Ezekiel 36:37“Thus says the Lord GOD: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock.
Daniel 9:2-3 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
A few days ago, I shared a quote from B.J. Willhite, and today I want to delve deeper into his powerful insight. He wrote, “The law of prayer is the highest law of the universe—it can overcome the other laws by sanctioning God’s intervention. When implemented properly, the law of prayer permits God to exercise His sovereignty in a world under the dominion of a rebel with free will, in a universe governed by natural law.”
Prayer is the key that unlocks the storehouse of God’s promises. Ezekiel 36 reveals a profound truth: God had declared that Israel would be restored as a nation, yet He said, “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them” (v. 37). Even after declaring His sovereign will, God still expected prayer to bring it to pass.
This principle is vividly illustrated in Daniel 9. Daniel recognized through Jeremiah’s prophecy that the appointed time for Israel’s deliverance had arrived. Instead of merely declaring the promise, he humbled himself with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes, pouring out a prayer of repentance. Daniel stepped into God’s prophetic plan through prayer!
Why does God require prayer? Because in a world where human free will reigns and natural law governs, prayer gives God the legal right to intervene. It is the divine principle that allows heaven’s will to be executed on earth.
Yeshua (Jesus) taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Prayer’s purpose is to align earth with heaven and open the door for God’s intervention.
God has positioned us for this moment — “for such a time as this” — to usher in His Kingdom. If we truly grasp our roles as Kings and Priests of the Most High, we will walk in His prophetic plan, expecting Him to move supernaturally. Invite Him to move into your life, family, and every situation you face. By doing so, you are granting God the authority to intervene powerfully in every area of your life.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When Joseph became ruler over Egypt, his name was changed, and his identity was altered so that he no longer appeared or lived as a shepherd son of Israel from the land of Canaan, but as an Egyptian Prime Minister. The transformation was so thorough that when his ten brothers arrived in Egypt he was totally unrecognizable to them. This true story beautifully illustrates Mashiach ben Yosef (Yeshua/Jesus at His first coming), and contains a prophetic picture pointing to Yeshua and His Jewish people living today as we approach the Second Coming.
Joseph, the son of Jacob grew up caring for flocks, a shepherd boy,(Genesis 37:2). While we might have a romantic view of an easy pastoral life among sheep and goats, the main responsibility of a shepherd was to protect the flock against hungry predators (wolves, lions, etc.) looking for an easy meal, actually quite a dangerous job. The shepherd loved his sheep; and Joseph was a good shepherd.
The creation of the world was completed by God in 6 days. He rested on the 7th day and sanctified it, the Sabbath, Shabbat. When Yeshua died for the sins of the world, his followers hurried to take Him down from the cross so they would not violate the commanded time to rest. [Luke 23:54-56] So the Messiah completed His work of redemption just before entering into Shabbat. As He died, He said, “It is finished!” [John 19:30] Finishing His work and entering the grave opened the way for humanity to enter His rest, the rest He entered after creating the world.
Does it ever happen to you – that something terribly simplistic just suddenly becomes clear? I realized something about us the other day. We, humans, are such addictive creatures.
This verse in Nehemiah connects the observance of a Holy day with the joy of the Lord. Our identity as “saints” (literally, “holy ones”), called to be holy, means we are and ought to be set apart from the world. But does that mean a solemn and joyless life of boredom as some have been led to believe? I have heard statements like, “I’m miserable, but at least I’m holy!” No, to be simultaneously holy and miserable is “oxymoronic” (if I may coin an adjective). It contradicts the very Spirit of God!
In 70 AD Jerusalem finally fell to the mighty Roman army led by Titus after a long siege. To commemorate the Roman victory over the Jewish rebellion, an arch was erected in Rome known to this day as the Arch of Titus. This famous arch depicts the fall of the Temple and its artifacts paraded in a processional described by the historian Josephus’ in his account, “The Jewish War.”
Genesis 24 recounts the marriage of Issac and Rebekah. As the offering of Isaac by his father Abraham was a clear picture or type of our Heavenly Father’s offering of His Son Yeshua, we may also view this marriage as a picture or type of Yeshua’s marriage to his Bride.