“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7
This week, we have seen a continuation of evil being perpetrated against the Jewish people – both in the UK and in Israel, and with continued hatred on social media and in the news.
An antisemitic attack in the UK sent shockwaves around the country. The scene of burnt-out ambulances in London would not look out of place in Israel in the aftermath of a rocket attack from Iran. It looked like images from a warzone. However, we believe that what the enemy meant to harm the Jewish community has instead become a beacon to the nation to wake up regular British folk to the very real threat of antisemitism and the plight of Jews in Britain.
As the body of Christ, we must not be disheartened or fearful. We must stand up for Israel and the Jewish people. We must boldly proclaim the truth of God’s Word. We must speak out in our communities and in our churches for such a time as this.
Here are this week’s prayer points:
Pray for the UK Jewish Community: We pray that God will protect and comfort His people following this horrific attack. We pray Jews will not give in to the spirit of fear, but instead draw closer to God and put their faith in Him. We also pray that the wider community, particularly the Church, will stand alongside them and support them as never before.
Pray for Israel’s protection: As Iranian rockets fall throughout the Middle East, we particularly lift up Israel in prayer, especially as civilians have lost their lives in recent days due to these bombardments. Online hatred has also increased. Israel has very little sympathy from the world, with many even on CUFI’s pages laughing and celebrating the deaths of Israeli civilians. Despite this hatred, God still loves His people and will always protect the nation He founded. We pray again for the comforting of God’s people, this time for those who dwell in the land of Israel.
Pray against media smears: As the war ramps up in Lebanon, where the IDF are routing out Hezbollah terror, we are once again seeing the same blood libels against Israel that purposely paint Israel as bad and downplay the terror of their enemies. Just as with Hamas in Gaza, we are seeing the familiar pattern from many media outlets that anything Israel says “cannot be verified”, but anything Hezbollah says is counted as fact. Pray against this media campaign of smearing Israel. The lies in the media are contributing heavily to antisemitism, and we pray that their power to deceive will be broken in the mighty name of Jesus.
Pray for the Church: We pray that Christians will have the courage to proclaim Biblical truth regarding Israel. While too many in the world are drinking the cup of drunkenness against Israel, the Church must be of sound mind. We pray that the thousands of Christians who support CUFI will be emboldened to take small steps in speaking out and advocating for Israel and the Jewish people in their churches, and that their actions will ripple throughout the nation.
