apple of gods eye

For a while now I have been using www.netvibes.com as my homepage. It is a page designed to use RSS to keep a track of all my favourite sites and inform me of any updates. On here I have assembled what I believe to be a great and open window onto the world. I have news organisations from various continents and of different allegiances; I also have my favourite space science websites to satisfy my hunger for geek related developments. The site also instantly updates me on all the blogs I keep a track of and I also subscribe to the RSS feed of the Daily Kos (the world’s most popular blog and an emerging force in American politics).

To keep myself pure of heart I have also linked myself up to ‘worthy ministries’ (www.worthydevotions.com) who send me daily devotional messages. Normally they are simply a variation on the same theme. “You have sinned, you are a bad person and only through embracing Christian products may you save your soul”. I might have missed the point slightly but with Christianity in America more of a multi-billion dollar market than a faith its hard not to be cynical, especially when they are so unashamed at ruthlessly pursuing your money. Yet having said that, I have also been impressed with many of them. Offering as they do, that special sort of inspirational buzz, that religion has a habit of providing from time to time. So I continue to subscribe (but if any real Christians out there know of any more 'liberal' RSS feeds - let us know).

Yet yesterdays was different. Yesterdays was more interesting. Yesterdays provided every extremist Muslim all the proof he or she needed that America really is part of a large conspiracy to purge their peoples from their holy lands. This message disturbed me, not because it was so aggressively worded, but because it was not. It is seemingly innocent passages like this that can creep into the subconscious and distort the reality of what is really happening in the Middle East. This is the sort of evil one must watch out for. My devotional asked me to endorse a conflict condemn by everyone except America. Now do not get me wrong. I think Israel has every right to defend itself and the size of the opposition (fully funded, as it is – by every other nation in the region) should not be underestimated. Yet people are dying out there. Surely not something one should be praying for, right?

Are you watching?
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Today marks 14 days of war in Israel. Amidst the craziness, we've been very encouraged by the many of you around the world who've written to tell us you're interceding for us and standing with Israel. Thank you so much.

Christians have prayed and anticipated the physical and spiritual restoration of the Jewish people for hundreds of years. Among others, John Owens preached before the House of Commons in 1649, foretelling a time when "the bringing home of His ancient people to be one fold with the fullness of the Gentiles...in answer to millions of prayers put up at the throne of grace for this very glory, in all generations." We are part of those millions of prayers.

I've mentioned this before but I find it incredibly profound that the modern Hebrew word for Christian, is "Notzree," which actually means watchman. We as Christians are called to be watchmen, especially watching over Israel in prayer.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to pray for the Apple of God's Eye at this trying time. Let's make a point to pray for Israel daily, that God's will may be accomplished through these trials, and that the Jewish people would recognize their loving and merciful Messiah. There's so much work to be done!
Added: Jul 27th, 2006 8:56 AM