POSTED 06 AUGUST, 2006

When Prayer Appears Insufficient:
The Ninth of Av

by Mark Huey
mark@outreachisrael.net

For nearly three weeks, the conflict in Israel has dominated the focus and prayers of the faithful who embrace their innate connection to the God of Israel. Everywhere one turns for information, another image or opinion is interjected into the mind. To me, the data overload is bewildering as one tries to discern facts from wanton propaganda. After all, the most prominent views receiving the greatest media circulation are primarily from people who are attempting to explain the Middle East crisis without understanding its spiritual dimensions. Instead, they rely upon their brilliant natural minds seeking solutions or explanations that do not acknowledge the hidden forces at war. According to 1 Corinthians 2:14, spiritual appraisal or examination is lacking in such people:

“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

Regrettably, this tends to obfuscate the shrouded realities of unseen powers and principalities at war with each other that exist beyond visible perception:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

As a result, questions tend to outweigh answers. Justifiably, it is times like this that intercession and specific supplications should dominate the thoughts and prayers of people who place their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Undoubtedly, it has and should continue.

However, the results of persistent prayers are not necessarily tangible. They are infrequently reported by those seeking ratings. Seemingly miraculous answers do not receive the rapt attention that falling projectiles built to destroy, maim, and kill their helpless victims do. Let’s face it: torn flesh and blood stained objects are images that grip the fearful emotions of spectators from any distance, no matter what their spiritual inclination. If a visual medium wants to maintain high viewership, or influence its audience for whatever purposes—then the bloodier the better—notwithstanding the appropriate viewer discretion disclaimers to protect weaker eyes and stomachs.

Without a doubt, the forces of darkness that inspire the purveyors of terror understand this aspect of human nature, and have exploited it for millennia. Fear is a great motivator, but on the other hand, so is reward. If you can instill fear in a people, while at the same time dangling a reward in front of an opposing people, the formula for conflict is established. Is it possible that the world is witnessing yet another attempt to discourage, if not destroy the Jews of Israel? Was it merely a coincidence that this current conflict began in earnest around the Seventeeth of Tammuz on the Jewish calendar? Is this not the beginning of the three week period known as bein ha’metzarim or “between the straights” that commemorates, among other things, the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem prior to the destruction of the First Temple on the Ninth of Av in 586 B.C.E.? Is history simply repeating itself, or is it possible that the foes of Israel want to use every psychological advantage they have to dishearten them?

Before the advent of the mass communication age that brought the world technological marvels like cinema, television, and the Internet, one consistent strategy employed by the enemies of Israel was to choose a significant date to execute their destructive ploys. Without listing all of the horrific things that have happened to Israel on the Ninth of Av, suffice it to say the spiritual forces that oppose the God of Israel have traditionally used this date to execute many nefarious deeds. As a consequence, many faithful Jews have altered their lifestyle during this three week period down through the ages. A fast on the Seventeenth of Tammuz that culminates with another fast on the Ninth of Av has been one of the most consistent traditions of the Jews. This year is no different.

The fast of the Ninth of Av commences at sundown on Wednesday, 02 August lasts for a twenty-four hour period. For Jews around the world, this will be a solemn day as the world is seeking a lasting peace that will not come until the Messiah rules from Mount Zion. Fueled anew by Islamic-fascism’s violent actions engulfing the region, much opinion is turning its anti-Semitic hatred toward Israel from many different quarters—blaming the Jews for the lack of peace, and by extension all the ills of the world. This is a vile and wicked thing for non-Jewish Believers who have been grafted into the olive tree of Israel, by belief in the atoning work of the Jewish Messiah Yeshua, to witness (Romans 9-11).

It is at times like this that for me, prayers appear insufficient. Answers to innumerable questions are vaguely discernible as the sounds and clouds of war obscure one’s hearing and seeing. So in light of the tradition that has bolstered the Jewish people down through the centuries, I will be praying and fasting along with the Jews on the Ninth of Av. Identifying with the visible remnant of Israel is just one small way I can support my Jewish brethren. Maybe, if I deny myself for a day in concert with those who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I will be able to better strategically pray for what is happening right now. If nothing else, perhaps being quiet will allow me to just hear the Father’s voice above the din of humanity!

Until the restoration of all things…

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.