Prayer During War
Lovers of Israel have heavy hearts. If you are like me, you’ve found an Israeli news source to receive updated news of the massacre of innocent civilians last Saturday that started a war.
This morning, I turned on I24, an Israeli TV news channel that airs in many nations. The body count of Israelis found dead has climbed to over 1,000. They estimate about 260 are of those attending a Rave or music concert. I wondered about the other victims. Today, the IDF allowed the press, Israeli and other nations, to accompany them to one of the devastated communities called Kfat Aza. The IDF insisted the Press remain close behind them for safety and allowed them to film the process as they began removing body bags from the streets. The reporter told us a soldier said over two hundred babies and toddlers were slaughtered, some of their heads cut off. Scores of innocents burned alive. I suggest you find an Israeli news source to learn more.
I’m not writing this post to share what happened in Israel to start a war. I write to share a resource we can use to pray for Israel in the coming days.
Praying Psalms
We can be overwhelmed with what’s happening in Israel and Gaza as facts surface and find it challenging even to know where to begin with our prayers. I turned to a resource that always helps me get back on track called The Liturgy of the Hours. This form of prayer is very old. It began with devout monks praying the Psalms throughout the day. I turned to the Morning Prayer (Lauds) for 6:00 a.m. When I read the Introduction and the first Psalm, I reached for my HebrewEnglish Bible. it fell open to Psalm 85, and I knew it was for sharing with you.
INTRODUCTION (To the Morning Prayer)
O God, come to our aid. O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluyah
FIRST PSALM
Psalm 85
Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.
1. Lord, You showed favor to Your land;
You restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2. You forgave the guilt of Your people;
You covered all their sin. Selah
3. You withdrew all Your fury;
You turned away from Your burning anger.
4. Restore us, God of our salvation,
And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
5. Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to [a]all generations?
6. Will You not revive us again,
So that Your people may rejoice in You?
7. Show us Your mercy, Lord,
And grant us Your salvation.
8. I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
And may they not turn back to foolishness.
9. Certainly His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land.
10. Graciousness and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11. Truth sprouts from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12. Indeed, the Lord will give what is good,
And our land will yield its produce.
13. Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.
Reading Psalm 85, I applied a suggestion to my Hebrew students: when you see “LORD,” use God’s name, as we learned in Hebrew is Yehovah. When you see the word salvation, apply Jesus’ Hebrew name, Yeshua, which means salvation. This technique can help us understand how close we are to the Jewish people. who gave us the Psalms.
As a Gentile Christian believer, this more profound understanding of the scripture draws me into deeper intercession for millions of Israelis praying the Psalms each morning and secular Israelis who don’t.
Food for Thought
The day is coming when Israel will look upon Him whom they have pierced. (Zechariah 12:10)
“And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
Zechariah 12:10
The beginning words in this chapter of Zechariah discuss an attack on Israel in Jerusalem. I can’t forget watching I24 and seeing a flash about the bomb sirens going off in Jerusalem! As believers, we know that the deepest sorrow is bearable when JesusYeshua comes into our hearts. This is part of my prayer for Israel in this hour. We know that God is as described in the Psalms, but our faith in the words about salvation is not only a hope. They are the reality we live in every day.
I hope this post aids you in your prayers for Israel. America is going through turbulent times with masses of people crossing our borders illegally. As I watched what happened to Israel along the Gaza border (and brewing on the northern border with Lebanon), I couldn’t help but wonder if demonic minds might plan for such an attack on us. Psalm 85 is a source of strength for all of us.
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May God bless you always.
Blessed be the Holy One of Israel,
Nancy Montgomery
© 2023 Nancy Montgomery – Haverim.blog
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