be supernaturally opened to look on the One that they pierced and to mourn deeply for him as a man mourns for a son, and for a fountain to be opened in that land a fountain of the blood of Christ for cleansing from all impurity and sin.
The truth is that if we in the body of Christ do not pray for and bless Israel and the Jews then who precisely will?
The Lord impresed upon me recently the importance and power of blessing Israel with the words of my mouth, in the spirit our words of blessing and of peace carry power.
Think of how many are cursing Israel and desiring her complete destruction and those words of cursing are being released and directed towards Israel every day.
How much more should we be using our prayers and words to create a bullwark in the spirit around Israel to open rivers of blessing towards the one whom Gods word describes as the apple of his eye.