Jewish Voice Ministries International truly is international. Over the years, we have reached out to and ministered on five of the world’s seven continents: Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America. The Lord continues to open doors in nations we have previously visited, as well as giving us new divine connections in some countries we have never been to before.
We would love for you to join us in prayer for wisdom, favor and protection while navigating new nations and regions. The Lord has scattered the Jewish people into some very crucial places that will require a higher level of insight and a greater ability to truly discern and hear from the Holy Spirit. Some of these potential locations are not open to the Gospel, nor are they favorable to the Jewish people who live there. The spiritual covering that comes through united, heartfelt prayer will be vital to pursuing these opportunities and facing these challenges.
Here are some ways you can pray:
That we would clearly hear the voice of the Lord and follow with devoted, obedient hearts and great faith (John 10:27)
Lord, we are soberly aware that we need the prayer covering of our partners as never before. Thank You for each one You have called to stand with us in prayer as we pursue reaching out to all the scattered tribes we can in the next 10 years. May our partners also be blessed in their lives, their comings and goings, and may You use us together to make Your name known throughout the Earth and see all Israel saved. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A curious Jewish holiday occurs between Passover in the spring and Shavuot in early summer. It lasts seven weeks, has few customs, and involves neither fasting nor feasting. It’s called The Counting of the Omer, and it is traditionally a period of anticipation and expectancy. Here’s why.
When outlining the biblical feasts (the appointed times God wanted Israel to observe throughout our generations), the Lord told the Israelites to count seven weeks, 49 days, between the Passover grain offering and the next grain offering on Shavuot. They were to start counting on the second day of Passover and make the grain offering on the 50th day. An omer is a biblical measure of grain used to make the bread of such agricultural offerings, so between Passover and Shavuot, we “count the omer.”
The Lord communicated a calendar date for most other appointed feasts. For Shavuot, however, He specifically asked us to count the days between one feast and the next. It’s as if He wanted to build anticipation in us for something that was coming. Aside from the next grain offering, our ancestors didn’t know what that was.
As the Israelites left Egypt, they didn’t know what to expect. More than once on the journey, they grew frightened and longed for what they knew versus the unknown ahead, even if it meant returning to slavery. But God has something beautiful planned for them. Fifty days after leaving Egypt, the Israelites found themselves at the base of Mount Sinai, where the Lord gave them the Torah, His Law. Thus, the ancient agricultural festival of Shavuot, which means “weeks,” became associated with the Jewish people receiving the Torah.
The Feast of Shavuot also contains a prophetic picture fulfilled in the New Testament. After Jesus, the Messiah, died and rose again, He told His disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Father’s promised gift, the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). Though the disciples had more information to go on about the Holy Spirit than the Israelites did about their Exodus into the wilderness, there were still uncertainties. Jesus had told them what the Holy Spirit would do for them, but how could they know what that would be like? How would a Spirit lead them, teach them and convict them of sin? It was another period of not really knowing what God would do.
When Shavuot (also called Pentecost, which is the Greek word for fiftieth) arrived ten days after Yeshua (Jesus) ascended to Heaven, His disciples were together in one place when the Holy Spirit came on them with a rushing wind and “tongues of fire.”
We count the omer for the seven weeks leading up to Shavuot, marking each night with a declaration of the day’s count and a blessing. It’s a perfect time to reflect on what God is doing in our lives and what more He wants to do.
What can we expect from the Lord? In the wilderness, He gave the Israelites the Torah, showing them more of who He is. At Pentecost, He first gave the gift of the Holy Spirit, who indwells every Believer, leading us and revealing the Lord, His truth, and our sin.
Scripture reveals that God is a giver of gifts (James 1:17). He has a purpose and a plan for each of us (Ephesians 2:10). He loves us with immeasurable love and longs for us to know Him (Jeremiah 31:3). The Lord has gifts He wants to give you. He has gifts He has already given you that, if you’re like many Believers, you’re still learning how to fully receive. Things like incredible and seemingly illogical peace; unwavering assurance of His love and grace toward you; wisdom to walk through this earthly life that’s full of sin and pain; and the power to follow Him in the Spirit rather than letting the old nature rule.
Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do so much more than we can even ask or imagine. What might He want to do in your life during this Counting of the Omer season? We may not know exactly what to expect, but we do know that God is in the business of transforming, guiding, and using the lives of those who are His.
Over the seven weeks of The Counting of the Omer, take some time to lay your life before the Lord, asking Him what He wants from you and for you. You can use the reflection questions below to help spark your prayer times. He may or may not have a specific gift related to your circumstances. Regardless, He certainly wants to draw you closer to Him through your situation. Listen to hear how He wants you to focus your heart during this season of anticipation and how you can receive more of Him.
Click here to learn how to count the omer and mark this season of anticipation.
We want to invite you into the theme of our 2024 Spring Week of Prayer and Fasting here at Jewish Voice Ministries. Each spring and fall, we take time to step away from regular work responsibilities for corporate prayer and fasting. Even though we have staff prayer times daily and weekly throughout the year, these extended times of prayer coupled with fasting are significant, and the Lord uses them in our personal lives and in this ministry.
The overarching theme for this spring’s week is “Until….” The scriptures and related prayer points below are central to our mission and near to our hearts. In times like the world is seeing today, the Lord is using them to encourage and energize us. Please pray through them on our behalf, and may they also encourage you in your life. May the Lord’s great and precious promises spur us on “until” He fulfills each one!
Let’s pray these “Until” prayers and Scriptures together:
Until Jerusalem is a praise in the earth | Isaiah 62:6–7
“I have posted watchmen on your walls, 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 all the earth.”
Until the fullness of the Gentiles | Romans 11:25 NKJV
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
Until we are one | Ephesians 4:13
“Until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of [Messiah].”
Until all Israel is saved | Romans 11:26–27 NKJV
“And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’”
Until His glorious appearing and the restoration of all things | Titus 2:13, Acts 3:21
“while we wait for the blessed hope––the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus the [Messiah].”
“Heaven must receive Him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets.”
Thank you for praying with us and for us. Your prayers are such a blessing, and we value them beyond measure. May we keep praying and working together for His glory and the blessings of the Jewish people – until He comes.
In just over a week, Jewish people around the globe will celebrate Purim. It is a festive and joyful occasion with tasty treats, costumes and fun.
However, the origins of Purim, found in the book of Esther, and the current global rise in anti-Semitism and virulent hatred of Jewish people cast a sobering pall over the festivities.
Our best and most powerful response is prayer – and the willingness to become the answer to our own prayers.
Pray along with us through these Purim themes. Your prayers are needed for such a time as this.
Please pray for:
Lord, we live in times that we thought we’d never see. We’ve declared, “Never again,” and yet now we’re saying, “‘Never again’ is now.” Would You raise up leaders who will stand against the lies of the evil one, who will advocate and legislate on behalf of the Jewish people and their survival? Call prayer warriors and intercessors who will give You no rest, crying out to You on behalf of Your people. Please, Lord, stem the tide of hatred and violence against Your people. And like Paul, our deepest heart desire and prayer to You regarding the Jewish people is that they would be saved. Help us pray for and stand with Your people for such a time as this. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Jewish holiday of Purim is coming up, and it has us at Jewish Voice thinking about the rash of anti-Semitism that has grown more virulent and bold since Hamas’ brutal attack on Israelis last October 7. Purim commemorates the Jewish people’s salvation from a plot to kill them when they lived in the ancient Persian Empire under King Xerxes, also known as King Ahasuerus. Haman, a high-ranking leader under the king, contrived the plan and set it in irrevocable law. However, God used Esther, a Jewish maiden-become-queen, to facilitate her people’s deliverance.
Esther was a queen, but what can ordinary people like us do to “confront Haman” and turn the tide of anti-Semitism? When you read the Purim story, found in the book of Esther, you’ll see that God used ordinary people to set the Jewish people’s rescue in motion. And God can use regular people like us to make a difference in a world aflame with anti-Semitism today. Here are 10 ways.
Pray. Let’s state the most prominent and powerful weapon against anti-Semitism first. Become committed to pray that the Lord would protect Jewish people throughout the world from all forms of anti-Semitism, whether it takes the form of physical or verbal attacks, acts of vandalism, discrimination, organizational bias or silence.
Educate Yourself. Anti-Semitism is often based on ignorance. Arming yourself with accurate information and using it to confront misguided beliefs is one of the best ways to stop runaway misinformation. Your fact-based knowledge about the Jewish faith, history of Israel, persecution against Jewish people, and the Middle East conflict will help you address anti-Semitic comments that are based on fallacies – and, hopefully, help change someone’s perspective (refer to #1 also).
Educate Others. As you share your knowledge and understanding of anti-Semitism with friends, family, and colleagues through open, non-threatening conversations, you’ll have the opportunity to foster a new advocate for combatting anti-Semitism. Along with teaching children about respect and empathy for others, teach them to recognize anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice and the importance of standing up against discrimination.
Support Holocaust Education. It’s been nearly 80 years since Allied forces stopped Hitler’s genocidal rampage to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe. The youngest Holocaust survivor alive today is elderly. Holocaust denial is on track to take an even stronger foothold as the generation of firsthand witnesses and survivors passes away. Advocate for Holocaust education in schools and communities to help combat this trend and ensure that the world can recognize and stop true genocidal agendas when it sees them.
Speak Up and Challenge Anti-Semitism You Encounter. If you witness or hear anti-Semitic remarks or behavior, don't stay silent. Every effort to counter false narratives and irrational prejudice is important. Speak up and calmly confront it, remembering to represent God well as you do. Also, be attuned to “microaggressions” and more subtle forms of anti-Semitism, some of which can even be found in the Church today. Politely challenging these thought patterns can redirect the speakers toward awareness of their harmful effects.
Combat Stereotypes. Challenge comments that stereotype Jewish people and also encourage people to question their assumptions. Stereotypes against Jewish people often find their origins in age-old superstitions and false information. For instance, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” was published in 1903 in Russia and claimed to be reports from a series of 1897 meetings of Jewish leaders discussing how to, essentially, take over the world. The document was proven false in 1921, but the evidence did little to stop the traction it had gained. More than 100 years later, many of today’s anti-Semitic stereotypes stem from the lies presented in this one document.
Support Jewish-Owned and Israeli Businesses. Business-based anti-Semitism exists everywhere, from the worldwide BDS Movement (boycotting, divesting from and sanctioning Israeli companies) to local businesses in your own town to remote African communities where Jewish Voice Ministries serves. In our work in Africa, we’ve seen outcast Jewish communities living in poverty because the non-Jewish population will not hire them, buy their products or conduct any business with them. We’ve listened to firsthand accounts of Jewish craftsmen assaulted while traveling to market to sell their wares. Their attackers destroyed their handmade products, leaving the crafters wounded and with nothing to sell. As you support Jewish and Israeli businesses, you do more than make a purchase. You show the Jewish community that you are not swayed by anti-Semitism. You offer them encouragement, strength and the assurance that they do not stand alone.
As the Purim story reminds us that anti-Semitism has been around for thousands of years, let’s close this list where we started: going back to prayer. Ask the Lord to intervene, to protect His Chosen People, and disarm the Enemy’s efforts to harm Jewish people. See 12 Ways to Pray Against Anti-Semitism for more specific ways to pray.
Don’t miss our special Purim devotional series. Learn inspiring insights from the lives of Esther and Mordecai that will strengthen your own faith to let God use you in big and small ways so that you, too, can be called a faithful hero.
Anti-Semitism is known as “the oldest hatred.” We see acts of hatred and violence against Jewish people in the news more and more. Why has anti-Semitism hung over humanity’s head for so many thousands of years? Find out in this powerful booklet, where Rabbi Jonathan Bernis answers this question.
> > > Have you been praying for our Southern Ethiopia Outreach that’s starting now? If so, GREAT! If not, read and pray through the daily Prayer Points here! < < <
Amid chaos and war, we are hearing wonderful testimonies of spiritual openness in Israel and even Gaza. We’re praying that this openness to the Holy Spirit, to hearing about Yeshua (Jesus) and the desire to understand God’s Word, will grow globally and bear much eternal fruit.
Let’s pray into this regarding Israel, Gaza and the entire Middle East. But let’s also pray for spiritual openness leading to salvation in the places we go to for scouting trips and Outreaches.
Join us in praise for what the Lord is doing, and join us in praying that He will do even more! Here are some ways to pray:
Lord, we are in awe of how, in what can seem like the darkest times and places, You are present and shining Your love and truth. In Israel, in Gaza, in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, Ukraine and Russia, will You reveal Yourself to those who don’t know You and may they receive You gladly? And Lord, even to us who already believe, would you remind us of Your power and might and provision? We declare that You are working on Earth and are worthy of the praise of all Your creation! Bring salvation, healing and deliverance in Israel and among the nations, for Your name’s sake. In Jesus’ name, we ask. AMEN.
Take a look at how many lives you helped change in Gokwe, Zimbabwe.
Last November, we held a Medical Outreach in Gokwe, Zimbabwe. The outreach location is situated off a series of obscure dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. It is home to a Lemba Jewish community that was new to even the national Lemba Messianic Jewish network of Believers.
The Gokwe Medical Outreach was unusual. After the first day, officials withdrew their permission for any international participation. Non-Zimbabweans – including JVMI staff, medical professionals, logistics personnel and Outreach Partners – had to leave the Clinic and campsite.
But God is faithful. The Outreach continued smoothly, run entirely by Zimbabwean medical and spiritual care teams. This is precisely what indigenous ministry is about – fostering mature leadership able to carry on the work without us.
Meanwhile, the international team prayed and shared the Gospel wherever they were in the following days. One day found them waiting at a “Chicken Express” for staff as they met with officials and made new housing arrangements. The team prayed for a woman with back pain. She said she felt somewhat better, so the partners prayed again. The woman tested her back again, bending over and standing up straight. This time, her face lit up and her eyes grew large. “It’s gone!” she said. “My pain is gone!” The Lord healed her!
Others around the local restaurant began asking for prayer. The shop owner even called friends and family about what he had witnessed. Soon, a long line of people formed, waiting for prayer, and the team of displaced Outreach Partners ministered all day.
This dedicated and flexible team of Outreach Partners expected to spend the week at the Medical Outreach campus. But God had prepared good works for them beforehand (Ephesians 2:10) in completely unexpected settings, ministering to people they never would have met had they stayed at the Clinic site. Ministry was multiplied during the Gokwe Medical Outreach – and your gifts to Jewish Voice enabled us to be in all the places God had planned for us to work that week. Thank you!
Your gift today will enable more Outreaches to take place in 2024.Outreaches to take place in 2024.
