And Joseph said to his brothers, I die, and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land into the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. - Genesis 50:24
Lord, are you sure this is the right piece of property! Maybe this is the portion of land that was meant for the bad guys. It looks like a giant food fight.
Well, it was the annual Jerusalem Sanitation Department Strike. And this time they made sure everyone knew it by dumping several giant truckloads over the light rail tracks in the center of Jerusalem, shutting it down, I’m sure for days. I got my exercise in today, and probably will all week.
And yes we thank you Lord that you have sworn to give this land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and You have not changed Your mind, that Your Word is true and the truth, regardless of what the nations say, and we stand in awe of Your faithfulness to watch over Your Word (Jeremiah 1:12).
It has been a challenging 30 days in Israel, to say the least, beginning with the United Nations vote, followed by the “Paris Peace Summit”. In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is undergoing another “investigation-of-the-week-against-Bibi” trial. And while this one might have some validity, still with all that Israel is facing, its leader does not need to be distracted by what are ultimately non-major-crime issues.
The nation’s unity is under attack. The manslaughter conviction of an IDF soldier, and the Supreme Court decision to allow women to read from the Torah at the Western Wall, are just two of the many issues that cause strong emotional opinions to surface in this land. Yet, when a terrorist drives a truck over soldiers – killing four and injuring many – then the unity of this nation is clearly seen.
Despite some “backtracking” regarding the moving of the American Embassy to Jerusalem, Israelis are eagerly anticipating the change in American leadership, believing that the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump heralds a change in what had been eight years of a tense and acrimonious relationship between the allies.
Trump has already signaled that America will take a much more positive stance on key Israeli issues, calling the Iranian nuclear agreement the “worst deal ever negotiated” and by choosing David Friedman – who believes the settlements are not an obstacle to peace – as ambassador.
This would be a very good time to fulfill God’s request, and “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they prosper who love thee”…Psalm 122:6
By the way, in the Hebrew, the word most frequently translated as “prosper”, is the same root as “shalom”, and probably should be translated as “to be secure” or “live in safety”, just to give you some motivation.
Bess and I spent the holidays in the USA. We were blessed to spend a week in Murrieta, California at the Calvary Chapel Missions Conference. It was a great time of encouragement, teaching, fellowship, and prayer. In the remaining time we visited with many pastors in Colorado, and of course much of the time with our older children and grandchildren. We are very encouraged by the many pastors who desire to bring teams to Israel. Pray with us that their vision to serve in Israel will come to fruition.
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Blessings From Jerusalem
Larry & Bess
