She is only seventy years old, but she has been through a lot in her lifetime. She was born in the dark, out of the horrors of the Holocaust, and the moment she took her first breath, she was beaten on every side. Though by miracle she survived, her neighbors rejected her existence and sought to destroy her life. She was cast down, hated, rejected, attacked, but through it all, she stood firm.  Like a plant, she grew up, though her soil was dry ground. Despite her conditions, she prospered and she called to her family, “Come home”! She bid to her relatives, to her cousins alike, to come reside with her in her house. But once again, she was beaten- this time from within.

She fought for her security, giving her all for the sake of her children, yet she was left with only rations to feed her family. But she rose up, learning to be resourceful and to work skillfully with her hands. In the marketplace, she was banned from selling her goods, but again, she didn’t give up. Though she is hated, she holds out her hands to make peace, to forgive and even to save the lives of her enemies. But those she extends her hands to, despise the very mention of her name. Yet in all these things, she has learned to overcome, for there was One who was fighting for her. In the midst of her rejection, she was given a promise, “You will live, for I am with you”. 

Today she stands in a strong house, a house that her God has built for her. Her gifts of talents and wisdom go out to the nations, even to those who seek to destroy her life. Today, she celebrates her seventieth birthday, as a woman who is stronger now than ever before. But lest we forget where her strength comes from, let Israel now say;

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side”, let Israel now say; “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul: Then the proud waters would have gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” – Psalm 124

Nearing the end of 2017, Rabbis in Israel began calling on the nation of Israel to pray and intercede for God’s blessing of rain. Israel has suffered a drought for more than four years now and meteorologists were predicting the possibility of yet another dry winter. Between the months of April/May to September/October, there is no rainfall in Israel. Many times, the first rain falls during the holiday of Succot. It was after Succot 2017 that Chief Rabbi David Lau, stated, “The beginning of the month of Kislev (November/December in the Gregorian calendar) has passed, and the land of Israel has yet to be blessed with rain. Therefore I call on the public to first of all to be exceedingly kind to one another, as well as add the prayer that is said when the rain stops.”

The Sea, or more appropriately the lake of Galilee, which is one of Israel’s main fresh water reservoirs was the lowest it had been in the past decade. It is currently more than five meters below a normal sea level. Israel is desperate for rain.

In response to Rabbi Lau’s statement, thousands of Israelis gathered at the Western Wall in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City to pray.

“Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not You, O LORD our God? Therefore we hope in You, For You are the one who has done all these things.”- Jeremiah 14:22

Since the gathering at the Western Wall, several storms have hit Israel resulting in a rise of the Sea of Galilee. From one storm alone, the water rose over 15 centimeters. 

“Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!’ So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. Then he said to his servant, ‘Go and look out toward the sea.’ The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, ‘I didn’t see anything.’ Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, ‘I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.’ Then Elijah shouted, ‘Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’” And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.”- 1 Kings 18:41-46.

Though we have seen God answer prayer for rain, the land is still in need for more. Like Elijah who persisted in prayer to the God of heaven to pour out rain upon the dry and thirsty land of Israel thousands of years ago, so the same, let’s persist in prayer that God, who is rich in mercy, would continue to fill Israel’s lakes, rivers and streams once again! Let’s remind the Lord of His word and proclaim His promises to the inhabitants of Israel:

“The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst; You, oh Lord, will answer them Yourself, as the God of Israel You will not forsake them. You open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; You make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water.”- Isaiah 41:18

“Shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God; Confirm Your inheritance when it was parched.”- Psalm 68:9

” We ask for rain from You LORD at the time of the spring rain– From You, Oh LORD who makes the storm clouds; And You will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each man.”- Zechariah 10:1

“LORD, open Your good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to Your land in its season and to bless all the work of our hands;So that Israel shall lend to many nations…”- Deuteronomy 28:12

“You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.”- Psalm 102:13

“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; And give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”- Isaiah 62:7

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (Ps 1:1-3, NKJV)

Before the children of Israel came into their promised Land, the Lord warned them on the mountains of Ebal and Gezarim that if they obeyed His voice and followed His commands, His blessings would overtake them and they and their land would flourish. On the other hand, if they forsook the Lord to follow after other gods and worshiped idols, the curses He warned them of would overtake them and they would be removed from their land like Adam from the garden of Eden. (See Deuteronomy 28 & 29).

When the children of Israel disobeyed the Lord and turned their hearts towards idolatry, they were dispersed throughout the nations and the land of Israel became desolate. It was as if it mourned their removal. When famous American writer, Mark Twain visited what was then known as “Palestine” in 1867, he described the land as such: “A desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds… a silent mournful expanse…. a desolation…. we never saw a human being on the whole route…. hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.”

During the time of the diaspora, the Land of Israel consisted of either deserts or swamps. It was largely uninhabited. But God, who is rich in mercy, promised that a time would come when He would restore the people of Israel to their own Land, not because of their righteousness, but for His Holy namesake!

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, ‘It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” declares the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.”- Ezekiel 36:22-23

The children of Israel did not deserve their restoration to their land. But God, who is faithful to His covenant and keeps His promises, said He would do something with all His heart and with all His soul- He would restore them to their promised Land so that the world might know that He alone is God.

“I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.”- Jeremiah 32:40-41.

“It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; But you will be called, “My delight is in her,” And your land, “Married”; For the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married.”- Isaiah 62:4

“So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, and instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, and it will be a memorial to the Lord, for an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”- Isaiah 55:11-13

When the Jewish people started returning to Israel in 1948, they began planting what are now millions of trees. The desert blooms with date palms. Forests of cedar trees fill the hillsides. The mountains and the hills are green once again just as the Lord had promised.

“I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box tree and the cypress…”- Isaiah 41:19.

In an article written by Jim Garrish, he states, “The Jewish National Fund has estimated that close to 250 million trees of various types have now been planted in Israel. These have not only been planted by the Israelis, but by Jews the world over, and also by multitudes of Christian pilgrims. Today where the bleak hills once stood in Mark Twain’s era, lovely forests now stand.”- Tu’Bishvat, the New Year of Trees

This week, as we celebrate the festival of Tu’Bishvat, in which the people of Israel will plant more trees in the soil of their homeland, we can stand back and say, “Look what the Lord has done!” He has fulfilled and is fulfilling His promise to bring back His people to their own land that the world might know He is God. 

“So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”- Isaiah 61:3

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered on behalf of all men; for kings and all those in authority, so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”- 1 Timothy 2:1

History was made when the American President, Donald Trump, made the decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem on December 6th, 2017. He said, “‘We finally acknowledge the obvious, that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.” This declaration, however, has brought out the hatred in those who resist acknowledging the connection between Jerusalem and the Jewish people. 

Immediately following President Trump’s initiative to move the American embassy, the world was stirred with flamboyant expressions of both love and hate. Palestinians called for three days of rage, American flags were burned, and protests broke out in Gaza, Jerusalem and even Bethlehem where Israel’s Jewish Messiah was born thousands of years ago.

Though these days of rage were rather ineffective in terms of terrorizing the Jewish people, yesterday, on December 10th, a Jewish security guard, Asher Elmaliach, was stabbed in the heart by a terrorist from the Judea-Samaria region of Israel. This is not the first time one of Israel’s security guards, police personal, or soldiers have been the target of the assaults. This is why we must pray!

When the leaders are struck down, what message does that give to the people of the land? In the book of Zechariah 13:7, we read that when the Shepard, the authority in a position of protection for the sheep is struck down, the sheep scatter and are vulnerable to attack. These guards, soldiers and police may not be the President or Prime Minister, but they have been given a responsibility to protect the people and when they are struck down one after another, a message is being conveyed- a message of terror. 

But we are called to pray! First for our leaders and all who are in positions of authority, SO THAT we may live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and dignity. God has chosen to delegate His authority to mankind and He does not override that delegation. He has chosen to move on the earth through the prayers of His people. 

“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”-Ezekiel 22:29-31 

You see, God desires mercy-always! But He sought for someone who would “stand in the gap”, so that He could show mercy, and when He found no one, the result was the execution of His righteous judgement. Yeshua told His disciples to pray that the Father’s will would be done on earth. While we do not have authority to take on the enemy in our own strength, we do have authority to pray God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. As Yeshua taught us, we pray to the Father and request His will in the name of His Son, for the sake of His Son and because of the work of His Son. 

Just as the enemies of Israel have joined together as one to come against those in positions of authority and to come against Israel, so the same, we ask that all who love the Lord and stand with His people Israel, would join as one in prayer! 

• Pray first and foremost for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. May His Kingdom of Righteousness be established!
• Pray for protection for all those in positions of authority, and for God to give wisdom to our leaders.
• Pray for peace in our nations, for godliness and righteousness to be established within our governments and throughout the nations. 

Pray as the Spirit of God leads, but take caution that you pray according to God’s will revealed through scripture. Stepping outside of that covering and into fleshly, emotional or un-scriptural prayers of proclamation can be dangerous! Remember, we only have authority where we have responsibility. It is best to present your requests TO GOD and trust that in His justice and mercy, He will answer prayer and perform His perfect will. 

God bless you!