Hello everyone!!!
This update is probably going to be a bit different. I have several things I want to share about what is going on here as well as things He is showing me or the group during times of prayer. Hopefully I can connect them in some way, so just bear with me! Life is full over here, and you don't always have experiences in just one vein at a time.
In the Hebrew culture each number is given a letter as well. Thus each year has a specific meaning that is derived by the letters represented by the numbers of the year. The Hebrew year ends on the final day of the month of Elul (next Wednesday). This particular year, 5770, is represented partially by the letter Ayin. This particular letter is connected with the word eye. So it has been focused on seeing, sight, what God sees, what we can and can't see, clarity of sight, and God seeing the wickedness of this world. As we are approaching the end of this year, we have really been praying into our own sight. One chapter we have spent a good bit of time looking into is John 9 - the story of the blind man who washed in the pool of Siloam. I highly suggest reading the whole chapter when you have a chance. Not only was he given sight but he boldly proclaimed the truth that he knew (verses 11, 25, 27, 30-33, and 41 are the main verses we looked into). We have been praying that there would be an increase in boldness, as this man had, within the believing community in Israel. In verse 20-23 his parents responded to the questioning by saying don't ask us, we don't want to be lumped in with him, ask him what happened and leave us out of it! This still happens with believers today. But this man didn't care, he boldly proclaimed the truth regardless of who agreed or disagreed with him. Recently there was a large article in the local paper on Messianic Believers here in Israel and how they are still Jews. The majority of the article was very positive, which is a first for over here! So be praying that it will open the doors for believers to reach out!
Last week we spent some time on the Temple Mount and went to the 4 corners speaking forth His call to the people of Israel, His love for them and also that His light would shine on them and reveal His Son. Anyway, I walked past the Eastern Gate and stopped to just look at it, imagining how one day Yeshua will come through the gate. I was also finding the fact that the Muslims have sealed it up and done so many things in an attempt to keep Him from coming through rather amusing, since I know He will just burst right through anything they set up! But then a different perspective hit me. I don't think He's the least bit upset that they have gone to such great lengths to keep Him out. Why? Because in the process of keeping Him out they have also made it completely impossible for anyone else to go through the gate either. So He has used them to in a way, completely save the gate for Himself! When I saw that I could also sense that to Him, saving that gate for His sole use was very special, almost similar to how a bride is to be saved for her husband. It just made me re-focus my sight/thinking and remind myself that what I "see" in the physical is generally not what He sees. Afterward we met back together to finish up the set. While we were just standing there waiting for the rest of the group Una's phone just started playing the shofar recording all on it's own and she was having a hard time getting it to stop. After a bit, she got it under control, and we were just standing there musing about how great God is when he phone began to play How great is Our God! We were just laughing at this point as she dug through her purse again to make it stop. Then about a minute later it went off one last time and was playing a song I didn't know but the words were all about God drawing us and yearning for us - which is what our prayer session and the month of Elul were all about. We had quite a good laugh at the ways God will speak to us, if He used a donkey why not a cell phone?
Last week was a very hot week. We had a few days that broke heat records! But I learned something valuable through the lovely heat wave. Heat ripens dates. Because of the unusually high temperatures the dates actually ripened an entire month early. So what?!? God uses the heat in our lives to mature and ripen us as well. It is through those difficult or trying experiences that our character is molded. I also believe we have entered into a new season where, due to the way the Enemy is moving, new believers will be ripened much faster. They will have to be able to endure the heat from the very beginning. This has actually been happening for years in China, Russia and numerous countries throughout Africa and the Middle East. But those heat waves are now making their way to the West - Europe and the U.S. in particular. So perhaps it's not a new season, just the completion of a season! I think it will be important for seasoned believers to be ready to respond correctly to new believers who seem to mature over night. We must guard against pride!
This week had a bit of turmoil added into it with the shooting on Tuesday evening. In case it didn't make it into the Western media, some members of Hamas opened fire on a vehicle heading into the disputed area of Hebron. They killed all four adults in the car, one of which was 9 months pregnant. On Thursday morning we found out that the woman was pregnant with her seventh child and that her husband (who was not well known in any way) was very involved around the Temple Mount. He would go up every Wednesday morning, sometimes with groups, which might not seem strange to you, but many Jews refuse to step foot on the Temple Mount for fear they will accidentaly step on a holy place. It is also difficult for them to move freely on the Temple Mount as they have to have an Israeli soldier follow them (for their safety) as well as a Muslim guard (to ensure they don't pray or break any of their rules). He had also been devoting large amounts of time to put together an encyclopedia of the various instruments and customs connected with the Holy of Holies. He had also told people that this year during Rosh Hashana (the new year, means literally - Head of the Year) he wasn't going to pray for his own needs, he was only going to pray for the rebuilding of the temple. This week, he actually changed his schedule a bit and went up on the Temple Mount on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, and it was that night that he was shot. The hood of his car had a large sticker on it with Hebrew letters that represent the words "God the King". It doesn't seem like as random of an act after knowing all of these details. I doubt the people who did the actual shooting knew anything about the man, but I think the spirits controlling them did. He was on a busy highway, not some back road, so they really could have taken out anyone, for some reason it was him. There is a constant spiritual battle over the Temple Mount, whether we always see the physical signs of it.
On a bit of a different note...We spent some time on the Temple Mount and went to the 4 corners speaking forth His call to the people of Israel, His love for them and also
Prayer Requests:
1. Continued healing of my elbow - it is improving daily, but I'm still not able to play long enough to do a set.
2. Protection as we near the end of Ramadan and their "night of power" (Sunday night).
3. Clear direction for the new year and anything that needs to be finished in this year.
4. Increased faith for finances - I need about $1100 to cover my bills this month (which includes several insurance payments for here in Israel).
A while back some of you requested that I include a paypal option in my updates as that would be easier for you. My paypal account has been set up so if you would like that information I can email it to you.
Since I'm using a friends computer, I am not able to add any pictures to this update, so sad!! But I will be sure to add some next time!
I will be forwarding one or two interesting emails that have lots of educational pictures for you to look at in regards to Gaza and this shooting.
Shabbat Shalom (sabbath peace)
Shana Tova (happy new year)
~Lydia
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