In this season of coronavirus, we are seeing the Lord expose our idols and connect us together to glorify Him! As we keep our eyes focused on our King, we will operate in new ways, creative ways, ways that have been the work of the Kingdom all along. 

One of those ways is prayer! 

Corona, as in coronavirus, means crown. We are not giving coronavirus first place in this season. Instead, as we crown our King Yeshua with all our affection and attention, we can activate our faith and heartily engage in the Kingdom work of prayer.  

Praying together does not require us to be physically present with one another.  The unity (or coming together) that is required to see our prayers answered, to see God's will be done and His kingdom come, is the prayer of agreement, not physical location. It’s the unity of the Spirit as we pray according to God’s Word. 

So, we are putting out a call to our partners to come together as a community of Believers praying from home in this challenging season. And we want to do two things to equip you and to help you engage with us in this strategic prayer initiative. 

• First, we have seven strategic prayers to pray during this time period. They are strategic at any time because they are based on God’s Word. However, particularly in this season when our attention is being diverted in every direction, we need some specific focal points, prayer targets if you will. We want to call our focus back to the Lord's prayer priorities that he shares with us in His Word, and so we are sharing these strategic Scripture prayers with you. 
• Second, we want to give you a tangible way to plug in and show that you are “on the wall” in prayer. We're going to do that through a prayer calendar, where you can commit to a time slot and intercede from home. Let’s mobilize to cover the hours of the days and nights over the next three weeks. This is an invitation for us all to answer the Lord’s call to watch and pray so we can see His Kingdom come on the earth in answer to prayer. 

Here is a shortened version of the 7 Strategic Prayers for this Season. You will receive the full version when you sign up for your prayer slot:  

• Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and for Israel and the Jewish people 
• Seek God for the city (your city), the nations, and leaders 
• Pray for salvation for the Jewish people and their neighbors around the world 
• Petition God for global revival and the awakening of the Body of Messiah 
• Intercede for healing from COVID-19 and other infirmities of body and mind 
• Pray for your sphere of influence and the people and places God is putting on your heart 
• Finally, pray for Jewish Voice Ministries as we, like you, navigate this unprecedented time along with all its challenges and opportunities 

Below is the link to the 7 Strategic Prayers Schedule for Monday, April 27th to Monday, May 18th. When you sign up to pray from home, you will receive an email reply including the full version of the 7 Strategic Prayers for this Season. 

One of the most magnificent and mysterious ways that God enlists our partnership in His plans and purposes is through prayer. Do not minimize the effectiveness of your prayers. Do not default to saying, “Well, at least I can just pray,” or “I suppose all I can do is pray.” Determine to take your place in God’s presence and pray! 

Your active, effective prayers can impact individuals, communities, nations and the globe. So as a community of prayer, praying from home, let's begin! 

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. —James 5:13-16

Social distancing sounds like the opposite of Christian community. How are we to be the church body in isolation in our homes? Although this is an unprecedented time in our history, it shouldn’t give us the excuse to disengage with our communities. It may look different, but it can be just as fruitful especially with the technology we have available to us today.

James reminds us that we can still pray for others! He says if we have friends or family in trouble, let them pray! This is a perfect time to ask others how you can pray for them and in turn they will likely ask you the same thing. Take this time to engage with the Lord and become a prayer warrior! Maybe this isn’t something that you’re used to, but I know the Lord will honor the time as He encourages us to pray for each other and bear each other’s burdens.

Many of you may have a regular Bible study or prayer group you attend. Now that we can’t gather in small groups it may feel like you are missing that community. Perhaps you can still gather virtually, whether that’s a phone call or a video conference. I participate in a Bible study where one of the members actually lives in another state. We bring her in on an iPad and pass her around the room so she can stay involved in the conversation. At first it seemed kind of odd but now we wouldn’t have it any other way; it allows her to stay engaged in a small group while we get to have the honor of connecting with her each week.

The second part of this Scripture reminds us to sing songs of praise if we are happy. It may be hard to relate to this emotion of happiness right now, but I encourage you to praise the Lord, it will indeed make you feel happy! Worshipping the Lord and glorifying His name will bring great joy and will also help you not to think so much about the current situation. No matter what our circumstances are you can take comfort in the fact that God doesn’t change; He is the same yesterday and today. Praise Him for that!

Find a way to stay connected to your community. We need each other now more than ever to get through this! The Lord created us to be in relationship with each other; be intentional and lean in to your fellow Believers for support. The Lord will bless the time and you may grow closer to each other and to Him as you are vulnerable about what each person is dealing with in this difficult season. We all have an amazing chance to draw closer to the Lord and each other. How awesome it would be if we can come out of this time with even stronger communities than we had before!

Practical Takeaway: Create a prayer board and pray for those around you consistently. Spend time worshipping the Lord each day. Find a way to stay engaged in your spiritual community through text, email, video calls, etc.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth change”

Psalm 46:2-3 (TLV).

Shalom,

I want to acknowledge that right now is a dark hour. Many of us have friends or even family members who are battling COVID-19. And the death toll from this pandemic continues to climb across the globe. It’s a time of struggle.

I find it interesting that, earlier this week, we observed what is probably the darkest hour in the history of the Jewish people. On Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the six million who perished during World War II.

I believe the present situation gives us a small taste of what the Jewish people went through in their dark time. We are isolated in our homes, away from friends, church family and even loved ones, fearful of an outside force.

To put it in perspective, though, 40,000 people have died in the United States in three months. There were days in the death camps when more than 40,000 Jewish people were exterminated in a single day.

But here’s the good news – for all of us. The Jewish people survived that and every other dark time in their history. They survived because God is faithful! He is our refuge and strength. And He’s going to be faithful to see you through this dark hour. In fact, what I am sharing in this update today are two examples of how God is working through difficult times to accomplish His will.

First, a couple of news stories about how the tide appears to be starting to turn in Israel in relation to COVID-19. And then, I have a special interview with two of our staff members about what happened during our most recent Medical Outreach in Enewari, Ethiopia. You’ll hear how God was at work in mighty and amazing ways during the persecution and violence our team experienced.

Israel ranked “safest country” in terms of COVID-19 response and treatment

When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel remains the safest country on Earth, according to a new investigation by the Deep Knowledge Group.

Israel also made the list of top ten countries with the best treatment efficiency and scored best in the field of rapid emergency mobilization.

Experts have noted that Israel’s experience with emergencies is helping to get the population through the pandemic without the number of deaths in other modern countries like Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to Israel Today.

Israel was one of the first countries to halt international flights and enforce a lockdown to help contain the virus outbreak. In addition, in times of crisis, the country is able to quickly put their best minds to work to come up with creative and out-of-the-box solutions to problems.

Netanyahu okays plan to gradually ease restrictions, but protests still carried out

Late last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked of a general plan to gradually reopen parts of the economy and ease “stay home” orders. No specific timeline was given.

Netanyahu said new guidelines would include the reopening of certain stores and a return to work for some employees in the manufacturing and service industries. There will continue to be various restrictions that must be followed.

“Until today we took measures to restrict movement… to reduce the number of people at work… to track confirmed cases,” Netanyahu said, according to The Times of Israel. “These measures have proven themselves… these positive results enable us to ease the restrictions gradually.”

The situation will be reassessed in two weeks, and if improvement continues, there will be a further easing of restrictions. But if another outbreak occurs, restrictions will be put in place again, according to Netanyahu.

Even with these announcements, protests against the restrictions took place last weekend. On Sunday, 2,000 Israelis gathered at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv to protest anti-democratic measures passed during the COVID-19 crisis and the policies of Netanyahu. Protestors maintained social distancing while wearing protective face masks.

Last Thursday, two other protests took place, one involving hundreds of ultra-Orthodox residents in Jerusalem protesting the lockdown imposed on them for not heeding directives the rest of the country has been forced to follow.

From Rabbi Jonathan Bernis, President and CEO of Jewish Voice:

Dear Partners and Friends of Jewish Voice,

I trust all of you are doing well through this bizarre and challenging time. Although the quarantine period and social distancing measures will eventually come to an end (and soon I hope) the economic fallout will take far longer to recover from. But we will!

Did the Lord “cause” this to happen? I don’t think So. But it certainly is a wake-up call to us all. And at some point in the future, something like this will happen again....and most likely it will be worse. I can’t read my bible and ignore the scenario of chaos and upheaval that occurs in the days preceding the return of Messiah. It is my conviction we are living in those days now.

We need to learn and grow from this experience. God’s intent is always to turn even the worst trials and tribulations of life to good for those who love Him (see Romans 8:28). That means we derive greater long-term benefit for our lives as a result of the short-term suffering and adversity we endure. Through those terrible times when life brings us so low all we can do is look up, we enjoy some of the deepest times of fellowship with the Lord. Often, this realization becomes much clearer in hindsight.

He wants us to come out of this pandemic, home- quarantine with a renewed commitment to spend more time with Him and get our homes in order. My personal commitment is to come out of this better than I entered into it.

I’ve been challenged (once again) to prioritize prayer, time in his Word and just making more time to listen. We must be able to hear his voice if we are going to be led through what lies ahead. The ability to hear his voice is a pursuit and something we need to cultivate.

May the Lord do great things in your life today and through the remainder of this upheaval. Thank God, His Kingdom is stable and unshakable. He remains on the throne!

Blessings and love to you all.

Jonathan

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. —James 4:8

This season that we find ourselves in is very hard to comprehend. It doesn’t make sense; we don’t understand it and we didn’t expect it. Luckily for us, it’s not a surprise to the Lord and we can take confidence in the fact that despite our circumstances, He doesn’t change, and His promises are still true. Hold to that thought when you feel discouraged!

One of those promises is in James 4:8. As we draw near to the Lord, He draws near to us. This is so comforting. God is not hidden from us during this time. In fact, He is near to us. He is our comforter and He will never leave us. Although you may feel alone, take heart that the Lord is near. Use this time to draw near to Him in ways you never have before and I pray you experience His presence as a result.

Like many of you, I find myself having a lot of time on my hands. Now that we are in quarantine, there are not as many activities to fill our time. There is more isolation, more silence, and more time for reflection. Use this opportunity to draw near to the Lord. Think about some of the ways you used to spend your time and if it was fruitful. Instead, are there practices you can put in place that allow you to draw near to the Lord?

Perhaps you can re-energize your quiet time, reading your Bible or journaling. Listen to an encouraging podcast or sermon. Play worship music and fix your thoughts on Him. Pray for your family, friends and neighbors. Sit quietly and listen for the Lord to speak to you. Take a walk and look for the Lord’s presence in nature. Praise Him and thank Him for all of the blessings you have.

Spiritual disciplines are an important part of our walk with the Lord and they allow us to draw near to Him. You may have great spiritual rhythms already or you may feel like you are lacking in this area. Take some time to look at your daily, weekly, monthly, or even annual spiritual rhythms and determine if there is something you need to implement that will allow you to be closer to Him. Try something new in this season! May the Lord surprise You as He draws near to you.

Practical Takeaway: Conduct an inventory of your spiritual disciplines and draw near to the Lord in new ways.

Under the cover of darkness, Aryeh Even and his mother and brother snuck from one location to another to avoid capture. It was 1941 when Aryeh’s father was taken away to an army labor camp and then to Mauthausen concentration camp. The remaining members of the family were evicted from their Hungarian home and turned out on the street with nowhere to go.

That was the way it went during World War II. Jewish people were suddenly expelled from their homes, sometimes violently, taking only what they could carry with them. When Jewish people were rounded up to live in ghettos or forced to travel days to concentration camps via overcrowded cattle cars, others simply took over their homes.

Aryeh was about 9 years old when his father was led away, and his family suddenly found themselves homeless in the terrifying world of Germany’s aggression. The Washington Post notes that records at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum, reveal Aryeh’s grandfather was shot the next day, his body dumped in the Danube River. The fatherless family endured the war in hiding, sheltered by Swiss diplomats.

Not many years after the war, Aryeh moved to Israel as a teenager, alone. He made Aliyah in 1949 amid the infancy of the newly reborn State of Israel. Aryeh went on to become a foreign diplomat himself, serving on several overseas assignments.

On March 21, 2020, at 88 years old, Aryeh Even became Israel’s first COVID-19 death. He left behind four children, 18 grandchildren and one great-grandson. Quarantined in a hospital’s COVID-19 ward, his family could not visit him in the last days of his life. According to the Times of Israel, they described him as “a dear and beloved man, living a full life, devoted to his family, a strong man until the end.”

Rachel Gemara, a 32-year-old nurse working with coronavirus patients, saw Aryeh take his last breaths. Israeli medical personnel care for COVID-19 patients with as little physical interaction as possible to ensure the nation’s healthcare providers do not become infected as well. Staff behind protective glass observe patients via medical monitors, video and intercom communications. Patients often help each other, those with moderate cases showing small kindnesses to the critically ill. When Aryeh Even died, according to an article by the Jewish News Syndicate, two other patients were with him. Gemara said she watched them place their hands on his eyes and say the Shema prayer.

A memorial video produced by Honest Reporting cites that, as the news about Aryeh’s passing came out, “a horrendous wave” of vile anti-Semitism spread across social media. A screenshot of responses included “YESSSS,” “Hope there’s more where that came from” and a two-thumbs-up emoji.

Aryeh’s survival of the Holocaust is a story of triumph. At the same time, it is a sobering reminder of what the Jewish people went through and how 6 million were murdered. It’s heartbreaking to know how sick Aryeh was in the end as a global pandemic took his life. And it’s distressing to see, in response to his death, the appalling evidence of a sustained hatred for Jewish people in a world that should know better.

That’s why Holocaust Remembrance Days are so important. We must persevere against anti-Semitism, keeping the Holocaust from fading away into a vapor that the younger generation can’t see and doesn’t know. “Never again!” is the cry produced from the Holocaust. We must keep that cry alive.

Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day is called Yom HaShoah. Shoah means “catastrophe” in Hebrew, and Israel’s national holiday honoring victims and survivors begins at sunset on April 20 this year. Typically, at 10:00 a.m. the next morning, a siren sounds throughout all Israel, and the country comes to a standstill. For two minutes, they stand in silence, in respect, in remembrance. Traffic comes to a stop. Customers and merchants pause their transactions. Business halts, and people all over Israel stand for those who suffered in the Holocaust.

With so much of Israel shut down under COVID-19 restrictions, it’s hard to say what Yom HaShoah will look like this year. Like many places around the world, Israel is pretty quiet already. No doubt, though, as the blaring sirens make their way across TV and radio stations and filter into residences from public loudspeakers, Israelis will stand in their homes, making the same silent gesture that shouts, “We must not forget!”

Anti-Semitism has not forgotten its hatred. Let us never forget our resolve against it.

Sources:

Honest Reporting

Jewish News Syndicate

Times of Israel

Washington Post