God Calls the Church to Fast for Israel
Posted August 3, 2006
Updated August 4, 2006*
Updated August 14, 2006*
Wednesday, August 2, 2006, the Lord directed me to call a fast throughout the world for Israel. Every person needs to have the mind of the Spirit to determine the length of their fast and how often they should fast.
Joel 2:1 states, "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;" v.1
Continuing on in verses 12-32 of Joel 2, "Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: v.12
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. v.13
Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God? v.14
Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: v.15
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. v.16
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? v.17
We see here that this is a prayer that God has given to Zion to pray for the nation of Israel.
*Updated August 4, 2006: [For several years, I have believed that the promises to Israel were also to the body of Christ. In the past twelve hours, my heart has been enlarged to pray this prayer for Israel and the body of Christ. There is no question that the heathen rule Israel through the United Nations and that the body of Christ is ruled by religious people. I want to encourage every one that hath an ear to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to pray this prayer for Israel and the body of Christ.]
Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people. v.18
Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: v.19
But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. v.20
Verses 18-20 tell us the result of praying that prayer. We notice in verse 20 that God will remove far off the northern army (that is the Hezbollah).
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. v.21
Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. v.22
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. v.23
And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. v.24
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. v.25
And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. v.26
And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed." v.27
We notice in these passages that God promises to restore to Israel what the locust, the cankerworm, the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, his great army hath eaten. This restoration will come through the preaching and the believing of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (the gospel).
In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, after the one hundred twenty were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues, Peter standing up with the eleven spoke these passages in the 2nd chapter of the prophet Joel verses 28-32, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: v.28
And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. v.29
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. v.30
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of Lord come. v.31
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." v.32
Beginning in Acts 2 verse 22, Peter preached the gospel through verse 36. When they heard the gospel verse 37 tells us the result, they asked the question, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Verse 41 tells us that they that gladly received the word were baptized and about three thousand souls were added that day. This gospel was effective in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and it will be effective today if we continue to fast.
*Updated August 14, 2006: [I thank God for the ceasefire in Israel and Lebanon. I want to encourage God's people to continue to fast and pray for Israel and the body of Christ. The spiritual war is not over and it is not time to let down now.]
God bless you,
Doyle Davidson
