A table in the presence of my enemies (Ps 23:5)

This is the third day of the war with Iran. There were two waves of attacks from Iran on Friday evening and two more during the night. On Shabbat during the day it has been quiet, but there has been another wave in the evening and another early this morning. Each wave of attacks brings tension, fear, destruction and also often death. How do I stand in this as an intercessor and what has happened to me these days?

On Friday evening I went to a shared Shabbat meal with a group of Messianic believers here from Arad. There was a very good atmosphere with God's presence in our midst. During the meal we had two air raids. With some we went up on the roof to pray from there over the city of Arad and over the land of Israel. It was very powerful, also to see the “game” of rockets and areal defense missiles in the sky. I do go to these Shabbat meals often, but I have never seen so much food together as this time and so delicious too! It was truly Psalm 23 verse 5 in practice:

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over.

There are probably people, wondering what I am doing on top of the roof of a house during a missile attack from Iran. I try to ask at every alarm: Abba, where shall I go: to the safe room or to a place with a view to praise and intercede? I know, that I am safe, if I am in God's will, so I seek that above all else! And I also really experience, that God is using me as an intercessor these days. I am here for a reason.

On Saturday morning, after a somewhat broken night with two air raid sirens (I was able to get back to sleep miraculously fast, thank God!) I woke up at 8:15am to what I thought was another air raid siren. I got up to go to the safe room again, when I felt in my mind a ‘tap on my shoulder’. I had not asked Abba, what to do. So I asked at that moment, and I received very clearly in my heart, “Stay here.” So I sat down behind the piano and started praising. And Abba led me in half an hour of intense praise and intercession, particularly asking, that He would pour out His Spirit on Israel. Later I looked on my phone and there was no alarm in sight (the air raid sirens sometimes come in on your phone, sometimes on the city's system and sometimes on both). And anyone I asked about it at that time didn't hear an alarm either. I was woken up to praise!

Saturday afternoon we gathered again with part of Friday night's group for a shared meal (Friday's leftovers) and a time of praise and testimonies. Eventually the idea of going into the desert came up. The seven of us got into the jeep of one of the group and took a very nice, cool trip through the desert. At one of the places, where we stopped, we also had a time of praise. Someone had a harp with her. She played it and I sang from my heart and from the psalms. It was a very special time of praise and intercession for Israel, Iran and the whole Muslim world.

Last night, when I was just about to fall asleep there was an alarm. Even though the attack was minimal here in Arad (not in other parts of the country!!!), I was awake and so took an extended time of praise and prayer. This time I did not specifically feel God's presence or guidance, but rather a heaviness. Finally, I went back to sleep. When I woke up this morning and read the news about the deceased, a wave of grief and mourning came over me. So I sat down at the piano and started singing about God's unconditional love for us. In the song Reckless Love, which I sang, it says that God fights until we are found. I feel that God is fighting in these days to reconquer the heart of Israel. Even all the grief, that Israel is going through right now is part of that fight. Grief makes our hearts more accessible, softer. And God wants to be able to love Israel's heart again, just as He wants to love ours.

As an intercessor, much of what God shares with me goes through my own emotions. Sometimes that is quite intense. I am very grateful to be here right now. I feel privileged. I experience that God is using me. And as I also wrote in my previous update: I am in shalom. At the same time it is challenging, it asks a lot of me and I really do not always feel strong. So I am also so grateful for so many people, who pray for me and show their support. That is really a great encouragement! Thank you so much!