The "Praying for Peace" journey was originally written during the Feast of Harvest 2009 (also known as "Shavuot", the Feast of Weeks). This Jewish celebration commemorates the fifty days from Passover, when the Israelites were freed from enslavement in Egypt, to Shavuot, when the Israelite community arrived at Sinai and received the Law, marking the birth of the nation (reference Exodus 19). For the Christian community these fifty days commemorate the journey from Passover, when we were set free from the bondage of sin and death by Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross, to Pentecost (meaning "50"), when the community of believers received the Holy Spirit, marking the birth of the Church (reference Acts 2:1-4).

The Feast of Harvest is one of three annual pilgrimages the Israelites would observe by journeying to Jerusalem to bring their offerings to the Lord (reference Exodus 23:14-19). "Weeks" marks the end of the harvest season, which began at Passover with the barley harvest and concludes at Shavuot with the grain harvest. These seven weeks are a time of gladness and celebration with the first fruits offering of the grain given to God in gratitude for His provision in the field and His protection throughout history. 

As believers, we have so much to celebrate and to be thankful for, even though at the present hour we may seeing an entirely different (or distorted) picture as the world around us becomes increasingly more immoral and corrupt. But we need only to look to the Lord to realize how truly blessed we are. As His children, we are the "first fruits" of the Lord's harvest, being waved as a sheaf offering to the world of His goodness and grace (reference James 1:18). Because of His covenant promise to His chosen nation Israel we have been given freedom and blessings the world does not know, and it's time we bring our offering of praise and gratitude to the Lord (reference Jeremiah 2:3a). 

There is no better offering we can give our most gracious and loving Heavenly Father than our time. The time we devote to seeking Him in His Word and inquiring and trusting Him in prayer, is a sacrifice that brings the Lord great pleasure; for He desires to spend time with His children. There is no better way to show our gratitude to God's chosen people, through whom He has worked in and throughout history to bring to us His plan of salvation, than to not take for granted the Scriptures they so faithfully recorded and preserved so we could "believe" (reference John 20:31), and to pray that they, too, would see and know the One they have been waiting for (reference Zechariah 12:10-14).

In commemoration of the celebration of the Feast of Harvest, the Lord has provided for us a wonderful opportunity to offer up a first fruits offering of the best of our crop - the greatest and most powerful resource we have been given - PRAYER!  During this journey we have the distinct privilege and divine opportunity to offer up a "tithe" of our time to focused and fervent prayer for the nation of Israel, the Jewish people, and the beloved Holy City, Jerusalem.  In 2009 we participated in the 40 day HARVEST prayer and fasting journey and had an extraordinary opportunity to walk those precious 40 days with our Resurrected Lord Jesus as He taught His disciples and prepared them for His departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit (the Harvest 40 day devotional journey and other fasting journeys are available under the HOW TO FAST button on the home page of this website). He led them to Jerusalem, instructing them to wait until the Promised One came, and then ascended to the Father from the Mount of Olives (reference Acts 1:1-11).  Following those wondrous and challenging 40 days we were able to place our feet on holy ground and walk in the very places where Jesus walked.  Participating in the 10-day devotional "Journey to the Holy Land" we traveled throughout the Holy Land and arrived in Jerusalem, the place where the Lord established a name for Himself and the place where He will return to establish His Kingdom (reference 2 Chronicles 6:6; Matthew 16:27-28).  It is here, in the holy city of Jerusalem, where the people come to celebrate the Festival of Weeks, and we can now join them in prayer and present our offering of thanksgiving to the Lord. "I will sacrifice a thank offering to You and call on the name of the LORD" (Psalm 116:17).

We have been entrusted with 10 days of Praying for Peace for Jerusalem. During this time we will revisit the original marriage covenant between the Lord and Israel at Mount Sinai; the place where the original Bride (the Jewish people) were presented to their Bridegroom (God) under the Chuppah (Mount Sinai) (reference Exodus 19). During our HARVEST journey we read about the Bride-price that was given by God for His Bride: "I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.  I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD" (Hosea 2:19-20). The Lord will return soon for His Bride, the Church, and then He will turn His attention to His beloved people Israel (reference Luke 21:24; Romans 11:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). May we not be found holding up the line, but, instead, be found faithfully using the time we have been given to fervently pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done (reference Matthew 6:10).

 "I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;

they will never be silent day or night.

You who call on the LORD give yourselves no rest,

and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem

and makes her the praise of the earth."

Isaiah 62:7

If you have not yet had the opportunity to join us for the 10-day Journey to the Holy Land pilgrimage, consider beginning your journey and include it as part of your first fruits offering to the Lord as you spend time in His Word and pray for Israel. Prayerfully consider taking this journey by following Daniel's fast as given in Daniel 1:12 - "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink...at the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food...to these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning" (v. 12, 15, 17a). [Simply click on the Journey to the Holy Land button to access this online journey].  Eating fresh vegetables immediately transported me back to my time in Israel (June 2008).  With every physical bite and spiritual morsel I couldn't help but declare, "this tastes just like Israel!" Every night was a feast of fresh, wonderful food from that fertile region. I realized that the Lord had intended for us to experience the wonderful blessings of the Land of Promise, enlisting all of our senses, that we might experience fully what it means to "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 24:8). The Holy Land of Israel overflows with the goodness of the Lord, from the beginning of time until the end of the age, it is here that all His promises have been fulfilled and will finally be brought to completion when He returns to establish His Kingdom. While we faithfully wait, may we never cease to grow in the knowledge of Him, experiencing all the blessings found in living a life of whole-hearted devotion to Him, and sharing His wonderful blessings with the world around us.  "...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen" (2 Peter 3:17).  

c Day 1: d

The Only One

"I am the LORD your God,

Who brought you out of Egypt,

out of the land of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before Me."

Exodus 20:2-3

Scripture Meditation: Psalm 115

The Israelites were chosen by God out of all the peoples of the earth to be His covenant people (reference Genesis 12:2-3).  Through them His glory would be revealed to all nations. They would bear witness to the One True and Living God, inviting others to believe and trust in Him. But this would be dependent upon their own obedience and trust in God (reference Exodus 19:5-6). "You shall have no other gods besides Me" (v.3)

When the Lord delivered Israel out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt, He delivered them into a special relationship with Him (reference Exodus 6:6-8). From the moment they began their exodus, the Lord began to reveal His presence, protection, and power. Each day they would be guided by His cloud, and each night they would follow His fire. When they were hungry He would send food from the sky, and when they were thirsty He would deliver water from a rock (reference Exodus 13:21-22; 16; 17:6). Every step of their journey - out of bondage, into freedom - was a constant illustration of the loving and caring relationship the Lord desired to have with His beloved people (reference Exodus 34:6-7).

At Mount Sinai the Lord prepared His marriage covenant and the people joyfully accepted His offer, "Everything the LORD has said we will do" (Exodus 24:3b). Their intentions were admirable, but their commitment was short-lived. The stones were barely hot off the presses when the people revolted. "They have been quick to turn away from what I have commanded them and have made themselves an idol..." (Exodus 32:8a). Their rebellious actions were just the first of what would become a long history of disobedience and unfaithfulness to the Lord.

Israel enjoyed the blessings of God, but rejected the very One who gave them those blessings. The Lord declared the greatest commandment to be "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37:38). Each day the Jewish people make the confession of faith: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Today, on the doorposts of Jewish homes a Mezuzah hangs, containing a small scroll with the Shema Yisrael written on it. Just as their obedience to place the blood of the Passover lamb on the door frames of their homes resulted in being delivered from the death angel in Egypt, likewise their obedience to the Lord's commands would deliver them into a life of blessings, peace, and rest (Exodus 12:7; Deuteronomy 30:15-20).

Today, our prayer and meditation comes from Psalm 115. There is only One God: the Holy One of Israel. The blessings of His covenant are available to those who submit to His commands, but result in curses to those who choose to be disobedient (reference Deuteronomy 27-28). The Israelites took for granted their position as God's chosen nation and experienced discipline at the hands of the enemy for their lack of reverence to the Lord's commands (reference Jeremiah 1:16). By choosing to worship other gods they declared war on the One True God, Who, being Jealous for their affections (reference Exodus 34:14), allowed them to remain at war for hundreds of years. Even so, the Lord has given them amazing victories and accomplished miraculous feats all while continuing to reveal Himself to His chosen nation.

Heavenly Father, "Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness." Truly You have not deserted Your people Israel, but You have given them over to the hardening of their hearts until the appointed time when You will write Your word on their hearts. Lord, remove the veil from their eyes so they may see You, their Messiah, and experience the grace they need to live by Your commands. Help them to see Jesus, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. May they recognize their strength does not come from their military might, but from their Mighty God who fights the battle on their behalf. Trust in the Lord, Israel, He is your help and shield. May they inquire of You as they plan their strategies, and in victory may they give You all the glory, honor, and praise You deserve. We pray for their protection as You continue to fulfill Your kingdom plans through them. Wake up Your church to pray in this critical hour; may we not desert Your people in the hour of their greatest need. May our nation, and the nations of the world, recognize that taking a position in opposition towards Israel is taking a stand against Holy God and we will not succeed, nor will we continue to receive Your blessings we have enjoyed. We have already begun to see in our own nation the disastrous results of our own rejection of Your commandments and our neglect of your Word. We ask for Your mercy and pray for repentance among Your people that we might find the restoration we so desperately need in this land - not for our comfort, but for Your glory so that Your work can continue and many might come to Your salvation. Our greatest desire is to know You and to share You with the world. "It is we who extol the LORD, both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord." Praise Your holy and wonderful name. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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Prayer Scripture references: 2 Chronicles 13:12; 15:15; 16:8b; 20:29-30;  Psalm 44:6; 115:1, 9; 18; 122:6;  Jeremiah 31:31-34; John 14:6; Romans 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:14.