Prayer
for Lebanon and Israel
by
Asher Intrater
August 11, 2006
Inside reports
from the Israeli cabinet tell of particularly tense
meetings this week. The cabinet has twice postponed its decision
to enlarge ground attacks to get control over southern Lebanon up
to the Litani River. The reason for the postponement is to see if
a proposed cease-fire agreement can be reached this weekend in the
U. N. Most Israelis are frustrated (myself included) with the postponement,
thinking that Israel would be in a better negotiating position if
the army continues advancing. This is exacerbated by the fact that
Hizballah of course is not limiting any of its attacks on Israel.
Pray for Israeli government leaders to make the right military decisions.
France
seems to be taking the lead in the cease-fire agreement, and has
volunteered to send troops as part of a buffer zone in southern
Lebanon. France has been a leader in anti-Israel sentiments in Europe
and in compromising with Islamic extremists. On the positive side,
France has had a long history of good relations with Lebanon and
many Arab nations. Ironically this may give them a certain leverage
to help negotiations. We need to pray for France. This is a window
of opportunity either to do something right or do something disastrous.
This weekend could be a redeeming moment for them, or a condemning
one. Our prayers could make a difference.
A key player
in the negotiations is Lebanon Prime Minister Fouad Seniora.
Seniora was against Hizballah. However he was unable to disarm them
and take control of his country. Unfortunately the destruction of
the war has made him move closer to Hizballah in a reaction against
Israel. Perhaps his love for the people of Lebanon will cause him
to rise at this moment and negotiate a realistic settlement with
Israel. This weekend could also be a redeeming one for him, or a
condemning one. Again our prayers could make a difference.
The question
here is not whether there should be a cease-fire;
nor is it whether there should be an international force in southern
Lebanon. Both of those items were part of Israel's goals from the
beginning. Israel wants a peace agreement with Lebanon. The question
is whether the agreement will include realistic security
measures to disarm Hizballah, or at least reduce their ability to
attack Israel.
I pray for Hizballah
to be destroyed. However, the influence of Hizballah is not just
on the terror against Israel, but on public opinion in Lebanon,
and on public opinion around the world. Hizballah
needs not only to be defeated militarily; the people of Lebanon
need to gain control of their nation, and the influence of Jihad
propaganda needs to be broken. The discussions this weekend at the
U. N. are part of the confrontation of those "powers and principalities"
(Ephesians 6:12), and of "strongholds of thoughts
and arguments that have exalted themselves against God" (II
Corinthians 10:5). The Israeli army cannot fight that part
of the battle. That must be done by our prayers.
Part of our
spiritual warfare is also us to repent of our own
sins (Joel 2:17), to spread the gospel (I Corinthians
1:18-19), and to demonstrate an example of reconciliation
(in this case, between Jews and Arabs – Ephesians 2:14).
Let us continue to pray for the evangelical Christians in Lebanon.
Here is a quote from one of the local pastors:
Sadly more
people are becoming refugees everyday, even today new towns are
being emptied because threatened. Where would these refugees end?
The situation is very difficult. And for us we could say jokingly,
"ministry is booming." We are overburdened with relief
work to be done, relationships to maintain and people to reach with
the gospel. I can testify that I have never seen the
Muslim people so hungry for the gospel. Many stories
I can tell but now I believe God wants to multiply this work and
touch more people. We are already touching 1000 people in our area
alone but it seems that God wants to touch more.
Let us pray
for their relief work, for their evangelism, and for the church
of "N. K." in southern Lebanon, which has been particularly
caught in the midst of the fighting. This is God's Kairos time for
Lebanon. Out of all these tribulations and birth
pangs, may there come a revival and restoration of the nation!
My friend Eddie
Santoro describes the "60" factor: There
are about 60 times the number of people in the United States than
in Israel; 60 times the number in Europe than Israel; 60 times the
number in the surrounding Arab nations than in Israel. For example,
the number of casualties so far in this war (130) seems relatively
small, but it becomes an equivalent of thousands (7,800) if compared
to the super powers around it.
Another factor
is the economic one. Tourism, agriculture, and
small businesses in the northern part of Israel have been severely
damaged. Every day that the war continues is a crushing weight to
the economy of the nation. The strategy of Nasrallah is that he
is willing to have the Lebanese economy decimated if he can also
do the same to Israel. ("The devil comes to steal, kill and
destroy" – John 10:10.) The worldview of Jihad
is that mass destruction on all sides serves its purposes.
Israeli army
figures estimate that over 10 billion (!) dollars have been invested
by Iran in weapons and military
infrastructure for Hizballah.
This worldview
of mass destruction was also demonstrated in the arrests yesterday
in Britain. A terrorist cell had planned to explode
ten (10!) U. S. airplanes flying out of London. They came up with
a new demonic strategy of liquid explosives, which could be carried
on the plane in soft drink containers, and then detonated from a
device within a cell phone or computer. May the world wake up to
the danger of Islamic terrorism! It cannot be ignored. It must be
fought.
Many Christians
are confused as to whether it is right before God to fight in a
war. Salim Munayer, a Palestinian Christian scholar,
recently gave a summary of the position of fourth century Church
father St. Augustine. There are four criteria that
indicate whether a Christian should fight in a war.
First, war
is justified when it serves to protect
innocent civilians from an invader. Second, the implementation of
justice sometimes demands that we engage in war. Third, individuals
do not have the right to carry out a war; this is the job of legitimate
governments. Fourth, war must be carried out in the most just way,
and not only with just cause.
For us as Jews,
it seems a little simpler. When 300 million Muslims surrounding
us desire to annihilate us, we have little choice but to defend
ourselves. The history of Israel as recorded in the Bible is a long
and detailed account of Israel's attempts to survive
as a covenant nation – sometimes against
our own sins and sometimes against the attacks of the Gentile nations.
Israeli reporter
Eldad Beck in Berlin quotes German newspaper, "Bild,”
reporting on Nazi documents that had been hidden
in archives and now recently made public. One series of documents
reveals that in May 1939, Hitler gathered a group of "Protestant"
theologians to found the "Institute for Purifying Christianity
from Judaism." They wanted to rewrite the Bible and Church
theology to remove all reference to Jesus being Jewish.
Why was that so important to Hitler? If it is so important to the
devil to destroy the connection between Jesus and the Jews, so is
it important to God to restore the connection between Jesus and
the Jews.
Both Nazism
and Islamic Jihad have as a primary doctrine the annihilation of
the Jewish people. That is because God has covenanted with the Jewish
people to preserve them (Jeremiah 31:36-37). This promise
in Jeremiah is part of the prophecy of the New Covenant (Jeremiah
31:31-34). In other words, the same covenant
that gives eternal life and forgiveness of sins to all Christians
also guarantees the survival of the Jewish people.
Spiritual warfare
is connected to physical warfare. Both are connected
to Israel. They are connected to Israel because Yeshua has promised
to return here to set up His kingdom on earth, to rule on the throne
of David. Behind the scenes of anti-Semitism, Nazism and Islamic
Jihad is a demonic attempt to fight against the Second
Coming of Yeshua.
The ancient
Israelites would sometimes "fast until sundown"
when facing a military challenge (Judges 20:26). Let us
do the same until this conflict is resolved.
Asher Intrater,
Revive Israel www.revive-israel.org
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