House of Hope Online

October 8, 2023

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About a month ago we talked about intercession; that is, going before the Lord on behalf of another and praying for the Lord to step in and for His will to be done.  Well today, I have two matters for which I am requesting intercession.  Let me explain each and then we will go into prayer.

1.  My Wife Nancy’s Hearing

Nancy has been battling a cold for the past two weeks and the congestion has affected her hearing.  She went to an urgent care facility and was diagnosed with a sinus infection that has spread to her ear canal.  We are concerned because many years ago she lost hearing in her left ear, and now the right ear is not functioning either due to the infection.  Her hearing is severely deteriorated.

During worship today the Lord showed me an icy body of water and then a breakthrough that would allow the river to flow again and remove the massive chunks of ice that were blocking the flow of water.  He told me to pray for Jesus to flow through Nancy’s ears, break up the congestion, and remove it from her body to restore her hearing.

Before we pray, here are some passages of scripture on which to meditate:

Philippians 3:

 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Luke 4:

 38 And He arose and [left] the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever; and they made request of Him on her behalf.

 39 And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately arose and waited on them.

 40 And while the sun was setting, all who had any sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on every one of them, He was healing them.

 41 And demons also were coming out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Son of God!” And rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

1^st Peter 2:

 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

Matthew 4:

 23 ¶ And [Jesus] was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

 24 And the news about Him went out into all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, taken with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.

Luke 6:

 17 And He descended with them, and stood on a level place; and [there was] a great multitude of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon,

 18 who had come to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.

 19 And all the multitude were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing [them] all.

Let’s pray for Nancy, and please add anything the Lord would give you to pray.

Father, we pray in the name of Jesus, our Great Intercessor, on behalf of Nancy and we stand on Your promise that Jesus will exert the power that He has to subject all things to Himself.  We intercede that He will subject this cold and congestion to Himself and exert His power to heal Nancy of all the effects of this cold.  We pray Jesus will stand over Nancy and rebuke this congestion and the demons causing it.  We thank You Father that by Jesus’ wounds, Nancy is healed.  Thank You, Lord, that the power to heal is flowing from Jesus to break through the congestion, remove it from her body, and restore her hearing to a level even better than before this cold.  Let the river of hearing flow for her that she may once again hear and feel the anointing of worship music, soaking in the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus.  Amen.

2. The Nation of Israel

Yesterday, October 7, the terrorist group, Hamas, again attacked Israel with a surprise invasion by land, by sea, and by air, penetrating four military bases along Israel’s border with Gaza.  Israeli soldiers and civilians were captured and taken into Gaza.  Hamas fired an estimated 3,500 rockets yesterday from Gaza.  Israel declared war and hit back with airstrikes targeting Hamas leaders and militants.

Hamas vowed this will be a lengthy battle.  An Iranian military advisor said Iran supported the assault by Hamas.  The United States vowed to stand by Israel and help provide what she needs to defend herself.

Instability in this region is a key sign of the end times because we know at the outset of the Tribulation, the antichrist will develop a plan to restore peace in Israel.  Therefore, we must have our spiritual antenna up during this time.  Could this be the conflict that continues and eventually demands such a plan?  If the Tribulation is imminent, the Rapture is even more so, because the Lord promises to cut short those days for the sake of the elect.

There is biblical reason to intercede for and stand by Israel.  Here is what God said to Abram when He promised to establish Israel as a great nation:

Genesis 12:

 1 ¶ Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;

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

 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The Abrahamic covenant is to make Israel a great nation, and to bless those who bless her, and to curse those who curse her.  Notice verse 3 says “…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  We owe our blessings to this covenant, and the fact that Jesus grafted us into the blessing by dying for all of us.

So, let us pray for Israel, and again, please add to this prayer as the Lord gives you utterance.

Father, we pray in the name of Jesus, our Great Intercessor, on behalf of Your great nation, Israel.  Lord, we pray You will protect her and Your people from this attack, and that casualties and injuries would be minimized.  Thank You that the United States has vowed to stand by Israel.  Guide our leaders in wisdom and we pray that they would put aside the politics of the region in obedience to You.  We yield to Your perfect will in this matter regarding end time events, just as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Quicken our spirits by Your Holy Spirit, as Your word promises He will disclose to us what is to come.  Help us to witness for the Gospel while there is time.  Amen.