Returning to God, Repentance and accepting His Leading

  I hope you’re doing okay in these rough times. The days just after the Jewish New Year are, for Jews, a time of reflection. Returning to God is a theme, as they realize they need His forgiveness.

Of course, we know forgiveness comes only through Jesus Christ, & what He did on the cross. God says in Zech. 12:10 “They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced.” The Greek word for “look upon” is to trust and long for with reverence. This shows Jesus is God Himself. He prophesizes here about His death on the cross and that the Jews would one day trust in Him. The last 3 chapters of Zechariah are God speaking of His land, His people, etc..

Believers see Jesus as a friend & long for His coming. Tania, a Pakistani contact in my online ministry, shared how she talks to God for an hour or more at , pouring out her heart. She feels so alone at times - it’s a Muslim country, for one. If you feel that way, remember God hears and loves you. He wants you to see Him as a best friend – to look on Him with the same trust and love. After the rapture, once Jews realize Jesus is their true Messiah, and that the antichrist is a false messiah, they’ll understand Old Testament references to Him. They’ll long for His appearing as He judges the world.

Even now, Jews like my friend Paul Wexler and a couple others I know have trusted Jesus as Messiah by studying the Old Testament, so now they believe in the New Testament also. But, it’s vital to be friends and pray for and help Jewish people so they see we care. The church will never replace Israel. God promised Abraham – whom He called a friend – that He, God, is faithful.

God pledged in Gen. 12:1-3 to make a great nation from Abraham’s descendants. Then, in Gen. 15, God makes an unbreakable pact with Abraham. He proved it by going through a tradition used then. People made promises by cutting up sacrifices and laying them on two sides of a path. They set fire to them and passed between them. To pass between them meant you were bound to that promise. But, while God passed between them, He made Abraham fall into a deep sleep so he wouldn’t do the same. This meant only God has to keep His promises to the Jewish people. I’m sure Abraham was thankful,. Later Jews weren’t always. It didn’t matter, though. God was bound to His covenant, though He knew many would break it. It shows the truth of Bible verses like Rom. 5:8 “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” and 1 John 4:19, “We love Him because He first loved us.”

God’s friendship with His people lasts forever, just like His salvation. We are grafted in as His children. So, while we aren’t under the law, but under Grace – so we don’t have to obey the Mosaic law – we can learn from Jewish feasts and traditions.

Every day should be a day of prayer and friendship with God. Some days are hard since we have so many other worries. Things can seem overwhelming at times. If each of us prays, even quietly, we can see great things happen. People will turn to God when they see how He gives us peace, comfort, etc. in the midst of storms. Not everyone will, but some will.

We should pray for others’ protection, too, from all the bad things in this world now and to come in Revelation. Pouring our heart out to Him doesn’t have to be verbal – He knows our thoughts, after all. It just needs to be with a spirit of reliance. Like a baby relies on their mommy. We should ask Jesus if we should do certain things connected with our culture. This is so we are sure to reflect who Jesus is. Think of it this way: To show you’re a Buckeyes fan, wearing an Ohio State jersey is one way, right? Wearing a Michigan one does the opposite, though. Wearing a Packers jersey and Ohio State cap may be neutral. But, when one of my friends went with Rick – the huge Packer fan I’ve mentioned – to a Packer game in Wisconsin, he did hear someone notice his outfit and say how weird it looked. Some things in our culture go against God – we should look at lyrics we listen to and avoid certain ones, for instance. Some are neutral but could be a stumbling block for others. Jesus is that friend that lovingly tells us, “You know, that decision you’re thinking of making isn’t as good as this one.”

The point is, we can use this as a time of return for ourselves, too, & for truth to be revealed & believed & for all to choose God’s ways. Pray for a huge harvest of souls. Pray for God to provide for all young people to know and follow Him. This year has been very rough, I know, but it’s God we really want people to follow, not just the temporary things of this world. Pray for God to work in Israel, too, to protect them. He will bless those who bless Him.