10/12/24
Building People of Substance for Works of Power
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (2) And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3 ESV
“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
Exodus 23:22
God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. (9) He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.”
Numbers 24:8-9 ESV
Last year, I spent some time in a small cabin in the Catskill Mountains, praying and seeking God’s direction and guidance. I was learning a lot about prayer as God seemed to be pressing me to dig deeper. On Saturday morning, October 7th, I woke up to the news of the Hamas incursion into Israel. I thought, “Oh my God, this is it!” I prayed a lot.
I was away on my annual retreat again this year. Once more, I felt God was encouraging me to continue deeper in prayer. On Tuesday, October 1st, my wife called to say that Iran had attacked Israel. Once more, I prayed a lot. It dawned on me that prayer for Israel is a godly priority in this hour.
We don’t need to get into the history of Israel here. It’s pretty clear that this tiny country, about the size of New Jersey, is at the heart of a lot of global issues. Israel is smaller than Pima County, where I live. That little piece of turf, though not exactly prime real estate, is the object of international contention. In addition, those whose bloodlines reach back to Abraham are the object of a visceral, global kind of hatred that is unique in human history. The reason is simple. The land is the focal point of a spiritual conflict that has been continual since Eden. By Genesis 12, the children of Abraham were designated as the people of Yahweh, and they’ve have been in the crosshairs ever since.
It’s definitely time to pray a lot for the nation and people of Israel. I know there are lots of arguments around the issue, and I encourage you to pray for the innocents who inhabit the warzone. I also know that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed and whoever curses Israel will be cursed.
In this election year, it we want our nation to survive, it’s imperative that we bless Israel with our vote. We the people are the source of human authority in this country. We exercise that authority by voting. We are responsible for what our elected officials do in our name. Take time to research the candidates. Who has supported Israel in the past? What have they said about the situation over the last year, since the Hamas incursion? Don’t abdicate your responsibility. You will be held accountable.
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