Israel At War: The Names of the Hostages
Donation Report:
Since our last update, we have received $2,580 in donations for Israel. So far, we have sent $4,709 to ministries in the hardest-hit areas.
As soon as we receive your donation, we will get it into the hands of those in need. Thank you for blessing the believers in Israel during this tumultuous time.
Here is the latest:
- Hamas still holds at least 199 hostages in Gaza. Click this link for the names of the hostages held by Hamas.
- The IDF has entered Gaza’s outskirts as Gazans are evacuating south; many expect a full operation to take place soon.
- Hezbollah (backed by Iran) is attacking Israel from the north; Israelis along the northern border are evacuating south.
- Iran has threatened to respond with force if Israel launches a full ground operation in Gaza.
- The number of casualties in Gaza is increasing.
- It looks like things may get much worse before they get better. But we trust in the Almighty God.
The news will cover the political aspects of the war. We must remember that there is also a spiritual aspect to the war. Let’s wage war in prayer.
Here is how you can pray:
- For the salvation of all Israel (Rom. 10:1), it is time for God’s prodigal son to come home!
- For the salvation of the Palestinians (1 Tim. 2:1-6), God is mighty to save!
- For the hostages who are held captive in Gaza: pray for divine protection and miraculous release. Click this link for the names of the hostages held by Hamas.
- For the plans of Israel’s enemies to be confused and brought to nothing (Ps. 33:10)
- For the hand of God to protect the people of the area (Ps. 127:1)
- For the believers (in Israel and Gaza) to be strengthened and positioned to assist those in need and minister to them (Eph. 6:19)
- For God to glorify Himself through this chaos so that the world may know there is a God in Israel (1 Sam. 17:46)
- For Christians to be protected from anti-Semitism and other forms of hate influenced by media bias (Ps. 137:5-6; Matt. 24:12)
Click here to download our free prayer guide.
Reflection:
I woke up at 3 a.m. Saturday morning, with these words clear in my mind: “They are dividing up my land.” I sensed the Lord was speaking to me to find these words in scripture. I looked up the words and found them in the writings of the prophet Joel:
For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.
Joel 3:1-3
While those words are terrifying in their own right, especially in light of the many world leaders calling for a two-state solution, the chapter does not end with gloom.
The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.
Joel 3:16
And the book of Joel ends with:
But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged, for the Lord dwells in Zion.
Joel 3:20-21
Sometimes, things get a lot worse before they look better. No matter what happens in the coming days and weeks, please do not stop praying. We may never hear of all the miracles that take place, but the Lord is working because there is a God in Israel!
For the Salvation of all Israel,
Akaya Kitchen
Founder and President
Lifting up Zion
