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I was wide awake about 4 o'clock yesterday morning, 13th March, and then I sensed that God was speaking to me. He was urging me to write a call to people to prayer and fasting for the deliverance of Israel and the salvation of Muslims. Something is going to happen but God wants us to stand together with him, like Esther and Daniel.

God's Time Frame Moved by Moses
1. GOD's time-frame: 400 years ---> 430 years
God told Abraham that his descendants would be strangers and ill-treated in a foreign land for 400 years and then they would be released (Genesis 15:13). In fact, the Israelites were released at the very end of 430 years (Exodus 12:41). Do you think Abraham might have misheard from God?

2. Moses misunderstood God's heart and timing
It was the 390^th year since the Israelites had moved to Egypt when Moses killed an Egyptian and fled to the Median desert. He stayed there 40 years and then God called him to deliver his people. It must have been around the 430^th year (390 + 40). It looks like God's time frame was delayed for 30 years, even though God had told Abraham it would be 400 years.

3. Moses was not ready until 50 years old
God must have been stirring Moses about the deliverance of his people (Exodus 3:11-12 ) but it wasn't the right time yet and Moses wasn't ready. Moses tried in his own strength but not God's. It seemed that God gave notice Moses to prepare himself for ten years from 40 years old to 50 years old. The 50^th year is a very significant Biblical principle, although it hadn’t been introduced yet: it is the year of Jubilee. Every slave was to be released, every debt cancelled, every land restored to it’s original family line. I believe that God actually wanted to release the Israelites after 400 years, when Moses was 50 years old.

God's Time Frame Moved by Daniel
1. God's Time Frame: 70 years ---> 69 years (or 68)
Jeremiah prophesied about Israel's future before her captivity. The Babylonians would come to take them to Babylon as captives and they would stay there for 70 years, but after 70 years he would surely bring them back to their land (Jeremiah 29:10). In fact, the first group returned to Jerusalem 537 B.C., which means they came back 69^th year (or 68^th year). Did God make a mistake in counting years?

2. Daniel Understood God's heart and timing
Most people forgot God's promise and lived in despair or adjusted to their new life in Babylon. Yet Daniel understood God's heart and his timing about the 70 years captivity through God's words that Jeremiah had spoken. When he realised, he turned to the Lord and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. Daniel could have done a political campaign and recruiting Jews to fulfil God's promise with their own strength and strategies but he pleaded with God and reminded him of his promise and he repented on behalf of his people. (God also used Joseph, Nehemiah and Esther while they were in similar influential positions in society but they sought God first and were led by God in practical out-working)

3. Daniel's Prayer and Fasting changed God's time-frame: 70 years to 69 years (or 68)
God told Jeremiah the Jews would be in captivity in Babylon for seventy years. It didn't mean it would happen automatically when the 70th year came, as Moses experienced with the 400 years. God is seeking the right person, and that person properly prepared, to be ready to fulfil his prophecy. Daniel was taken to Babylon as a captive 606 (or 605) B.C. The Persian king Cyrus released the Jews to build the temple of God in Jerusalem 537 B.C. It means that the captivity took 69 (or 68) years. It was shorter than God had said.

4. Daniel's Prayer and Fasting connected and fulfilled the prophecies
Isaiah prophesied about king Cyrus about 160 years before he was born, even his name and what he was going to do so accurately (Isaiah 44:28-). Also Jeremiah prophesied before their destruction about the returning of Judah from their 70 years' captivity (Jeremiah 29:10). These two prophecies were fulfilled through Daniel's action of prayer and fasting (Daniel 9:2-3, 2Chronicles 36:22-23). Daniel’s fervent intercession not only had hastened the day of returning to Jerusalem but also had brought about the fulfilment of God's prophecies. Even now, other prophecies have been waiting for someone's action of prayer and action for Israel and the nations.

For example: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: 'The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.' ” (Romans 11:25-27)

PALACE to PRISON
1. Palace Closed them up but Prison Opened them up
Moses and Daniel were both brought up in palaces. But they didn't understand God's heart and his timing in the palace. In other words, it is very difficult for us to understand God's heart in our palace life because we, generally, are too busy or too lazy to pay attention to God. Quite often, amazingly, we understand God's heart and his timings through the prison life. Moses' 40 years palace life imprisoned him and his mind was closed up but during his 40 years desert life, that looked like a prison, living with father-in-law, his mind was opened up in the desert. Daniel was probably brought up as royal family in a palace before the destruction of Jerusalem but he became a captive in Babylon and he understood God's words while he was in captivity.

2. Esther lived in Palace but put herself into Prison
Esther could have lived in the Palace happily but she understood the situation and God’s heart through Mordecai. She had to decide whether she would stay in the palace or put herself into prison, or even death. She made her mind to put herself into prison for three days and was ready to die in order to obey God's heart.

3. God sees tears and listens to prayers, changes his mind & his timing
When Joshua was fighting against the Amorites, he asked the Lord to make the sun and moon stand still. They stood still until the Israelites avenged themselves on their enemies for about a full day (Joshua 10:12-13).

When king Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed, God extended his life for 15 years, God changed his time frame with the sign of moving the shadow back ten steps (2 Kings 20:2-11, Isaiah 38:2-8).

When Jesus' mother came to told him that the wine was run out, he said his time hadn't yet come. But he listened to Mary and water turned into wine through the servants' obedience (John 2:3-4).

I am sure God has got his own time-frame with his plans but he changes his mind through our sincere prayers and fasting. Although he has got his own time-frame with prophecies, it doesn't work automatically but he wants us to work it out with him here on earth through prayers and practical action.

4. Prison life: 40 years, 21 days, 3 days
Moses fled to a prison and lived for 40 years until he was ready. Although Daniel lived in a palace now in Babylon, he put himself into a prison of prayer and fasting for 21days to fulfil God's promise. Esther put herself into a prison of fasting for three days in order to deliver her own people and to fulfil God's purpose.

An Open Prison Invitation: Cooperative Action
Esther fasted with her maidservants and she asked her own people to join with her. Therefore I urge you to join in this prison life for the deliverance of the Jews and for the salvation of the Muslims in our days. I don't know what is going to happen through these 3 days fasting and prayer but I know God is looking for a man and woman like Daniel and Esther, to stand with God here on earth to fulfil his desire and longing according to his plan and purposes.

When the Israelites were released from Egypt, many other peoples came with them (Exodus 13:38). When the Jews were rescued from Haman's plot, many of the people of the land became Jews (Esther 8:17b). The reason why they joined is they saw the living God's awesome works in action. Many people will return to the Lord through the deliverance of the Jews (Israel) and the salvation of Muslims because they will see the living God's awesome works.

Shalom!

Qday LEE

on behalf of the FORGE team

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