UPDATED: Terrorists in Gaza have escalated their war against Israel. Just today, more than 80 rockets, missiles and mortars have been fired from Gaza at civilian population centers in southern Israel. Israeli schools in the south have all been closed. Residents are being told to stay in or near their bomb shelters. “Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam brigades, took responsibility Wednesday for both a barrage of rockets unleashed against Israel since Tuesday night and the bomb that critically injured an IDF officer along the Gaza border on Tuesday,” reported the Jerusalem Post. “The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) took responsibility for the Gaza border bomb.”

Please pray and please mobilize your friends to pray for Israel, that Israel will turn to the Lord for protection and His rescue. Let us remember the prayer of the Israelite King Jehoshaphat. “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdom of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham, Your friend forever?….Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us….O our God, will You not judge them [our enemies]? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” (2 Chronicles 20:6-12)

“Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel…and he said, ‘Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s….You need not fight this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.” Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.’ Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.” (2 Chron. 20:14-18)

• Please pray for the one million Israelis that are living in fear of rocket attacks — pray that they and all Israel turn to the Lord for Him to deliver them.
• Please pray for peace and security to be reestablished, by God’s grace and mercy.
• Please pray for the Lord to give Israeli leaders wisdom to know how best to handle the situation.
• Please pray for the Lord to be gracious to innocent Palestinians living in Gaza to be safe from IDF efforts to stop the terrorists, as well as from the terrorists themselves.
• Please pray for God to bring those responsible for this terror to justice.
• Please pray for the believers in the epicenter to be able to love their neighbors, comfort and encourage them, and provide practical assistance, including humanitarian relief.
• Please also pray for The Joshua Fund team to have wisdom to know how best to help.

Thanks so much.