Israel Prayer Focus
PRAYER UPDATE FROM ISRAEL - (04/17/2008)
1. SATURDAY SUNDOWN BEGINS PASSOVER
YESHUA OUR PASSOVER LAMB HAS BEEN SACRIFICED (I Corinthians 5:7).
THEREFORE LET US CELEBRATE THE FEAST, NOT WITH OLD LEAVEN, NOR WITH THE LEAVEN OF MALICE AND WICKEDNESS, BUT WITH THE UNLEAVENED BREAD OF SINCERITY AND TRUTH (I Corinthians 5:8).
Saturday at sundown begins Passover. Jews around the world will sit down to go through a seder or ordering of the events associated with Israel's deliverance out of Egypt (Exodus 12, 13, Leviticus 23, Numbers 9 & 28, Deuteronomy 16). This ordering has come into being as a means of incorporating the commands to remember what God did the night He spared the first-born of His people who had placed blood on their doorposts, and then took them out of the House of Bondage in Egypt. This remembrance meal was to be accompanied by the eating of bitter herbs and unleavened bread (Matza). All leaven is to be cleaned out of the house beforehand then for seven days Hebrews are to eat this unleavened bread of affliction (on the night of the Exodus, there was no time to wait for the bread to rise).
There are many, many pictures of Yeshua (Jesus) in this holy celebration. One of the most amazing is a rite which takes place near the beginning of the meal, where three pieces of matza are placed in a single three-chambered cloth. Then the piece in the middle compartment is broken and a piece called Afikomen is wrapped in a cloth and hidden. Much later, near the end of the seder, little children look for this piece when found they are rewarded with a gift, and the piece is shared with the whole company. Afikomen is a Greek word, which literally means the one who came.
This year is very special, in that the regular weekly Torah Portion which will have been read earlier on the day immediately preceding Passover includes Leviticus 16 and 17, which describe the Day of Atonement. Thus, that Holy event, commemorated onYom Kippur in the fall, will actually be in the consciousness of observant Jews who come to celebrate the Passover lamb.
PLEASE PRAY:
*For miraculous revelation in the hearts of Jews at seder tables around the world, regarding the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of that world, whose blood protects us from death, atones for our sin and brings us near to the Father.
*For new revelation in the hearts of Jewish and Gentile believers regarding the slavery from which we have been redeemed&and the mercies of God in the Blood of the Lamb which is our victory.
*Alertness in Believers & readiness to MOVE when God says Move! that we will not be bogged down by the desires for conveniences and luxuries signified by waiting for the bread to rise but that we will be awakened, sharp and with our staffs in our hands!
*Protection for Jews over Passover. This is a time which satan hates some of the most heinous acts of violence against Israel have taken place during this celebration.
2. A SPIRIT OF JUSTICE AND AN ADVANCE IN THE BATTLE AT THE GATES.
In that day the LORD of Armies will become a beautiful crown and a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people; a SPIRIT OF JUSTICE FOR HIM WHO SITS IN JUDGMENT, a strength to those who turn back the BATTLE AT THE GATE (Isaiah 28:5).
Because of court rulings strongly influenced by the ultra-Orthodox, Jews applying for Israeli citizenship who believe that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world are routinely denied citizenship if their beliefs are discovered. A Jew can be an atheist or deep into New Age or other religions and is still considered a Jew. But if he or she is known to confess Yeshua, it becomes a religious rather than racial issue and they are often denied the Right of Return. Recently there has begun an awakening in Israel that there is in fact a large and growing community of Messianic Jews already here who were either born here or became citizens decades ago, and who cannot be summarily kicked out. This week a Messianic team of lawyers which had been working arduously on this case for two and a half years brought arguments to members of the Supreme Court on behalf of twelve applicants of Jewish descent, all of whom had been denied citizenship based solely on grounds that they belong to the Messianic Jewish community. In a remarkable rendering, all twelve were granted citizenship and the Court ruled that for this category of applicant, being a Messianic Jew does not prevent one from receiving citizenship in Israel under the Law of Return or the Law of Citizenship.
This is enormous. The enemy has fought fiercely (and the battle is far from over) to keep the Light of Messiah out of the gates of reborn Israel, but he has taken a blow. Deuteronomy 30:1-4 clearly prophecies that it will not be only non-believing descendants of Jacob whom God will return to the Land, but there will be those who have already returned to Him with all their hearts and souls.
PLEASE PRAY:
*That in this Year of Gates, the Gates of Return of Messianic Jews to their Covenant Land will be opened and that many will enter.
*Blessings of protection and revelation for the Supreme Court judges who made this righteous ruling yesterday.
*A Rear Guard of protection and rest and restoration upon the team of Believing lawyers who persevered in integrity and grace to victory.
*Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high&Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness will abide in the fertile field. And the work of righteousness will be peace and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever& (Isaiah 32:15, 16-17 NASB). Then I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; after that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful city (Isaiah 1:26 NASB). PRAY FOR THE SPIRIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE TO BEGIN PERMEATING THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM OF ISRAEL and for perseverance strength and strategy for those who war for Justice at the Gates of restored Israel.
3. CONTINUE TO STAND WITH AMI ORTIZ
We ask that you continue to stand with us in prayer for Ami Ortiz, the lad who picked up a Purim package delivered to his home a few weeks ago, which turned out to be a bomb. Reports continue to be extremely encouraging. Despite the shrapnel in his eye, which required an operation, he can now see well out of both eyes; after days in which doctors were almost certain at least one limb would have to be amputated, the skin grafts are working well and one leg may not even require a graft. Yesterday he was able to walk about in his room for the first time. Doctors for whom usage of the word ness (miracle) was a rarity, have found themselves using it over and over.
Yet there are new challenges along with the marvelous advances. Ami continues to be in great pain. A close friend of the family's, Hannah Weiss reported two days ago, He is experiencing a lot of pain from muscles that have frozen up from disuse, from healing scabs that are pulling on sensitive skin, and from half-healed wounds (pray against infection, which is currently a danger in some of the deeper injuries). He needs several operations to recover the use of his hands (the blood vessels and nerves are mangled). The medical staff is trying to reduce the sedatives, which sometimes results in more sensitivity to pain and sleepless nights.
The police continue to keep very closed about what they have found. a MAOZ Israel report we read recently is revealing: All signs of who did this terrorist attack are leading to Yad L'Achim, the anti-Messianic [ultra-Orthodox Jewish] organization which fights all believers in Israel. However, this organization's roots run so deep in the civilian, political and law enforcement arenas of Israel that it will be very difficult to bring them to justice. Their main tool is to make Israelis feel that they are the guardians of Jews and Judaism and anyone who fights them fights the very soul of Israel. In other words, they use guilt to keep all government and civilian agencies at arm's length to allow them to do whatever they wish.
This fear of rocking the boat with the religious is far-reaching throughout the echelons of civil government in Israel. Sadly, their influence appears to reach even to some Christian groups from outside. One prominent mega-church group which has gained a name for standing with Israel, put on a huge program of bringing comfort to the Israeli people, yet chose to ignore the suffering family which lived less than four blocks away. Presumably the chance of falling out of favor with government officials by taking a stand with persecuted Messianic Jews was considered too great a risk. On the other hand, Joel Rosenberg at his Epicenter 08 Conference in Jerusalem last week, invited David Ortiz (Ami's father) to the conference (which had a number of Jerusalem dignitaries present), gave him the microphone to speak and afterwards had the other leaders gather to pray for him. David's moving talk may be viewed at the following link: blip.tv/file/815590
PLEASE PRAY:
*Thanksgiving for the progress which this young man is making.
*Grace for Ami, in mind and spirit as well as body. He is in much pain at times, he tells his parents, he feels he is losing his mind.
*Pray for his continued emotional and spiritual well-being and physical healing. Pray against infection and that the pain will subside.
*For his family as they sit continually at his side. Praise God for the believers who have visited the hospital in droves, brought food, shared their faith and worshipped and prayed in the waiting rooms.
*That the perpetrators of this atrocity will be exposed and brought to justice. That there will not be a cover-up brought on by intimidation.
*That in the midst of this, God's Kingdom will come. It may well be that the exposure to the public of Messianic Judaism which has accompanied this attack in some ways had bearing on the court case which was won on its behalf yesterday.
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