Life in rural Zimbabwe requires hard work. Hands-and-knees gardening, fetching the day’s water supply, and washing clothes while bent over a portable tub in the yard ‒ or a rock at the stream ‒ are part of the household regiment. It’s a physical life demanding vigor and health, which is often a challenge when you need a doctor but can’t afford to see one or there aren’t any in your area to see.
So, what do you do when you have a knee injury that hurts so badly you can’t do these chores? Well, life gets even harder.
That’s what happened to one of the patients we saw recently at the Jewish Voice Ministries International (JVMI) Masvingo, Zimbabwe, Medical Outreach. A woman was having such severe knee pain that it was interfering with her many chores. And the demands of this kind of do-it-yourself rural life don’t let up to accommodate sickness or injury. The animals still need tending, the garden needs weeding, meals need making, and all of it requires water that isn’t right there at the turn of a tap.
The woman came to our Masvingo Medical Clinic looking for relief for her knee. The medical team attended to her with great care and compassion, but they couldn’t resolve her condition. Before leaving the Clinic, she visited the Prayer Tent where Outreach Partners shared the Gospel with her. She did not want to receive Yeshua (Jesus) at the time, but welcomed prayer for her needs. Partners prayed with her asking that God would show her His love for her by healing her knee. Afterward, the woman returned home.
The next morning, she was astonished to wake up pain-free. As she worked in her garden, unhindered by the affliction that had plagued her for so long, she was overwhelmed. She knew she had to go back to the Clinic and speak to the people who had prayed for her. She returned to the Prayer Tent and told them that she wanted to receive Yeshua.
For Theo Steinhauer, Spiritual Affairs Manager of Jewish Voice’s Global Outreach department, one of the most powerful things about this miracle is that it happened to the woman at home, privately and apart from the Outreach team. “That way, she knew it was not us,” he said. It was all God, meeting her to tell her that He loves her. She believed, and now, she has new life in Messiah Yeshua.
Hers is one story from among 12,593 lives touched at the JVMI Masvingo Medical Outreach. Thank you for helping make a difference in each one of their lives.
Unlock the “unsolvable” mystery and discover how the Lost Tribes and You are vessels for fulfilling biblical prophecy.
Little did we know when we last ministered in Mberengwa, Zimbabwe, that, moving forward, we would see so much change, so many challenges and ongoing hardship come to this land of the Lemba people. We are grateful for all that the Lord did during that Clinic and in the nearly two years since. But we recognize that the needs there are growing. We’re returning soon to bring humanitarian aid and the Good News of Yeshua (Jesus) to the people of Mberengwa.
One constant need – and the most vital – among any people group in any nation is salvation through Yeshua. As we reach out to meet the physical needs of these dear people and their neighbors in Mberengwa, will you pray that the Lord will also meet their deep spiritual needs through divine encounters? May He move in salvation, healing, and deliverance.
Please use this prayer guide to intercede day by day for the many facets of our upcoming Mberengwa Medical Outreach. You can also sign up to cover a specific time slot in prayer. Ask your Bible study, prayer groups and home fellowship to join us as we pray daily over this divine appointment with the Lemba and their neighbors in Mberengwa, Zimbabwe.
Wednesday, July 10 – Wednesday, July 17 • Psalm 21:5
Thursday, July 18 • Luke 10:2
Friday, July 19 • Deuteronomy 31:8
Saturday, July 20 • Psalm 23:3
Sunday, July 21 • Colossians 3:23
Monday, July 22 • Psalm 144:1-9
Tuesday, July 23 • Acts 1:8
Wednesday, July 24 • Acts 2:39
Thursday, July 25 • Romans 15:7
Friday, July 26 • Psalm 118:5
Saturday, July 27 • Philippians 2:1-2
Sunday, July 28 • Galatians 6:9
Let’s pray:
Father, since we were last in Mberengwa, babies have been born, people have died, and the Lemba and their neighbors have experienced new hardship. May our visit there bring fresh hope and real blessing. We are willing, but we cannot do this apart from You. Not by our might, not by our power, but by Your Spirit, Lord, would You reveal Yourself to the Lemba. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.
July 1‒7 Prayer for Israel
Israel’s Arab Citizens
Approximately 21 percent of Israel’s citizens are Arab. A slim majority of them profess to be proud citizens of Israel even if they reject the idea of Israel as a Jewish State. With a general climate of tension in the Middle East between Arabs and Israelis, let’s pray for Israel’s Arab citizens, some of whom appreciate Israel and others who may be hostile toward the State based on their family heritage.
Father, we lift up Israel’s Arab citizens to You. We ask that You enlarge the favorable view of Israel in their eyes and turn the minds of those who hold animosity toward Israel. Cause them to see the freedom and prosperity available to them in this place of opportunity. For those caught between two worlds, enjoying Israel’s democracy but who also have family or friends who see Israel as an “occupier,” help them to have a positive influence on their antagonistic fellow Arabs. Open all Arab hearts to hear the Good News of Yeshua (Jesus). May there be peace in Jerusalem, Lord, and in all Israel.
July 8‒14 Prayer for Israel
Believers in Israel
Only 2 percent of Israel’s 9 million-strong population identify as those who believe in Yeshua (Jesus). That amounts to approximately 200,000 people. With significant resistance to the Gospel in Israel, Believers are often subjected to opposition and even hostility. Sharing one’s faith in Yeshua must be done with great care and sensitivity, and it generally requires a long process formed through caring relationships.
Lord, please cover Believers in Israel with Your blessing and favor. Strengthen and encourage them through Your Word and the fellowship of other committed Believers. Protect them from any animosity from their neighbors or co-workers. Move in their lives to build in them stellar reputations as people of kindness, generosity and integrity. Make them stand out as people who love and serve like no others. Use them to draw those they know into curiosity about Yeshua.
July 15‒21 Prayer for Israel
Israel’s Relationship with the United Nations
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meets three times a year in regular sessions that use a permanent agenda. In Agenda Item 4, they address all human rights violations of nations around the world ‒ except those involving Israel. The examination of Israel has a specific and permanent place on the docket. Agenda Item 7 requires that the Council address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict specifically at each and every session. Very seldom are abuses and resolutions brought against Palestinians – who continue to spend millions on attacking Israel rather than improving conditions for their own people. But Israel is highly scrutinized, regularly receiving a vastly disproportionate number of resolutions against her.
Father, it is so hard to see the unfairness which the Land of Your people endures, especially by an organization in place to ensure fair treatment of all. Lord, please open the eyes of all UNHRC member nations (and the entirety of the United Nations) to an accurate understanding of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians who continue to invest their efforts into destroying Israel and her citizens over caring for their own suffering people. Turn their minds to look favorably upon Israel. Bring to light the injustices and offenses done against her and bring an end to the forced scrutiny of Israel – like no other nation endures – that is required by Agenda Item 7.
July 22‒28 Prayer for Israel
People Praying at the Wall
The Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is as close as Jewish people can get to the place where God’s Temple once stood. The Wall is open for prayer 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and hosts many millions of visitors annually. At any given time, you can find Jewish people representing many branches of Judaism, Believers in Yeshua and tourists praying at the Wall. Many people also tuck prayer requests into the crevices between the large golden blocks.
Lord, so many people come to this holy site near where Your Temple once stood. They come to connect with You. Many are hurting, looking for answers, or laying their desperate needs before You. We ask that each person praying at the Wall would have a profound experience of Your presence. For those who do not know Your Son Yeshua, may they be powerfully drawn to Him and come to saving faith in Him. For those who come merely because it is an ancient historical site, may they be moved by Your Spirit so dramatically that they diligently pursue knowing You through Yeshua Messiah. For Believers praying at the Wall, we ask that You meet each one of them in beautifully personal ways, speaking to their needs and their spirits.
July 29‒31 Prayer for Israel
Israel to come to know the Messiah
When respected people in positions of authority come to faith in Yeshua, the Gospel reaches even further as these influencers draw others to faith. Focused prayer for leaders – whether they are in governmental, religious, business or even entertainment circles – can have an impact that lasts long into the future.
Father, we pray that you would draw key influencers in Israel to Yeshua. Rabbis and other religious leaders, politicians, CEOs, celebrities, doctors, professors, and other people who have gained the respect and trust of people in their arenas – Lord, please soften their hearts to the Gospel and Yeshua. Bring Believers into their lives who will share Your Word with them and reveal Yeshua as the Messiah You promised to Israel so long ago. May they come to faith in Him and draw many others to Him in the future.
Do you want to know how to pray for Israel in greater detail and depth? Jewish Voice Ministries has put together this Intercessory Prayer Guide for Israel that provides focused, targeted requests to help you pray for the nation of God’s People. We hope this prayer guide can help both Messianic Jews and Christians pray their support for Israel.
