“Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them—those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.”
(Isaiah 41:11-12)
This week the world witnessed yet another victory of Israel over its enemies when the IDF acted decisively to destroy approximately 80% of Syria’s military, including the majority of its navy and air force. Israel was ensuring its security and stopping rebels, who are aligned with Al-Qaeda and whose leader was once part of ISIS, from having access to state-of-the-art weaponry.
While the media and global response to Israel’s actions is one of condemnation, it is clear that Israel acted to protect itself, and rightly so. It was also another example of Israel’s military prowess, and what we consider to be God’s hand upon Israel and its military.
The Bible tells of many times God has given victory to Israel over its enemies. Such as the miraculous victory of Gideon and his 300 men (Judges 7:7) or Joshua and his armies as the Jews entered the Promised Land (Joshua 10:8). The Bible also speaks of future victories for Israel, such as the verse at the top of this prayer, and indeed when God says it will be He Himself who will seek the destruction of Israel’s enemies in the future (Zechariah 12:9).
The Bible is clear that God is on Israel’s side.
With this in mind, here are this week’s prayer points:
- Praise the Lord that Israel is having victory over its enemies. Whether it is Hamas, Hezbollah, or in Syria this week, Israeli forces are defending the Jewish people. Continue to pray for the IDF, for wisdom, courage, and integrity in all that they do and protection over their soldiers.
- Pray against the slander levelled at Israel at the UN, in the media, and from the mouths of world leaders. Israel is fighting against an evil ideology that seeks to destroy the Jewish people and wipe out God’s promises. Pray that Christians, in particular, will not be deceived by the lies.
- Pray for Christians to stand on the Word of God with confidence and be bold in their defence of Israel. Our authority comes from Almighty God, and we do not need to fear when we are speaking Biblical truth, especially in church. Pray that Israel becomes a unifying topic in the church and that more Christians will understand the importance of praying for the peace of Jerusalem and blessing the Jewish people.
- Pray for the UK government which has once again shown its naivety at the UN and given increased funding to the Hamas-linked UNRWA. Pray that God will open up the eyes of Keir Starmer and his senior ministers. Pray that the UK will turn away from cursing Israel and will turn back to blessing Israel.
