Inside Israel

Once again, it’s time to hear from our sister in Jerusalem about what she is witnessing there as a believer in Yeshua. Put your prayer shawls on and pray for Israel and Sister J. Now here she is …

Greetings dear friends, brothers and sisters, in the precious Name of Yeshua. May He be blessed and glorified and may you be blessed and drawn daily closer to Him…all for His glory.

Life here has been growing more intense and picking up its pace. It has demanded all of my attention, which has left me little time to write or even check email.  I know that it is not just that I’m slowing down, but that time itself is indeed speeding up.  I am only thankful for His Peace that passes all understanding and keeps our hearts and minds on Him.

I mentioned to you in my last letter that I was about to celebrate my 40^th year since meeting Him face to Face.  That was so meaningful and at the same time, so humbling.  I set a large space of time aside to wonder about it and to assess the time. I lay my stewardship before Him and ask Him to judge it. How I have used the time? How I have handled what He has entrusted me with?

Oh, it was NOT a pretty picture from my side, but we have a kaporah (atoning sacrifice), atonement, the Atoning One and Intercessor. A Holy God Who forgives and cleanses.  I did ask Him to somehow confirm me and He did just that.

At my fellowship there is a monthly women’s prayer meeting. Although they did not know yet that it was a special day for me, the leader called me on my birthday and asked if I would share at the meeting this Tuesday.  What a humbling gift.

Yet, all plans seem to have a way of being disrupted, don’t they? I have no doubt that this is to teach us how to stand steady when things shake, but SOMETIMES it is the enemy.

You know that I have been actively involved in IFI (Intercessors for Israel) since we arrived.  I attend at least the beginning of the weekly Friday morning prayer meetings in the center of town. Their yearly conference is one that I try to attend.  The ONE meeting of the conference that is mine (meaning…yay!  I can be there!) is Tuesday morning.

Last year, armed with my Bible in my backpack, ready to go to the prayer meeting, my husband needed to go to the emergency room with severe pain.  Thankfully it was nothing, but for the first time in years I was not able to gather with those from the nations to prayer in this manner.  I was so disappointed.

This year, I had my day planned out. IFI prayer in the morning, kehila women’s prayer meeting at night, where I also would be sharing.  At 12:20 a.m. Tuesday, the mysterious pounding on the ceiling happened again.  This is the pounding that we have been blamed for by our upstairs neighbor.  It woke us suddenly.

Soon after, my husband felt sever chest pain.  When it looked like a heart attack, we checked his blood pressure.  Seeing it very high, I called the ambulance.  Within a few minutes there was a loud knocking on the door.  I opened it and said, “Please, please come in!  My husband is right here.”

At which point the POLICE informed me that our upstairs neighbor had called them to complain about us for the fifth time.  It was now 2 a.m. I said, “Well…in any case, I’m glad that you are here.  My husband is having a heart attack.”

They were most helpful, especially when the ambulance got lost.  Once again I stuffed my Bible (ever hopeful) in my backpack and spent the night in a cold chair beside my husband.  Thankfully he was fine for the SECOND year in a row.

In answer to prayer, God’s anointing was present for me to speak that evening, despite no sleep. And today, I made it to the 11-1:00 prayer meeting.  Halleluiah!  My floor may not be washed, but I’m asking for The Lord’s grace to cover that too.

This is only one example of why I haven’t written.  It’s been INTENSE.

While we were in the emergency room (from around 2:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.), the ARMY was called in to help with the overload.  Our army doctors and medics showed up to help with the heavy load of patients.  Being that our hospitals are all public hospitals, we can do that.  And I must admit, I find myself on the other side of the coin having become so very thankful for our form of socialized medicine here.  Our system has a heart and a moral mandate to save lives.

The protocol states that if my husband were hospitalized, the entire issue would have been covered.  Armed with the large bill from the ambulance and the hospital, I trekked off to face the bureaucracy.  Thankfully, I was covered with prayer. At least now I could hold my own in Hebrew. I made my case: “See?  He almost died 4 years ago and this looked and felt just the same…”

The secretary tapped on the computer and shook her head, up and down, sided to side.  I prayed.  My heart was pounding.  I waited.  She smiled.  I relaxed. “Ok, instead of 2,000 shekels, it will be 400 shekels.”

PHEW!  THANK YOU LORD!  Back into the street and it only took 3 hours.

Back on the train, a noisy man got on, looking a bit bedraggled, he began to sing loudly.  I watched him.  Was he crazy or was he drunk?  He sang with passion.  I began to listen to his songs.  Usually people like that cause some discomfort, but not this man, everyone watched him.  His voice was sad. His words ironic and deep.  He was probably in his 60s and belted out song after song, making up the words as he went. A commentary on life here. The search for peace. The hope so deep. The sweat and blood.

A young religious woman sat beside me and also watched him. “He seems crazy but his words are so deep,” she said to me, and I agreed.  Tears began to roll down his face.  The whole train watched and listened.  “It is like he is a Rabbi, preaching to us,” she said again.  Again I agreed.  It was true.  A sermon was being sung on a train. A Jeremiah in the flesh again weeping for the children of God yet wandering on the long path.

Our Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has been invited to speak to the US Congress, by the speaker of the House without the knowledge of the US President.  You likely know what a row this has caused around the world, but believe me, that flack is minor compared with the blasting that he is receiving through our own media and the other political parties that are currently involved in a mud slinging campaign against him.  He has been silent about it until today when he explained that he has one main calling, and that is to defend the people and land of Israel at all costs.  He has promised to speak out concerning the Iranian threat, whenever and wherever the door opened and he would do just that.  Things, forces, so much bigger then us loom on every horizon.

I ask for prayer for this man whom I believe that God has called for such a time as this to be a clear trumpet of truth. He is standing boldly before incredible opposition.  If you are one who prays for this nation and people, please be particularly vigilant at this time.  I am sorry for not having kept up sending out the IFI prayer notes.  Will begin again once they are back online.  It is a very dangerous season, but The Lord’s pathway is THROUGH the whirlwind and the storm. We know that we are all safe in Him when we are on that path.

God bless you dear sisters and brothers.  I love you,

Your sis in Jerusalem, J