|
A Pilgrimage to
Secure Boundaries
by Jack W. Hayford
“Lift
your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward,
southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see
I give to you and your descendants forever…Arise, walk in
the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
(Genesis 13:14b-15, 17)
My visit to
Israel at the end of 2002 marked the first time that I have ever
referred to one of our trips to the Holy Land as a “pilgrimage,”
but it was just that—a mandate
from the Lord to go and pray in Israel. We were
a group under God’s hands, joining in prayer with multitudes
also praying for the peace of Jerusalem. We knew somehow that our
actions in the invisible realm were pivotal, invoking through prayer
the rule of God Almighty. Never have I felt involved in a more significant
venture. Believers and secular people alike in Israel were deeply
moved by our visit.
We
went with a sense of mission to exercise the practice of prophetic
prayer, literally moving through the land to touch
the North, South, East, and West. As a prayer team, we built altars
at each of these boundaries of the nation, where we lifted up key
issues to be proclaimed over the land. These are the same issues
that need to be raised up over your life—kingdom principles
that apply to all of us.
In the South,
we built the Altar of TRUTH
(Psalm 119:165), praying that Israel will honor the Word; that the
Word be made alive—a veil removed to see more than words;
to see truth: “You shall know the truth and the truth
shall make you free” (John 8:32).
In the East,
we built the Altar of LIFE
(Ezekiel 37:9,14), praying that there would come an outpouring of
the Spirit according to Zechariah 12:10: “I will pour on Israel
the Spirit of grace and supplication, and they will look upon Me
whom they pierced.”
In the North,
we built the Altar of WORSHIP
(Zechariah 14:16-18), praying in intercession that all who worship
the Lord now in spirit and in truth would
become a token invoking further grace, including breaking the drought
in this land.
In the West,
we built the Altar of PRAISE
(Psalm 113:1-3), praying praise to drive back the darkness; praise
for what has begun; and praise that Israel’s boundaries not
only be secured but expanded in her mission to mankind.
I gained three
convictions from this divinely appointed visit to
Israel. First, the Spirit of prophecy
is ready to come upon people who will rise in faith,
obey with action, and work with discernment. Second, the
Spirit of life is breathing with force ready to
break down walls and bring salvation. Finally, the
Spirit of harvest is calling for a cadre of prayer
warriors who will resist the Adversary and contend for God’s
boundaries of intended blessing.
More than ever,
there’s reason for us as the people of the Lord to let
our hearts be quickened
with anticipation and stirred with a sense of accountable duty.
We are called to occupy until Jesus comes, and that responsibility
centers on intercessory prayer and a faithful life of service that
shows the love of God in everything we do. As the world faces uncertainty,
let us march forward in full confidence
that He has called us to action in prayer that will result in the
securing and expansion of boundaries of intended blessing in our
world and in each of our lives.
To be put
on our mailing list for the next Israel tour, please call us toll-free
at
(800) 776-8180 or send us an e-mail.
Copyright
© 2003 Jack W. Hayford, Jack Hayford Ministries, Van Nuys,
CA 91405
|
Jack
Hayford Ministries
14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405-2233