Welcome back, prayer warriors!  Let’s “suit up” and get ready to confidently enter the throne room of God.  He is standing by, ready to hear and answer our prayers and to do miraculous things!

If you are new to Looking for the Blessed Hope, welcome!  This week will culminate on Friday with a concentrated day of prayer where we will confidently bow before the throne of grace to:

• Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
• Pray for persecuted believers
• Pray for a third Great Awakening in our nation that will impact the world

Today’s focus is on prayer for the peace of Jerusalem, which we are commanded to do in Psalm 122.  However, let’s look to the book of Zechariah to draw our inspiration.

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced;
and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
~Zechariah 12:10

To unpack that passage, we need to understand context, and we need to start at the beginning of the book.  In context, Zechariah’s prophecy was written after the exiles returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, and the Lord called out to the Israelites to return to Him (Zechariah 1:3).  The theme of the book of Zechariah is God’s call to repentance and spiritual renewal.  Zechariah means “God remembers,” and Zechariah’s purpose was to remind God’s people of that.

Now, fast forward to our passage in Zechariah 12.  The Lord continues to remember and care for His people to the very end, and Zechariah’s prophecy now focuses on end times.  Verses 2-3 tell us that in the last days Jerusalem will be a cup that causes reeling to those all around, and will be a heavy stone that will severely injure those who lift it.  Today, we are seeing that prophecy being fulfilled, as many nations look upon Israel as a burden.  They are injured when they attempt to oppose her.  According to verse 9, the Lord Himself will destroy all who come against Jerusalem.

That is definitely last days talk, and we are living in them!

Referring to Israel in the last days, our focus verse (verse 10) says:

• God will pour out the Spirit of grace and supplication on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
• Israel will look on Yeshua (Jesus) whom they have pierced.
• Israel will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son; and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.

Pouring out the Spirit of grace and supplication

Several prophets of the Bible speak about a day when God will pour out His Spirit on Israel.  Ezekiel 36:27 is one such place.  God has fulfilled major portions of Ezekiel 36 by bringing His people back into their land, but He is yet to pour out His Spirit upon them.

These are His people and He longs to be gracious to them.  Could it be that the pouring out of His Spirit of grace and supplication will lead to the revelation of Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah?  We can certainly pray that it will!

Israel will look on the One whom they have pierced

Recall that Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the Jews did not recognize Him as Messiah (Luke 13:34).  One day, perhaps as a result of the pouring out of the Spirit of grace and supplication, Israel will see and recognize her Messiah.  Only through God’s grace do any of us recognize our sin and cry out for forgiveness and salvation!  As we pray for Israel to look upon the One who was pierced, we are asking Him to pour out His grace on His people for forgiveness and salvation!

Israel will mourn and weep bitterly

Do you recall the time when you were made fully aware of sin and its ugliness before the Lord?  Imagine that day when the eyes of an entire nation are opened to see their Messiah clearly.  Repentance from rejecting Him will be overwhelming and will unleash mourning and bitter weeping such has never been seen or heard.  But the result is that all of Israel (alive at that time) will be saved (Romans 11:26).

Prepare to pray

After Jesus wept over Jerusalem, He prophesied: “I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”  (Luke 13:35)  Friends, let’s pray for that day!  The nation will be ready to welcome Jesus when He appears again because Jesus will have poured out His Spirit of grace and supplication and His people will have recognized Him!  The Prince of Peace will bring long-sought-after peace to the hearts of His people!  The peace of Jerusalem will occur!  Will you pray faithfully and diligently for the peace of Jerusalem until the promise is fulfilled?

Stick with me as we look to the Lord to “shake it up!”  Blessings…and I’ll see you tomorrow!