“And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you… But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him… For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.” (Deuteronomy 4:27–31)
We are seeing growing hostility towards God’s people – Christians and Jews – and it’s important that we do not despair but trust in the promises of God to sustain us.
The Scripture above is an amazing testimony of God preserving His people whilst being scattered. During exile, Jews were scattered amongst the nations. And half of the world’s Jewish population is still living outside of Israel. But they have an amazing promise to cling to. God has promised to preserve them.
The Jewish people are the most persecuted people in history. Yet, they are also the only group in history to maintain their unique identity in exile. No other people group has been scattered and survived.
Additionally, Jews have the assurance of their land, Israel. God promised never to forget the covenant he swore to their fathers. And we know that God keeps His promises.
Christians too are grafted in to the Jewish root. We may not claim the land promises, but we do claim the promise that God will preserve us. Christianity is under growing persecution globally, largely at the hand of radical extremists. Yet God is preserving His people. The Church is spreading and Christians are living witnesses to His goodness.
With all this in mind, here are this week’s prayer points:
Pray for Israel: The pressure on Israel is continuing. Despite Hamas’s agreements to disarm, they are unwilling to do this. There are many other complications and so we must continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the safety of Israel. Pray for Israel’s leaders, for wisdom as they deal with their enemies and their allies. Pray that God’s hand will be upon them.
Pray for the Jewish diaspora: We know that God will preserve His people, but we still hold our Jewish brothers and sisters in prayer, especially for their protection around Hanukkah. We pray too that Jews seeking to make Aliyah to Israel will find favour and blessings.
Pray for the Church: We are once again seeing the hatred of pro-Palestinian mobs targeting Christmas markets and other places of Christian worship. Christian Zionism is under attack like never before, and the truth of God’s Word is being undermined from all angles. But we have hope that the Church will see an increase in this nation and beyond. Pray for the Church to arise, to boldly speak the truth, and to challenge evil. We cannot sit idly by any longer. Our nation needs to get back to God before it’s too late.
The Last Hostage: Ran Givili is the last hostage in Gaza. He was a police officer who even though he had a broken shoulder, fought bravely to defend his country. Sadly, Ran, 24, was killed in battle with Hamas terrorists and his body was taken into Gaza. We pray that soon his body will be returned and that Israel can close the chapter on this dark period. We pray for his family as they anxiously await his return and that they will be able to properly mourn their son and start healing.
