Dousing the Flames of Hatred

"For the hurt of my people I am hurt, I mourn, and astonishment has taken hold of me." (Jeremiah 8:21)

As an intercessor who holds dual nationality (US and UK) as well as being a watchman on the walls of Jerusalem, I’ve never been busier!

A spirit of anger is being stirred all over the world.

Anger is one letter short of danger. Ephesians 4:26 exhorts us to “be angry, and sin not. . . .”

As Spirit-filled intercessors who restrain evil with our prayers, we petition God to douse the flames of hatred.

We pray for leaders to speak words of unity rather than divisiveness.

Isaiah 52:7, in this week’s prophetic portion, is addressed to born-again believers who are to declare to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Israel, our ally in the Middle East, is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of potential destructive rockets and other weaponry. Presently the Jewish nation is deeply traumatized due to Hamas savagery and the cowardly execution of Israeli hostages, yet British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has lamentably announced a partial arms embargo against the Jewish state!

The British embargo was described by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “shameful,” because throwing Israel under the bus will only serve to “embolden Hamas.” The British government also supported the request by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minster Yoav Gallant. Furthermore, David Lammy has reiterated that Labour would seek to implement an arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Animosity against the Jewish state is chillingly reminiscent of attitudes that prevailed during the Nazi era.

As my friend Jonathan Feldstein wrote this week, there’s been no shortage of grief over the past 11 months, for the 1200 victims slaughtered on October 7 and the 250 plus kidnapped, while hundreds of soldiers have been killed in combat to defeat Hamas and rescue hostages.  Rachel is weeping for her children!

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are still in mourning for a parent, grandparent, son or daughter, sister or brother, spouse or fiancé, cousin, uncle, or aunt, best friend, classmate, or neighbor. The nation’s collective grief and mourning are compounded every time the name of a soldier killed in battle is “cleared for publication” or when the body of a hostage is recovered from a terror tunnel.

During World War II the largest number of people were killed in the shortest period of time. Nazi Germany committed mass murder on an unprecedented scale and overall due to war— Sixty million were killed in six years, including the Holocaust of six million Jews. That’s a record, but during the future Great Tribulation period, there will be an even greater new record loss of lives. In fact, Jesus taught in Matthew 24: 22, "except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”

God allows these awful times of crisis to bring entire nations to their knees.

The message of 2 Chronicles 7:14, which was given principally to Israel, is the prescription to heal all national wounds: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Today and all next week let us pray:

--Earnestly that our political and religious leaders will be granted maximum wisdom to restrain hatred and violence

--For wisdom and protection for workers in police, military and emergency services

--In the USA, we must pray against plans to disrupt the electoral process. Some people are saying, “I’ll never vote again!” Ask the Lord to help believers to resist this faint-heartedness! Psalm 42: 11 exhorts, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

--In Israel, petition the Lord to protect his prophetic purposes, to restrain terrorism and to have mercy on the remaining hostages. Lord, we pray for the world’s greatest revival to come in the embattled nation of Israel!

--As we repent and humble ourselves, let us offer up the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving for divine intervention in these various national crises. The Holy Spirit speaks Isaiah 66:9, “Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD.” Commentaries explain: God will not leave His work of national restoration unfinished if we will seriously apply the principles of 2 Chronicles 7:14.

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