I guess if I were to give this article a title it would be "Pray For Israel".  We are now living in confusing and tumultuous times.  As a Christian, I take note of what happens in the news concerning Israel.     Dr. David Jeremiah writes, "I believe America's future, in large part, depends on our relationship to the tiny nation of Israel."  His reason for saying this is what is written in Genesis.  The promise God made to Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel. 

 Genesis 12:1-3  Now the LORD had said to Abram:

"Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.

2. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

3. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you: 

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

  Dr. Jeremiah says, "Through His chosen people, God intended (and intends) to bless the rest of the human family.  He chose a Mesopotamian man named Abram and promised that he and his descendants would be a channel of that blessing. The entire population of planet earth--every man, woman, and child was destined to be blessed through the nation of Israel.

  Therefore, people who recognize God's purposes for Israel and do whatever they can to preserve, protect, and defend Israel will likewise be preserved, protected, and defended.  God, to whom Israel belongs, will see to it."

  He continues: "Now, I don't think the promise of Genesis 12 is an isolated binary event.  There are many other reasons why God blesses us and chastises us as nations.  Yet Scripture makes it clear that to the degree America stands with, befriends, supports, and defends God's chosen people, to that degree America will enjoy the favor of God."

  From there Dr. Jeremiah goes into how important it is for us to pray for Israel.  And that is one of the points I want to make.  Praying for Israel and their leaders and our national leaders is very important.  But I also want to venture into another direction that occurred to me as I have watched what is going on in our world. I see a picture in front of us.  A spiritual picture.  A picture of what God has done for us.  I do think "pictures" are a way God communicates with us.  Think of the ways that Jesus identified Himself to get some truths across to the people in a way that they would understand.  He said:

"I am the bread of life."

"I am the light of the world."

"I am the door."

"I am the good shepherd."

"I am the resurrection and the life."

"I am the way the truth and the life."

"I am the true vine."

   Jesus also used word picture stories (parables) to help the people understand spiritual things.  I particularly like the one in Luke 11 about the persistent friend wanting something from a neighbor (who didn't really want to get out of bed) but persistence won out.  And the one in Luke 18 about a surly judge and a widow.  She wanted justice and she kept at him until justice came.  If sinful, selfish humans give in when pestered, how much more will a loving God answer our prayers when we don't give up praying. (And I have things I'm not going to give up praying about.)  These are pictures to learn from.

  I think God has even given us pictures in nature that speak of spiritual truth.  Every autumn (where I live) the leaves fall from the trees and the trees appear to be dead.  But, come Spring, new leaves sprout.  It is like the tree has new life. 

  And a butterfly...what better picture is there for us to understand the resurrection than that of a worm who goes into a cocoon casket and comes out a butterfly.  It is like a picture of what we are in this life and what we will become (because of God's grace) in the next life.  There are probably many more I could mention, but I want to get to the picture I see in Israel right now.

  I see a ruthless, satanic, evil enemy who took captives with the intent of doing away with Israel. Then made trades, innocent children for jailed prisoners.  That looks a lot like what Satan our enemy did.  He took mankind captive by capturing the first two.  Mankind had to be bought back to be released from that spiritual prison.  

   A trade had to be made for Satan's captives to be released.  The cost to buy them back would be that Jesus Christ, God's Son, would have to die on a cross.  Jesus said "Yes, I will die to bring them back."...The one innocent for the many guilty.

 Jesus bought our pardon.  The prison door is now open.  We can walk out of Satan's prison.  And Jesus is the door.  The wonderful part is Jesus did not stay dead. He is alive in complete victory.  The other wonderful part is that we, by asking, can be forgiven and released from Satan's prison and we can spend eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah.

Pray for Israel.

Pray for worldwide revival.

Pray for an awakening.