JPL January 26, 2024

The Jerusalem Prayer List – January 26, 2024

By Joseph Shulam

We are still deep in the mega-epic events of the Exodus, Passover, and the crossing of the Red Sea. How much of this story do we believe, take seriously, and celebrate?   

 I have watched the movie “THE TEN COMMANDMENTS,” made in Hollywood, with Charleston Heston as Moses more than once.  It is one of the hours-long epic movies produced by Hollywood.  I find this movie helpful in visualizing the details of the Exodus story, which contains every possible element of one of the greatest sagas of human experiences.  In the reading on this Shabbat in every Jewish Synagogue, we will be reading from the middle of the Exodus story—the celebration of God’s Passover of the homes of the Israelites through to the crossing of the Red Sea. Also included is the Song of Moses, which celebrates the joy and the victory of this actual “Independence Day” from the injustice and evil of Slavery and Tyranny upon a whole nation, motivated by selfishness, greed, and ignorance of God and His power!

This Shabbat’s reading:

The Torah Portion: Beshalach from Exodus 13:17 – 17:16. 

The reading from the Prophets: Judges 4:4 – 5:31.  

From the New Testament: Matthew 14:22-33.  

Just as a reminder for our readers – The first chapters of the book of Exodus start with the enslavement of the children of Israel because of Egyptian fears that they will turn against the Pharaoh and Egypt.  Pharaoh’s fear caused him to desire to destroy Israel and enslave them to build his dream cities of the dead. This group of enslaved people challenged the Pharaoh, the King and great ruler of Egypt, with another prince of Egypt—Moses, who was raised in the palaces of Pharaoh.  

The challenge is not only to Pharaoh but also to the gods of Egypt.  (  The Nile god has his river turned to Blood.  With the final plague, the royal family of Egypt and every Egyptian home have the firstborn son, the pride of every family, taken in the same night.  Israel, the group that Pharoah feared would join his enemies, witnessed the fall of Egypt’s pride.  The Israelite nation only wants out.  It wants freedom.   Pharaoh released these enslaved people and allowed them to walk away with the wealth of Egypt. The nation is finally “sent out” (the first word of this Torah reading Beshalach = “As He sent them out!”) 

The last plague, which occurs just before Pharaoh releases the children of Israel, is when every firstborn in Egypt, beast or man, dies on the same night.  Pharaoh begins to understand that it was not Moses and Aaron, his brother, who had the power to make the Plagues occur in Egypt.  The problems of Egypt come from the God of Moses and Aaron, the God of Israel.

Of course, as soon as this group of enslaved people leaves Egypt, Pharaoh repents for releasing the children of Israel.  He wants them back or dead!   Israel leaving Egypt was reconsidered by Pharaoh, and he decided to bring them back or destroy them in the Sea or Wilderness of Sinai.  The children of Israel took the wealth of Egypt by right. They made Egyptians wealthy by working for free as enslaved people for many years, building the cities of the dead in Egypt.  Pharaoh has lost his firstborn son, and he can’t allow these vagabond slaves to be free.  Pharaoh is losing his cheap labor and also his pride.

While all these emotions are working within Pharaoh’s heart and mind, the children of Israel are slaughtering young lambs, roasting and eating them, but eating standing up and quickly.  The Angel of the Lord passed through the whole land of Egypt, and firstborn children and the first-born animals died in the arms of their families.  

The Passover Feast is born on the very night that the firstborn of Egypt die.  The Passover feast becomes a model of the Salvation of Israel and the world.  The centerpiece of the Passover is the lamb!  The lamb was raised for a few days in an Israelite home and killed on the evening before the children of Israel left Egypt.

 Our Torah reading ends with a fascinating and exciting cycle that will repeat several times in Israel’s history. The biblical holidays of Passover, Purim, and Hanukkah (The feast of Dedication – John 10:22) are based on historical events that have the same paradigm: “They fear us, they hate us, they want to kill us, and God saves us, let us eat now and celebrate!”  The most exciting and important thing about the Passover historical event and the feast of the Passover is that it became an eschatological basis for the end-time victory of God’s people ( and good) over the forces of evil in the universe!  

The last universal event in the existence of this planet is the universal gathering of all the saints, the born-again followers of Yeshua gathering around the Great White throne.  All the saints are dressed in white, and the Lamb of God sits on the throne. Everyone sings two songs, The Song of Moses (Exodus 15) and the Song of the Lamb.   Both songs of victory and praise connect the end-time scene with the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt.  

The Apostle Paul commands the Church in Corinth, a mixed congregation of Jewish and non-Jewish Disciples of Yeshua, to celebrate the Passover. Paul explains that Yeshua is the Lamb of God that takes away the world’s sins.   Here is the text from 1 Corinthians 5:6-8:

 “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”   

My question for all our Christian brothers and sisters:  Why are we not all celebrating and participating in the Passover meal?  I read this text, and I see a command for the church,  all of the church, with these precise words: “Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”  

 The book of Revelation is built from the beginning to the end on the foundation of the Passover Feast and the Passover story.  The Devil and all his angels are cast into the sea of fire, just as Pharaoh and his army were thrown into the Sea of Fire!  

 Our Torah portion connects us with the Passover, which connects us to Yeshua, our Messiah.  Yeshua, our Messiah, joins us to the End of the World and Judgment Day.  From this, we learn a fundamental lesson to enrich our lives and reconnect our Christian brothers and sisters worldwide with the Passover narrative and a better understanding of the church’s relationship to Israel!  

Above all, we must prepare to sing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb together.  Just a reminder, dear brothers and sisters, we must see the biblical story from Genesis to Revelation as one story with two chapters: the complete revelation of God’s plan for His people who are all born again and redeemed by the Lamb of God that came to take away the sins of the world!  Amen!

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Your prayers for brothers and sisters whom you don’t know personally is a pure love and pure building of the Body of the Messiah.  It is really Agape Love since you are doing this without any selfish interests and casting a vote in heaven for someone who is your brother but you don’t know him or her, and God looks at these prayers that are unselfish and true expression of love and care for another link in the long chain of love and faith that binds us together even though we might not know each other in this world.  When we all get to heaven what a joy it will be to meet people that we prayed for and sometime even cried for brothers and sisters who are physically strangers, but spiritually a part of the same body of Christ that one day we will have the privilege to seat together and share: “I remember praying for you to be healed!”  “I remember praying for you to be safe when you were fighting in Gaza to free the hostages from the cruel hands of the terrorists of the Hamas in Gaza

Serious prayers for our war with Hamas to end soon and all the hostages to be returned safe and in one piece home to their loved ones!

Pray for our soldiers and especially for the soldiers that we know and appreciate: Yuda, Emanuel the son of Victor and Ayala, Amiel and Solomon and Ezekiel Intrater, Reuven and Clil Kovner, and any other children of Believers and of course for all of the men and women serving this country.  

I hate that our boys, the men of our congregation, still serve in the Army and most of them in reserves have to fight and use weapons and do war to protect the civilian population of Israel from terrorism driven by hate and blindness.  

Please pray for the Middle East and for the world to see and understand what the reality is here in this part of the world.  The lands that provided King David, the prophets, and Yeshua the Messiah – want peace with our neighbors. But they don’t want the hand that is stretched out in peace. They want to kill all the Jews and take their land, which is flourishing and a blessing for all the world, and make it a dump like their own place in Gaza and in the Arab countries. 

In Jerusalem pray for the following brothers and sisters who need divine grace and the gentle touch of the hand of God for healing and strength.

New Batya Segal is coping with treatments for lymphoma.  Please pray for her to be free of pain and free from fatigue.  Restoration of her health and freedom from cancer

Ilana Ahijervie, is a dear sister who is 98 years old and suffering from memory problems.

Please pray for our dear sister Lea Kurkey.

Sarit, a sister born in Jerusalem, over 88 years old, lives alone. Has no close family, and suffers from several old-age illnesses.

Please keep praying for Marcia Shulam my wife. Pray that Marcia’s memory will stop weakening, that her arthritis will be healed and stop being active, and her strength to return to where she can take more care of herself.  Please pray for Joseph Shulam, I had a biopsy of several overgrown lymph nodes in my chest and other internal parts. I am waiting for results which will be several weeks out. 

Also, ask prayer for me and my family and all the sick and needing healing and grace from our Heavenly Father! 

Your prayers for Alexander, Sarah, and Andrew, who were raised as believers and have left their faith behind, have been answered, the Divine Shepherd guided these members of the same family gently back to the fold, please keep praying for their general and spiritual welfare!

Pray for Adam’s father and mother, Barry and Dalia. They too have some health problems and challenges.

Pray for Miriam and Hannah her daughter. Miriam is a dear sister and has lost her husband recently.

Pray for Daniel S. and his children.

Our dear leader in the Ro’eh Israel congregation, Gary, and his health, and for his wife Melanie and their family.

Pray for Um Mahmud Abu-Eid and Jimmy Abu-Eid and all of the family. This is a dear family of old friends that needs healing and wisdom for the children and their work.

Please pray for the Romero family who live deep in the Negev desert. It is hot there and they are far from our congregation and we miss them.

Please pray for Shannon’s father, Michael McGoff, Michael had heart surgery and we need to pray for his full recovery.

Pray for brothers and sisters in the U.K.

We bless our dear sister Celestine with health and blessings from Heaven for her life and her family. We pray for the Lord to be her comfort and provide sister Celestine with all her physical spiritual and social needs with His grace.

Pray for Deborah Isaiah. I pray for the Lord to find Deborah Isaiah and lead her to a blessed life and family and a solution to her problems.

Pray for our dear brother Dennis D’Costa and his family, as they find their way and have a clear vision of what and where God wants them to live and serve and grow their family. Lord open the right doors for Dennis D’Costa and his family.

Pray for brothers and sisters in Australia

A dear friend from Hong Kong, Bonnie, asked that we pray for her brother who lives in Australia. Bonnie’s brother’s name is Ray Chen. Please mention the name Ray Chen and ask God to show this man the grace of God and God’s powerful healing of body and soul and restoration of faith and life of holiness and sanctity.

In Finland, we have some precious and dear brothers and sisters who need our prayers:

Pray Mauno Lemponen, he has been diagnosed with cancer in advanced stages.  We are asking for Gods Will to be done giving him healthy days with family. Prayers for Hilka, Miika and Ester who are supporting each other. 

Pray for Keijo and Salme, our dear partners and fellow workers in God’s flock. Both Keijo and Salme have some challenging heart issues.

Sipra, our dear sister in Nokia is a widow with some health issues.

Satu-Maria, Sinni Tuuli, Anne Mirjami, our dear sisters, and all our other brothers and sisters in Finland who need our prayers: Eva H., Patty, Andrea, Julia and Victor, Aaron Tani, and Hillel.

Please don’t forget to pray for the health of Kari Antilles in Finland. He is a dear brother and supporter in prayer for Netivyah for many years.

In Brazil

Pray for the congregations related to Netivyah in Brazil, to have the strength and stamina to face the challenges in front of them with courage and strength of faithfulness to the Lord, and the vision of the restoration of the church and Israel.

Pray for the millions of victims of the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition who have been forced to convert to the Catholic church, and now want to return home to the land of Israel and the faith of our fathers.

Pray for the state of Israel to open the doors for these lost Jews to be able to return and fulfill God’s promises to the prophet Ovadyah:

“But on Mount Zion, there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau, For the Lord has spoken. The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, And the Lowland shall possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim And the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead. And the captives of this host of the children of Israel Shall possess the land of the Canaanites As far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Shall possess the cities of the South. Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion To judge the mountains of Esau, And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” — Obadiah 1:17-21 [NKJV]

Pray for a dear young man, Paulo, from Curitiba, Brazil, who seriously needs our prayers for sanity and mental health.

Pray for Rita Sassai, from Vitória, ES.

Please pray for a dear sister with the name: Claudia Rita Souze Arau.  She has cancer and needs God’s healing hands to touch her with healing. 

Fatima Maria Docarmo Guimararaes - pray for her health and her granddaughters' twin babies.

Pray for Livia Schnell Nothen, she has some issues with her physical health and a growth in her adrenal gland. And other health issues.

Guilherme Antonio Nothen Becker is suffering from back problems.

Aratuza de Oliveira his wife. Pray for this 3-year-old child that has serious problems with his eyes and ask the Lord to give healing to his eyes. This child’s name is Caique de Oliveira Becker. 

Please pray for Bruno Henrique Cardoso Jr. for his studies and his health. 

A 70-year-old Pastor Paulo C. Pereira Braga Dias, is the father of a dear sister in Brazil and suffers from diabetes.

Pray for Roberto Morias, a dear brother who is going through heart surgery and an angiogram.

In Asia, we have several brothers and sisters who need our prayers.

Please pray for a dear 71-year-old sister called Bee Kim.  She lost consciousness on February 26, 2023. She has not regained her consciousness after a massive stroke.

Pray for pastor T.J. in Taiwan.

Brothers and sisters in China

Pray for Deborah Ruth a dear sister from China

Pray for sister Reiko Ishiida and Elder Takeo and his wife Tomoko from Tokyo, Dr. Yuizawa, Pastor Yushida, and his family.

Pray for Sister Yoko Nagumo in Japan.

In India, Pastor Isaac, from Chennai, needs our prayers. Pastor Isaac is suffering from kidney problems and has to have dialysis several times per week.

Tony Tam and his wife Luisa and son Marco need special prayer for their situation.

We continue to pray for Zhou Wenrian, the Abe family, Toru San, Yumi Ohara, and her family. Deborah Ruth, Ayla, and Daniel and their daughter. Dr. Song, and his wife Sister Harriet Kim.

Please pray for Ruby K. from Hong Kong. Ruby has gone through a very complicated surgery for multiple cancers in her body. The surgery was very long, and Ruby is back home now recovering. Please lift Ruby K. and ask the Lord to heal and deliver Ruby from Hong Kong.

Pray for family and friends and dear brothers and sisters in the United States of America.

Ray Jimenez from California is batteling leukemia. Pray for god to sustain him and his time with the family. update Troy Jr. is in the hospital in Roanoke VA. This is one of Beth's uncles. Continue to pray for improvement of his liver function and strength. We are hopeful he will transition to a rehabilitation center. Rabbi Levy had a Stroke in Dallas, please pray for doctors and his recovery.

Please continue to pray for the daughter of Bill Culwell, who is very sick with cancer she is receiving a second round of treatment.  Please pray for success and healing.

Jonathan Bernis is in a long six-month recovery from a liver transplant.  We thank God for this match.  Please pray for this new liver to function and provide much-needed function.  Please pray for Elisangela and the girls and also for the doctors and nurses who are attending our dear brother Jonathan Bernis. 

Andrew Huffines, has complications from long-term covid. 

Please pray for my family in the United States: Barry my son and his wife Beth, and for Joey my grandson. Pray for their divine protection and health.

Pray for Danah my daughter's health issues. I pray for the Lord to give Danah wisdom peace and calm in life and her work.

Pray for Noaam my granddaughter. She is working two jobs now and needs good health and wisdom to make the right choices and plans for life, education, immigration to Israel, and just general protection from all harm.

Pray for David Young the preacher in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, who is back to preaching after recovering from medical issues. Please keep David in your prayers.

Aaron Hook, Nancy Hook’s oldest son, needs our prayers for wisdom and healing from past issues of life.

Lift for blessing and healing Jonathan B. and his wife Aviva and their new baby, his mother, and his brother Daniel. Pray for these very important men of God: Rabbi Salt, his family, and Rabbi Hasselblad. They are both older and need protection and blessings.

Also, pray for Ilana Avramov who is married to my cousin Nissim and lives in New York City. Ilana has fallen and is now in rehab learning how to walk again. We pray for her full recovery. She and Nissim both need our prayers. 

Steve Mock - His cognitive condition has declined, and we ask for the grace of God and His Healing and strength.   Steve and Josie’s son Joseph- named after Joseph Shulam – has received a wonderful and glorious report.  After the last bone marrow transplant the report is that the doctors didn’t find any leukemia in his body!  Praise the Lord!

Pray for three women of God in Canada who need healing, Lynda, Sandy, and Joanne.

I am asking a special prayer for a dear brother and friend who is now doing greatly important work in a very dangerous and precarious part of the world. Just mention DadyLion in your prayers, and ask for divine protection and angelic accompaniment for this man of God. 

For updates or requests please email us at Prayer@netivyahinternational.org