Friday, July 12, 2024

Prayer Focus
Continue to pray for the leaders of Israel, especially Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that they will be like the sons of Issachar who knew what Israel ought to do in regard to Iran’s increasingly aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Scripture

…the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…

- 1 Chronicles 12:32a

Prayer Focus
Pray that Israel will trust in her God completely, the One who sees perfectly. Pray that every part of this negotiated agreement will remain in the open and there will be no loopholes for Hamas to somehow retain control. Above all, pray for the families of the hostages and ask that their loved ones will be returned quickly. For the war-weary citizens of Gaza, pray that they will embrace this opportunity to free themselves from being used as human shields by the terrorist organization that has controlled their lives for so long.

Scripture

The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”

- Daniel 2:47

Prayer Focus
Ask the Lord to encourage His people as they face challenges that draw them together as a community: the fighting continues in Gaza; the hostages are still in captivity; and violence is increasing on the northern border. Yet they still find the strength to continue and hope for a brighter future. Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Scripture

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

- Psalm 33:12

Prayer Focus
Pray earnestly that all the tunnels between Gaza and Egypt will be discovered and made incapable of supplying Hamas with weapons with which to rearm. Give thanks that a good portion of the tunnels which have made up Hamas’s “oxygen pipeline” have already been exposed and are in the process of being destroyed.

Scripture

Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor who seek after my life; let those be turned back and brought to confusion who plot my hurt…For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, which they have dug without cause for my life. Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, and let his net that he has hidden catch himself; into that very destruction let him fall.

- Psalm 35:4, 7–8

Prayer Focus
Lift up your voices to intercede for the Israeli residents of the northern border communities—Jews, Druze (Muslim) and Christian alike—who have been displaced from their homes. Pray that people like Dr. Weitzman will be strengthened as they work to bring healing and restoration, and that these Israelis will know they are not alone. Pray also for a defensible border between Israel and the forces of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Scripture

Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.

- Psalm 61:1b–3

Prayer Focus
As the world governments take stands against Israel, such as the one the new UK government is planning, pray that some nations will pass the test and remain allies of God’s chosen people.

Scripture

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the hearts.

- Proverbs 17:3

Prayer Focus
Pray that this “Week of Goodness” will bring global awareness that the hostages are from many different countries and faith backgrounds, and that the international community will demand their immediate release. Pray especially for the mothers of the hostages as they endure the emotional pain of remembering that their loved ones have been in captivity for nine months—the same amount of time they were carried in the womb. Pray they will receive comfort from God, who sees each one.

Scripture

Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.

- Isaiah 49:15–16

Prayer Focus
The revelation that the UN’s selective data reporting has seriously misrepresented the situation and harmed Israel in international opinion brings the next step: removing blame. Pray that truth will prevail and Israel will be cleared of any false allegations of genocide and accusations that the nation has been guilty of intentionally starving Gazan civilians.

Scripture

He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.

- Psalm 54:5

Prayer Focus
Let’s echo the cry of King David (Psalm 109:3–5) on behalf of Jewish students in campuses across the world who are hated simply because they are Jewish. Pray that all voices of hatred will be exposed, as these Columbia administrators have been. Pray that a fear of the Lord would arise in the educational institutions which now mock His people.

Scripture

They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause. In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer. Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

- Psalm 109:3–5

Prayer Focus
Intercede for the safety of obviously Jewish sites in Europe—synagogues, schools and Israeli embassies—as organizations like Hamas become more active in recruiting terrorists. Pray that Israel’s security agencies with their European counterparts will continue to be effective in uncovering specific plans and stopping them before they can take place.

Scripture

For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, which they have dug without cause for my life. Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, and let his net that he has hidden catch himself; into that very destruction let him fall.

- Psalm 35:7–8