News & Prayer Points: May 2020
Consider these prayer points as springboards into deeper prayer and intercession.
“They shall dwell in the land I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children and their children’s children, forever.” Ezekiel 37:25
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The Worldwide COVID-19 Virus Pandemic
We pray Psalm 91 for all believers in Jesus Christ wherever they are in the world. We pray that the crisis will bring the unsaved to repent of their sins and come to know their Lord and Saviour.
Israel lockdown restrictions easing
- The lockdown restrictions in Israel are beginning to be eased. As of 30th April there have been 15,870 cases of COVID-19 virus, 8,412 have recovered and 219 have died. Many Israelis have ignored the lockdown instructions especially during Passover.
Israel's Government
Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit has given the green light to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next government despite significant misgivings regarding the bribery indictment pending against him.
A maximum expanded 11-panel bench of the High Court of Justice led by Chief Justice Esther Hayut will make the final decision in the first week of May following hearings on Sunday and Monday on that issue and on controversial changes to the Basic Laws that are part of the Likud-Blue and White coalition deal.
Mandelblit's opinion to the High Court comes after Blue and White called on the High Court to let Netanyahu remain as prime minister due to the coronavirus crisis and to avoid unprecedented fourth elections.
More children live below the poverty line in Israel than in Mexico
Israel has more children living under the poverty line than Mexico. Tefilla Buxbaum, spokeswoman for Yad Ezra v’Shulamit one of the largest food distribution organizations in Israel, says that when she shares that statistic, people simply don’t believe her. Yet, for a third of Israel’s children, approximately 800,000 of them, hunger is a daily challenge.
World Jewry numbers
Tuesday, 21 April 2020 | The number of Jews in the world currently stands at 14 million, according to data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics [CBS]. The current number of world Jewry in 2020 matches that of 1925, but is still short of the pre-World War II figures.
According to the CBS, there were 14.7 million Jews at the end of 2018, just shy of the 14.8 million there were in 1925, but still significantly fewer than the 16.6 million that were on the eve of World War II in 1939.
The 6.7 million Jews who live in Israel now account for 45% of the world Jewry. Of them, 5.2 million were born in Israel while the rest were born in either Europe or in the Americas, about 293,000 in Africa and 164,000 in Asia.
The United States has the second-largest Jewish population in the world with 5.7 million, followed by France with about 450,000, Canada with 392,000, the United Kingdom with 292,000, Argentina with 180,000, Russia with 165,000, Germany with 180,000 and Australia with some 116,000 Jews.
The Sea of Galilee
On 30th April the level of the Sea of Galilee stood at 208.93 metres below sea level – just 13 centimeters (5 inches) below the Upper Red Line (full). A canal has been dug to allow water to flow into the Jordan river instead of opening the Degania Dam should the level approach or go over the Upper Red Line.
Prayer points
- Pray that the new government will serve the people well and be free from corruption.
- Pray that the new government will have a heart for those who are needy and will extend more social help and care to these people, especially the hungry children.
- Pray for the Lord’s provision for all those families who are now in financial difficulty having lost their jobs because of the virus.
- Pray for protection from the virus especially those with underlying medical conditions who are vulnerable. Pray for healing for those who have contracted Covid-19.
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:1-4
Acknowledgement: These prayer points have been consolidated from a number of sources including Prayer Letters and Newsletters originating in God’s Land.