Have you ever admired a gorgeous sunset and
thought—yes tomorrow will be a beautiful day? Red sky in the night—sailor’s
delight. Red sky in the morning—sailor take warning. That is just what Jesus
must have been talking about when He spoke with those Pharisees and to the
crowd in the scripture below.
Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said,
"When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, 'Here comes a
shower.' And you are right. When the south wind blows, you say, 'Today will be
a scorcher.' And it is. You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs
of the earth and sky, but you don't know how to interpret the present times.
Luke 12:54-56.
How do you “interpret” the present times?
Israel is surrounded by unfriendly Arab nations and there are conflicts between
them that go back thousands of years. Prophesies have been fulfilled…the Israelis
have been returned to the Promised Land and they became an independent nation
in 1948. Almost seventy years ago. God has blessed them with abundant
crops—where on the same land Arabs were unsuccessful at their farming efforts. The
Israelis have continued to fight for their land, to establish their boundaries
and borders. Terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, are a
constant threat to Israel. Old Testament scripture names some of the enemy
countries specifically and others geographically.
O God, do not remain quiet; do not be silent
and, O God, do not be still. For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, and those
who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your
people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said,
"Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, that the name of Israel be
remembered no more." For they have conspired together with one mind; against
You they make a covenant: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the
Hagrites; Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Assyria also has joined with them; they have become a help to the children of
Lot. Psalm 83:1-8 NASB
Keep your eyes open and watch what is
happening in Israel and the nations surrounding them, particularly Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Pray for
the Jews and the Christians living in Israel. God gave a great promise to Abram.
A promise of blessing to those who bless him and his family—that is all of the
Israelites—and lastly, a blessing on all the families of the earth. There is
also the promise of a curse on those who curse them.
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; 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; 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 will be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3 NASB
Are you praying for the people of Israel?
Do you feel blessed—as you bless them? Do you see them with red skies in the
morning…or in the evening? Leave me a comment in the comment box below.
Blessings on you as you bless others.
Prayer ~ Lord God, have mercy on the people
of Israel—Your chosen people. Protect them from their enemies—and give them
strength to fight the battles ahead of them.
Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 51-52
©
2017 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
