A Concerted Call To Pray For Israel

Many people are acknowledging much upheaval and chaos in the world, particularly around the tiny nation of Israel. We sense that Israel needs our prayers more than ever. But the subject of Israel is often one that people question or are reluctant to engage with, as it is complex and seen as very political.

Here at CFI, we want to love as God loves, and God has a very special place in his heart for Israel and the Jewish people. He has plans and promises in place for them that through the pages of history have shown him to be almighty, promise-making, promise-keeping, forever faithful. He loves Israel, not for their sakes but for his own sake and for his glory.

Israel experiences tensions and traumas every day, but alongside that she remains a vibrant and unique place. Home to almost ten million people from a broad spectrum of cultures and faiths. God’s plans for Israel are sure and he wants her to be blessed, full of his peace and spiritual restoration. Spiritual restoration is one of the things we can pray for because we are asking for supernatural change and recognition of God in every life, every situation. It helps us avoid the complicated, distracting themes often seen on social media and TV screens.

God wants each person to turn from their own way and return to him. We can all take up the call to pray for Israel and Jerusalem. Reading our Bibles will help in every aspect of prayer.

At CFI we continue to encourage prayer for the Jewish communities around the world and in the land, as well as all the people of Israel. An international call to pray begins on 7th May, to harness the power of prayer around the nations, specifically for Jerusalem and Israel, centred on the words of Isaiah chapter 62.

As the momentum of this project increases, it’s thought that many more than the initial target of one million Christians will engage in prayer for Israel, for at least one hour a day for 21 days from 7th to 28th May. More than five million will perhaps intercede for an increase in the promised salvation and fulfilment of God’s plans for Jerusalem and Israel. Some will pray alone, others will pray in groups as it instructs us in Matthew 18:20. Some will do so virtually, others physically, in homes, churches and other places of fellowship.

Will you commit to pray for Israel over this time, being watchmen on the walls, as Scripture says? (Isaiah 62: 6-7).

Please consider this and, if you receive material from CFI UK, watch out for notifications on opportunities to pray with us.

Some core prayer subjects for you:

• Pray for a national repentance in Israel (Acts 3:19) and a turning to God in faith.
• Pray for individuals and families, students and communities, to hear and receive from God.
• Pray for Israel’s government and those in authority to be challenged by God and by the Bible, to see God’s heart for the nation and his desire for her to have faith in him, looking to him in every aspect of life.
• Pray for a generation of Israel’s young people and adults to be touched by God’s love, to commit themselves to him, asking for his perspective on the future of Israel; not relying on the wisdom of men, but on God’s wisdom, security and guidance.
• Pray that God’s name is glorified throughout the whole nation, from large cities to individual homes, and for us all to look to God regarding his plans for Israel in what are often called ‘the end times’.
• Remember the words of Esther at a time when the whole Jewish community was in grave danger of being annihilated. She called for her people to fast and pray in ‘such a time as this’ (Esther 4: 14-16). We are alive at such a time as this and can hear the call to come and pray when antisemitism – hatred of the Jews – is rising to horrific levels not seen since the early 1930s when Hitler rose to power.

Prayer changes things and we can make a difference in committing time to pray.