Avinu Shebashamayim Prayer For The State of Israel

We are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Have you ever wondered how to do this or what to pray for? Right now is a wonderful time to pray for the State of Israel. The link will take you to a site so you can read the prayer both in English and in Hebrew. At the very end of the page is the transliteration of the Hebrew and when you read those English letters you will be saying the Hebrew words.

The prayer for the government is a biblical prayer, and is read during the Saturday morning service on Shabbat. The concept of praying for the wellbeing of the government was started in 586 B.C.E. by the prophet Jeremiah after the first expulsion from Jerusalem. Seeing as the Jewish people could not govern themselves, they implored God to guide their foreign rulers. David Abudarham first introduced this prayer into the modern siddurim (prayer book) in the 14th century. Jews have adopted different prayers for the governments of the countries in which they live. The prayer is read aloud after the Torah reading, but before the Torah is placed back into the ark. This blessing asks God to guard the proceedings of the government and the nation’s leaders.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/govprayer.html
Sources: Eisenberg, Ronald L. The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions. PA: Jewish Publication Society, 2004; "Praying the Welfare of the State of Israel"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4mQPigRpRU

Avinu Shebashamayim

God in heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, 

bless the State of Israel, 

the first flowering of our redemption. 

Shield it with Your love, spread over it Your canopy of peace; 

provide light and truth to its leaders, 

and direct them with Your good counsel.

Strengthen the hands of those who defend our Holy land, 

deliver them and crown their efforts with triumph. 

Bless our land with peace, O God, 

and its inhabitants with lasting joy, and let us say, Amen.

Avinu Shebashamayim tzur yisrael v'goalo 

bareich et m'dinat Yisrael reishit tzmi'chat g'ulateinu.

Hagein aleha b'evrat chasdecha 

ufros aleha sukkat sh'lomecha;

ush'lach orcha vaamitcha l'rosheha sareha v'yoatzeha,

v'takneim b'eitza tova milfanecha.

Chazeik et y'dei m'ginei eretz kadsheinu,

v'hanchileim Eloheinu y'shuah, v'ateret nitzchon t'atreim;

v'natata shalom ba'eretz, v'simchat olam l'yoshveha.

He Turned Aside To Investigate

A Thought for the Week:

When Moses saw the burning bush, he turned aside to investigate. Only then did the Holy One reveal  Himself to Moses. Our problem is that we do not take the time to turn aside and investigate. We all intend to grow spiritually. We all imagine that one day, we will take time to study, take time to grow in Torah and the Word, to do a mitzvah (commandment), a good deed, by more like Yeshua and to pray regularly. But you can’t take good intentions to the grave. A famous rabbi once said, “Do not say to yourself, ‘When I have more time, I will study God's Word more. Perhaps you will not have more time.’”  Do not say, when I have more time, I will turn aside, you might not have more time.  

Taken from First Fruits of Zion at www.ffoz.org

Here are some traditional Jewish morning prayers that you can pray to help you start your day communicating with God for the day.

The Hebrew transliteration is first and the English follows. By reading the transliteration you are reading the pronunciation of the Hebrew words. 

Modah Ani|Prayer Upon Arising

Modah ani l’faneycha, (ruacḥ chai vekaiyam,) melech chai vekaiyam, shehechazarta bi nishmati bechemla, rabbah emunatecha.

I give thanks to You, living and eternal King, that you have mercifully 
returned my soul within me in compassion, great is your faithfulness.

Yotzer Hame’orot|Blessing for the Morning
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu. Melech ha’olam, yotzer or uvorei choshekh, oseh shalom uvorei et ha’kol. Baruch atah, Adonai, yotzer hame’orot.

Blessed be He, Adonai, Our Elohim, King of the universe, who forms light and creates darkness, who makes peace and creates all things. Blessed be He, ADONAI, who forms the lights. Blessed be you, Adonai our Elohim, King of the Universe, who removes sleep from mine eyes, and slumber from mine eyelids.

Yirat Adonay Fear Of Hashem
Reishit chokhmah yrat Adonay, sekhl to lekhol oseihem, tehillato omedet la’ad. Baruch shem kevod malkhuto le’olam ve’ed.

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Adonai. Those who perform His commandments have a good understanding; His praise endures forever. Blessed be the Name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever.

Do You Respect The Bible?

In Messianic Judaism God's Word is highly respected. We don't put our Bibles on the floor and when the Torah scroll is carried around the room we reach out and touch it with either our Bible, or our hand and then kiss that which touched the Torah scroll. We don't do this to worship the Bible or the Torah, but instead we do it to show respect to Yeshua who is the Word!
Can you image not having a Bible in your possession? I have too many of them, I do study from all of them at different times since they are all different versions. To think of only having one Bible and getting one for the first time in my life as an adult.... What a treasure that would be to me.
I have seen preachers throw their Bibles on the ground during a service which I cannot image what they are thinking. Yes, the Bible is a book but it is what is in the that book that is important. It is respect for not only Yeshua who gave His life for us, but also for our creator, God, who loved us enough to send us His Son.
I'm guilty of not reading my Bible everyday and like many of you I've gone through times where I did read it everyday for a long stretch of time, but I can't think of a single reason why I would not or could not read my Bible everyday, or at least turn on a recording of the Word, but after seeing this, I will strive to be more disciplined to read my Bible everyday so that I will have more and more of the Word in my heart.
Tons of reasons to read our Bibles, but what I think of more and more is that one day we may have our Bibles taken from us and I wonder how much of it will I really have hidden in my heart so that I will not sin against God when that time comes. I have several notebooks that I have just sat and copied the Bible into at different times in my life which I always think is a good plan because if my Bibles are ever taken from me, I will still have a copy of the Word in what will look like just a journal.

Have you ever thought what you would do if your Bibles were ever taken from you and if so what is your plan to keep God's Word in your heart if that were to happen?