"Covenant of Peace" or Pact of Appeasement 11-27-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wait in the silence of surrender for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "Then the Rabshekah stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah, 'Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you rely on the Lord, saying the Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.' Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me ...' " (Isaiah 36:13-16). Delegates of the nations surrounding Judah have gathered in my nation this week. With the loud voice of world opinion, they are calling out for the division of Jerusalem and surrender of much of Judea and Samaria in the name of peace. The words of the great kings of the earth say, "Trade your land for peace; do not rely on the God of your covenant, your so-called 'everlasting covenant,' as written in the so-called words of your so-called Lord." Instead they say, "Trust us rather than the word of your God and make your peace with us." But You are the Lord our God; and You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Your Words are eternal and Your covenant is everlasting. As You said long ago to Abraham and all the generations to follow, "I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God" (Genesis 17:7-8). And at the same time, You make provision for respect and honor among all the people living in the land of Your promise (Ezekiel 47:21-23). I know You love all people, all the sons and daughters of Abraham -- the generations of Isaac and the generations of Ishmael. And I know that Your ways are higher than our ways and Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts in Your infinite wisdom and sovereign purposes (Isaiah 55:9). All "the blessings of Abraham" are fulfilled in You, Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Messiah (Galatians 3:14). Peace is a Person, the "Prince of Peace," our Mighty God, Everlasting Father, King of kings and Lord of lords (Isaiah 9:6). Only in You and in submission to Your authority, "there shall be endless peace" (v. 7). On behalf of the nations of the earth, let us not pressure the people of Israel, whether Jew or Gentile, to make a pact of appeasement in the wisdom of man and disobedience to Your Word. Instead, lead us to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" in the way You would lead us by Your Spirit in accordance with Your Word, Your ways, and Your thoughts, not ours (Psalm 122:6). This is Your "covenant of peace," the "everlasting covenant," that shall never be broken and will be completely fulfilled in Your timing and in Your way (Ezekiel 37:26). "Then the nations shall know that I the Lord sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is among them forever" (Ezekiel 37:28). Will we trust You or not, trust Your Word or not? Will we taunt Your people to trust in our ways or Your ways, in our kings or in the King of kings? In humility, let us confess "we do not know how to pray as we ought," despite our all our worldly wisdom and political sensitivities (Romans 8:26). So "Lord, teach us to pray" according to Your Word, in submission to Your will, as Your Spirit leads (Luke 11:1). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Dear Friends, I know emotions run high and there is not a unity of understanding among all God's children who seek to believe Him and obey Him and His Word. But we can agree with each other and with our God that we want Him to show us what His Word means and how He wants us to pray and to act by the leading of His Spirit, that we want Him to correct us where we are wrong and lead us in the way that is right. God bless you as we pray for one another and for the peace of Jerusalem.Come to The Mountain! on Monday Nights for our ministry's weekly prayer for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room at First Southern National Bank on Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington. All are welcome. Call or write for details: 859-422-1794 Subscribe/unsubscribe by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ Order our Resources On-Line: http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/ Daily Archives: http://www.morningbymorning.injesus.com/