THE WEEKLY

Dear Calvary Family, 

I wanted to take a moment to write about the horrific acts of terrorism and brutality that have taken place over the last week by Hamas and the response by the nation of Israel. Here at Calvary Church, we wholeheartedly stand with Israel while praying for peace for the entire region. I’ve been out of town for the last week or I would have written on this sooner. 

We have two field partners in Jerusalem — Moran (and his family) & Jon and Tiffanie Davidsen. They are all safe, but are obviously shaken up and affected by everything they have been through this week. Please pray for them — for safety, for opportunities to serve and share, and for God to care for their emotional, spiritual and physical needs in the days, months and years to come. Moran personally knows people who have been killed and people who have been abducted. This is unbelievably difficult and quite honestly almost impossible to relate to and understand the impact.

Please fervently pray for these global partners that are part of our church family. 

We also want to pray for peace. Psalm 122:6-9 tells us, “Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, 'May you have peace.' For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.” 

We pray for Israel to have peace and the freedom to live in their land without fear. We pray for the many victims and their families who will forever be scarred by what has been done to them. 

The actions of Hamas from Gaza and the further attacks by Hezbollah in the north are abominable atrocities and we condemn them without holding back. We also want to obey the commands of Jesus and pray for our enemies. We just preached on Loving Our Enemies this last summer in our series on Luke 6. This command is at its most difficult point in times like this. Prayer is the way to live it out. May these terrorists be freed from the demonic influence surrounding them. May they long for peace and even come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

We also pray for the Palestinians who aren’t part of Hamas and would simply like to live in peace, even some friends we have that are Palestinian Christians in the West Bank. We recognize the incredibly difficult situation these people are living in and pray for protection and peace. 

Finally, I would like to provide some Prayer Guides for you. The first and second guides are from an email that Matt Doan sent this week to our 10:02 Prayer List. You can sign up to join that email group at CalvaryLife.org/Global. The third is from GTI — the group that organizes our tours to Israel. I would personally ask if you would pray for them as well, including all the guides, drivers and other workers in Israel right now — Ronen, Eli and Johnny are some you could pray for by name. 
 

Prayer for our Partners in Israel

Please pray for Moran and his family:

• Pray for the hostages they personally know to be released
• Pray for all of the Israeli families they are in contact with daily through phone calls, social media, texts and emails
• Pray for Moran as he leads and mobilizes the Hope for Israel staff
• Pray for the ability to sleep and rest (they have had sleepless nights all week)
  
  

 Please pray for the Davidsens:

• Pray for continued opportunities to minister to their neighbors
• Pray for their processing of the war, both emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually
• Pray for both of their families here in the States. May God use this to grow both Jon and Tiffanie’s families into a deeper trust in the Lord

 

10:02 Prayer Guide from Ephesians 6

1. Recognize that our battles are not against flesh and blood, but against evil in the unseen world. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12).
   
   Pray that the evil one's schemes in this war will be thwarted quickly and decisively. Pray for the innocent civilians on both sides of the conflict who are experiencing extraordinary suffering.
   
   
2. Pray that the Good News of Jesus will break through the darkness.  “Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.” - Ephesians 6:19
   
   Pray the Lord will use the Davidsens, Moran, and Christ followers all over the region and world to tell people that in the midst of tragic and awful news, there is good news found in Jesus Christ. Pray that God will use Biblical prophecy and questions to spark spiritual curiosity in unbelievers, Jewish people, atheists, and Muslims alike. May this tragic week open the doors of people’s hearts towards Jesus. 
   
   
3. Pray that peace will be established. “Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness.” - Ephesians 6:23
   
   Pray for both external peace among the nations and internal peace between people and God, found through Jesus Christ. Pray for supernatural peace for those of us who watch the news from a distance and find ourselves with anxious hearts and minds. Pray for Jesus’ swift return, where He will beat swords into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4) and lasting peace will be found with Jesus as King.
   
   
   

Prayer Guide from GTI

1. One of the biggest concerns in the conflict is the number of Israeli hostages Hamas has taken into Gaza from the Israeli communities and kibbutzim they attacked and occupied. Israel has regained control of these communities, but more than 100 individuals, including women, and young children, the elderly, as well as soldiers have been taken into Gaza. Additionally, a number of people are missing, so the number could be even higher. Pray for the lives of these hostages and for wisdom as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attempt to successfully rescue them.
   
   
2. Pray for the families of the victims as well as for the protection and healing of those wounded. Pray also for the protection of innocent Palestinians in Gaza, who are caught up in the conflict.
   
   
3. Thousands of Israeli reservists have been called up to assist the IDF response to Hamas. This may mean that Israel is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza, which is likely to raise the number of casualties on both sides of the battle. This would be a complex and difficult initiative. Pray for the protection of Israeli troops as well as innocent Gazan citizens, who are likely to be caught up in the conflict.
   
   
4. Hezbollah, the terrorist party of Lebanon, has also launched rockets into northern Israel. Pray that the conflict will not escalate beyond Gaza and that Israel’s hostile neighbors who want to take advantage of the situation will be thwarted in their efforts.
   
   
5. Iran is a destabilizing force in the Middle East, responsible for supporting proxy groups throughout the Middle East, including Hamas, which enables these groups to carry out terrorist activities against Israel. Pray that the American administration will adopt policies that will weaken Iran’s ability to operate in this way. Remember, that these anti-Israel forces are demonically inspired. This is as much a spiritual battle as a military one. Pray for an outpouring of God’s restraining hand and abundant grace in this situation.
   
   
6. Pray for the influence of Christian and Messianic ministries throughout Israel, who are reaching out to both Israelis and Palestinians through the conflict to lead them to the only solution for the Middle East – Jesus of Nazareth.
   
   

May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Eric Wakeling