Matthew 9:36-38 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
I’d like to preface this devotion by offering a few disclaimers:
1. One thing I’ve always stood firmly on, as founder and director of Worthy News, is that we will not report on ministry scandals until investigations have been fully released and the facts are established.
2. I refuse to participate in tearing down a fellow believer— because the enemy does enough damage without me in the mix.
3. I recognize that this devotion is abnormally long and may stir up some emotions, but please bear with me— it’s very important to grasp the full scale of what’s happening so that you can pray with understanding.
As a pastor who has traveled extensively and also met and ministered to believers from all walks, backgrounds, and denominations, I feel I have a unique perspective on what is happening in the world and among the Body of Christ.
As I look at the big picture, I have noticed that since the recent war broke out in Israel in October of 2023, several ministries that have played a key role in Israel’s spiritual revival have come under intense attack.
In April 2023, Mike Bickle, leader of the International House of Prayer, led a massive, unprecedented global prayer effort to mobilize MILLIONS worldwide to pray for Israel (specifically pray for their salvation). Just months later, at a time when Israel needed intercessory prayer the most, a scandal erupted with him that left thousands of his ministry’s young intercessors and those committed to joining in prayer worldwide shocked and discouraged.
Rabbi Jonathan Bernis, a leading voice in Jewish evangelism and the head of Jewish Voice Ministries International, which has reached countless Jewish people with the gospel, suffered a sudden life-threatening health crisis just weeks after the war in Israel began. He was on the verge of death until he received a miraculous liver transplant. Still recovering a year later, he, as well, was silenced at a time when Israel needed it the most.
Gateway Church in Dallas, one of Israel’s biggest financial supporters, was caught in controversy when its lead pastor, Robert Morris, had to step down. As a result, millions of donor dollars that were helping spread the gospel in Israel and providing aid for Israelis in need were cut off.
DayStar Television, the first Christian broadcasting network to ever bring the gospel into Israel— and a generous source of provision for Israel was also hit with controversy.
Most recently, Dr. Michael Brown, a well-respected theologian and host of In the Line of Fire, also found himself facing allegations. Brown’s Fire Ministries has been instrumental in discipling countless Messianic Jewish ministry leaders and equipping them to share the gospel more effectively with Jewish people. Dr. Brown has spent years countering the arguments of Orthodox Jewish leaders who reject Jesus and has debated atheists and rabbis alike. Now, at a critical time, his voice, too, is threatened to be silenced.
These are just the well-known situations. I know of other circumstances behind the scenes that greatly affect believers in Israel, especially right now. As a pastor, my heart is heavy. I’ve spent a lot of time grieving over and praying through these situations and ministering to people who are struggling in the aftermath.
I’m not here to excuse any wrongdoing or weigh in on specific allegations. I am sharing all this to highlight the fact that at a season when Israel is facing the most difficult challenges in her existence and walking through a period of great uncertainty, she has lost a key source of intercession, some major financial supporters, a leading evangelist, a respected theologian, and advocate, as well as a Christian broadcasting network— all at the same time. While Israel is fighting a seven-front war in the natural, she is also facing a massive spiritual battle on every side.
These ministries that are under attack have been ministries fully committed to sharing the gospel with the Jewish people. I want you to understand how intense the spiritual assault is against those fighting for Israel’s salvation. True restoration of Israel will only happen when the Jewish people return to their Messiah. Not only that, Israel’s revival is directly connected to our own revival as the Body of Christ – it’s one of the key factors to sparking the next great awakening!
Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of the 1800s, understood this when he said:
“I do not think we attach enough importance to the restoration of the Jews. Those who were the first missionaries, the first apostles to us who are afar off, shall be regathered again. Until that shall be, the church’s glory can never come. Matchless benefits are tied to the restoration of the Jews, for their regathering shall be as life from the dead.”
The enemy is prowling, looking for whom he may devour. But know this: God is not finished with the Jewish people!
Will you set aside time this weekend to pray? Pray for the salvation of the Jewish people. Pray that God would raise up new leaders, evangelists, intercessors and voices to speak truth in this hour. Pray for the harvesters in Israel and around the world. God has placed you here for such a time as this!
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]The place we call home in Israel is in the rebuilt city of Arad, an ancient city rebuilt in 1962 near the historic site of Tel Arad. It was the first planned city in Israel.
Tel Arad was an ancient fortress that, according to archaeologists, has been destroyed and rebuilt at least ten times. The citadel was thought to have originally been built during the times of King David and Solomon. The Negev desert’s arid conditions have remarkably preserved the fortress’s archaeological layers, providing a continuous record of its history for hundreds of years.
Last week, I did a series of devotionals on the Dead Sea scrolls. As I’ve been pointing out the archaeological discoveries as well as their prophetic significance, I’ve saved the best for last! Recently discovered fragments of the Bible in the Dead Sea region containing two passages of Scripture are incredibly relevant. I spoke of the passage in Zechariah last week.
When we study a translation of a Scripture passage we often miss out on the nuances hidden in the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament). Often, it’s not that a word is mistranslated, but that rendering the meaning in one English word is difficult if not impossible.
When Moses sent out the 12 spies to report on the condition of the land of “milk and honey”, ten of the spies brought back a bad report. They focused on the giants, and the great obstacles in their way. They walked with eyes set on the physical realm and said within themselves, “We are but grasshoppers in the sight of these giants!
Living in Israel all these years, I often encounter amazing stories of God’s deliverance and grow increasingly fond of listening to the fascinating ways He shows His power. During our tour in England recently, we met a man whose family experienced a great miracle during WW1. He tells this incredible story…
In this world we will face all kinds of obstacles, trials and tribulations and we should be wary of any doctrines or teachings that say we shouldn’t have to face these things. Why? Because the Lord said we will have tribulations. So the encouragement He is giving is simply this: You’re going to face trials, but GOD is greater than any problem you will face in this world!
When the prophet Jonah entered Nineveh, he gave a message of hopelessness — in 40 days your city will be destroyed! He did not say, Nineveh will be destroyed “unless”, but emphatically prophesied destruction to the people of the city — seeming to say their situation was hopeless. Yet hearing this message …