You are a people holy to the Lord your God.
The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples
on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
Deuteronomy 7:6
1
Everlasting, almighty God, from all the nations of the world You have chosen Israel to be Your very own. You chose them not for their numbers, as they are one of the smallest nations, but because they are dear to You; and because You love Your people, O eternal God, You cannot bear to see them in such great suffering.
O Father in Heaven, we cry to You, for You are a Father. Look upon Your people, Your children. See how they are oppressed on all sides. Even when they have done no wrong, they are given the blame. Loving Father, how that must grieve Your heart, for they are Your beloved people, who are yet to be of significance to the whole world. Protect Your people, deliver them from their enemies.
Make Your goodness known to them, come to their aid. Kindle in the hearts of Your people the flame of hope in the darkness now engulfing them, O Father of compassion and God of all comfort. Amen.
2
‘Ah, Sovereign Lord,
you have made the heavens and the earth
by your great power and outstretched arm.
Nothing is too hard for you.
‘You show love to thousands
but bring the punishment
for the fathers' sins into the laps of their children after them.
‘O great and powerful God,
whose name is the Lord Almighty,
great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds …
‘You brought your people Israel out of Egypt
with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand
and an outstretched arm and with great terror.
You gave them this land you had sworn
to give their forefathers,
a land flowing with milk and honey.' Jeremiah 32:17-22
I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
Jeremiah 31:34
3
O Lord our God, You see that Your people are living in fear and terror, threatened by war and death. You are merciful and gracious, abounding in patience and faithfulness. That is Your nature.
Do not consider the sins of Your people. See instead their suffering.
Whenever You were forced to send judgment and the suffering of Your people reached a climax, Your compassion would flow over in words like: ‘I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'
O Lord, may this happen now, for how it must break Your heart to see Your people suffer. Have mercy, we pray. Amen.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 124:8
4
Everlasting Father, You love Your people. When we see no solution, You have one long since planned. We know You will help Your people in a wonderful way.
Israel's help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth, for whom nothing is too hard, and who has a plan for His beloved chosen people.
Your people will worship You in awe when they see You fulfilling Your purposes. Though the way leads through darkness, fear and distress, You will never abandon Your beloved people. They are the apple of Your eye. You are their God and Father. You have declared, ‘I am Israel's Father' (Jeremiah 31:9; see Exodus 4:22). You will let Your people experience this again today if, in the depths of suffering, they put their trust in You.
You have a great task in store for Your people, who are yet to be a blessing to all nations. Amen.
I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son …
Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him, I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him.
Jeremiah 31:9, 20
5
O Father, Your people are in deep distress,
persecuted and terrorized,
filled with fear and dread.
We cry to You. Hear our prayer
and in Your mercy remember
that Israel is Your first-born son,
the people You have chosen
out of all the nations of the world.
O Father of mercy,
You cannot but send help.
Israel's help comes from You,
who made heaven and earth.
What Your Word says will come to pass. Amen.
O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven?
You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.
Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
2 Chronicles 20:6
6
Loving Father, create in Your people the faith that You will bring them through. You are the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Today as of old You forgive sin, and help Your people. You will not allow them to be destroyed.
Father, You see how Your people Israel are hated by all those who hate You. You suffer with Your people. We pray that those who try to destroy Your people will actually drive them to You.
Father, Your people are surrounded by mortal enemies. We pray that their fear will not cast them into despair, but cause them to seek Your face in prayer.
Father, may You have the comfort of seeing Your people take refuge in Your heart.
Father, kindle in them the flame of faith by Your Spirit. In their distress help them to put their trust in You, their God, the God of Israel, who – as they know and proclaim – does miracles. Amen.
You have established your people Israel as your very own forever,
and you, O Lord, have become their God.
2 Samuel 7:24
7
Lord, bless Israel,
Your people, beloved and chosen by You
out of all nations but now exposed to hatred
and living in fear of death.
Your heart goes out to Your people
when You see the fury of those
determined to destroy Israel.
We now declare the words of blessing
Moses once pronounced over Israel:
‘Blessed are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will trample down their high places.' Deuteronomy 33:29
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Psalm 86:15
8
We cry to You, eternal, almighty God.
Your people, whom You love,
are desperate.
We cry to You, for You are merciful.
How it must grieve You to see their land
turned into a battlefield.
O Lord, we will persevere in prayer,
clinging in faith to Your promises.
‘For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
The Lord loves righteousness and justice.
The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
from Psalm 33
Litany of Blessing for Israel
Lord, bless Israel, the people You love, and watch over Your Land of Promise with a fatherly eye.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people You love, by fulfilling Your eternal purposes for them speedily and by guiding them on to the glorious destiny You have in store for them.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people You love. Give them a new awareness of their calling, and help them to live up to it.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people you love. Keep them from feeling overwhelmed by their sufferings. May Your Spirit enkindle them to fervent prayer and repentance.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people You love, so that they look to You alone for peace and refuge.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people You love, so that in their distress they put their trust not in power and might but in You, who alone can comfort, strengthen and sustain them.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people You love. Give them daily the grace of repentance and faith. In these dark times let them experience miraculous instances of Your help.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people You love, and send them encouragement and help in all their trials.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people You love, and raise up among them men of God who speak with spiritual authority.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people You love. Help them to see the hand of God in the miraculous establishment of the modern state of Israel and the return of the Jews from many nations.
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Lord, bless Israel, the people You love. Help and sustain them when You have to lead them through the dark valley of suffering towards their eternal destiny.
