For those who are aware of what is currently happening in the world, Israel is preparing for war with various nations all bent on removing Israel from the face of the map. Proxy nations, all under the direction of Iran, are preparing to attack Israel with massive multi-front assaults. The United States has moved battleships into the region. Tensions are on high alert that something significant is about to take place.
I was listening to a commentator describing the Fast of Av. It is a time dedicated to remembering past hardships and misfortunes in the history of Israel. This month the fast of Av will take place on August 12-13. The timing of the fast this year is not a coincidence. It is a real-time reminder that similar hardships will come once again against Israel as the nation is surrounded by increasing levels of hostility.
The fast is also called “The Dire Straits” commemorating the destruction of the Temple, the exile of the nation, and the various sieges laid upon Jerusalem. At this moment in history, truly Dire Straits are preparing to come once again against Israel. I write this because the Lord loved Jerusalem and Israel so much that He wept over its condition.
Some theologians have assigned Israel to just another secular nation on the list of all other nations. We need to be careful to allow ourselves to dismiss the theological importance of Israel in world history and from the timeline of what will transpire in the future.
As we enter this time of Dire Straits, we need to raise our awareness above our personal issues to understand what is happening to Israel. To remain uninformed and ignorant of world events will cause us to become so spiritually out of touch that we will become paralyzed when something truly dire begins to unfold over the nation of our Lord’s birth.
You are spot on with this timely word regarding Israel. I haven’t been following any news lately, but I can feel the call of the Spirit to fast and pray during this time of “Dire Straights.”