As we once again celebrate the season of Passover, so remarkably interwoven with Easter, we are reminded of the blood of the Lamb, shed that we might not perish. This is a time of deep reflection, as we look back at God’s deliverance, trace the scarlet thread from Egypt to Calvary, and behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But this year, our gaze is drawn forward, not only to what He has done, but to what He has promised to do.
The world is groaning. The wars, the shaking, the deception, it all seems to be intensifying. Israel, the Jewish people, and the nations are caught in an unfolding drama that Scripture told us to expect. And yet, even amid chaos and grief, we are not a people without hope. We are watching prophecy come to life, and we are being invited to respond.
On our Prayer for Israel podcast, we recently sat down with Howard Bass and another very special guest, whose full story we’ll share soon. Without prompting, both were drawn to a moment of great prophetic significance in Matthew 23, where Jesus laments over Jerusalem and says:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
This isn’t just poetry, it’s a promise. The return of the Lord is tied to a heart-cry from the people of Israel. He will not come until they welcome Him. And now, we are seeing them return to their land in increasing numbers. The physical regathering is happening. But there is a deeper regathering that still must take place: the turning of hearts.
Are We Praying His Will or Our Own?
In times like these, the temptation is to pray reflexively, for peace, for safety, for an end to conflict. And while these are not wrong prayers, they are not always aligned with the deeper will of God. The Lord is allowing wars and shakings in our time, not because He is absent, but because He is at work. He is using global unrest to draw people to Himself.
If we are not careful, we may pray against the very things the Lord is using to awaken hearts.
We are called to a deeper kind of intercession, one that resists the emotional tides of the world and instead seeks the heartbeat of heaven. Jesus didn’t just say, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” We must learn to pray as those who live from another Kingdom.
Let us not be caught up in reactionary prayer, led by the news cycle, swayed by media narratives, or emotionally driven by the chaos around us. Instead, let us pray with spiritual clarity. The Lord’s cry is still:
“How often I wanted to gather your children together.”
That is His heart. That is His will.
Practical Steps: Preparing the Way for His Return
1. Evangelise without compromise.
Preach the Gospel boldly to everyone, including the Jewish people. In doing so, we align ourselves with God’s redemptive plan and participate in the great commission that precedes His return.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” — Matthew 24:14
2. Pray with prophetic insight.
Pray that the children of Israel would not only return to the land, but return to the Lord. That they would cry out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” This is the trigger of His return—not the peace treaties of man, but the cry of His people.
Pray that Israel would come under His protection, not just militarily, but spiritually. That they would rest beneath His wings, as Psalm 91 declares:
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”
3. Align your heart with His timeline, not the world’s headlines.
We are not merely observers of prophecy, we are participants. Let us not ask the Lord to work according to our comfort. Let us ask Him to shape our hearts according to His mission. His return is not delayed; it is precise. And we can hasten that day, not by striving, but by obeying.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise… but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” — 2 Peter 3:9
“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless… looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” — 2 Peter 3:14, 12
A Final Word
This Passover, as we celebrate deliverance, let us not forget the greater deliverance still to come. The Lamb who was slain is also the Lion who will return. And He is waiting for a people to cry, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
May we pray with that cry in our hearts. May we live with that hope on our lips. And may we not grow weary in doing good for the night is far spent, and the day is at hand.
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’” — Revelation 22:17
Come, Lord Jesus.
