Joining "The Call" for America
©August 15, 2008 Asher Intrater

Tomorrow (Saturday the 16th of August) several of our Revive Israel Team members are participating in an historic prayer and fasting assembly – The Call - at the Washington DC Mall. We believe this to be a turning point for America: either for good or for bad. We urge you all to join us in prayer this day. Some points for consideration:

Humility
We need to come before the Lord in humility as the Body of Messiah, not pointing our fingers at others.
 
II Chronicles 7:14 – If My people whom My name is called upon them will humble themselves (submit) and pray and turn from their evil ways and seek My face; then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land.

We are to humble ourselves. The healing of the nation is determined more by our prayers as believers than by the actions of the unbelievers. May the finger of the Lord write this verse across the heavenlies as we seek His face.

This is a covenant promise of the Lord to Israel as a nation. But through faith in Yeshua (Jesus), the same promise can be transferred to the U. S. or to any other nation. If it is true for Israel, it is true for your nation. (That's one of the reasons Christians ought to believe in God's covenant faithfulness to Israel. If He is not faithful to Israel, how could those promises be transferred to others? Our team is here to help demonstrate that covenant in both directions.)

Presidential Elections
At the same time that we will be praying in D.C., both the presidential candidates, Obama and McCain, will be appearing together at Saddleback Church in California. Let us pray that the Spirit of the Lord will fall upon these two men, and that God's choice for the next leader will be clearly demonstrated. May the people see and understand and vote accordingly (Ephesians 1:16-23, Daniel 4:17, 21:1).

Restoring Righteous Judges
The Bible contains a beautiful prophetic promise about restoring righteous government leaders, especially judges.

Isaiah 1:26 – I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; after that you will be called the city of righteousness and the faithful city.

The emphasis here is on social justice and integrity in government, not on partisan politics (although there are always political implications). This verse is quoted in the Siddur (Jewish traditional prayer book) and is prayed by Orthodox Jews five times per day. This word of God is a basis to pray for righteous government in any nation.

This autumn there will be a significant change in the government of Israel, of America, and around the world. Let us pray for righteous government leaders to be elected and godly judges to be chosen on the local and national levels.

Victory over Jihad and Terrorism
Many people underestimate the threat of Islamic extremism and terrorism, not only in the Middle East, but around the world. Inherent to Islamic Jihad is violent world takeover, the destruction of Israel and the defeat of Christianity. Ultimately this battle will result in a world war that threatens human civilization and can only be redeemed by the direct intervention of Yeshua at the Second Coming.

Zechariah 12:9, 14:3-4, 12:9 – On that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem…  And YHVH will go forth and fight against those nations as on the day of battle. And His feet will stand that day on the Mount of Olives…

This Jihad war is more than military. It has spiritual and religious aspects. It is affected by news media and propaganda. Yet the military is an essential part. Let us pray for the war in Iraq to be won, for terrorist groups to be smashed, for a moderate government coalition to be established, and for the troops to begin to return. I pray for Bin Laden and El Zawiri to be captured or killed (approximately 60 days before the US elections). May the military victory open a door for the gospel to spread across the whole Middle East!

Repentance in America
There was a pattern in ancient Israel that after the Lord blessed the nation, they would grow "fat" (both spiritually and physically – Deuteronomy 32:15).  Then they began to turn away from the Lord. This pattern also seems to fit many in the US today.

Nehemiah 9:25-26 – So they ate and grew fat, and delighted themselves in Your great goodness, but they became disobedient and rebelled against You, cast Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who testified to turn them back to You.

We need to be delivered from this spiritual and moral "obesity." God's perfect and absolute moral standards cannot be discarded. Whether you are Christian, Jew, or Humanist, liberal or conservative, "Thou shall not kill, commit adultery, steal, lie or use the Lord's name in vain" are still in effect. Violent crime, abortion, pornography, corruption in business, hypocrisy in ministry, etc are just as wrong today as they ever were. The blessings of God will return, if these sins are repented of.

Destiny of America
When a nation is blessed of the Lord, its destiny is to influence others for good – both in moral standards and in spreading the gospel.

Matthew 5:14 – You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

The struggle in America is whether it will be a promoter of ungodly entertainment or a promoter of the true gospel. The only way America can overcome its current crisis is to recover its divine destiny for world missions and godly values.