The final month on the Hebrew calendar, Adar, is upon us. The meaning of this name is strength, and it speaks of the way that God want us to finish the year. To do this, we must be on the watch for what is happening around us. God wants us to see things from His perspective. The Word of God should be our guide to guard over our futures. The events of Adar in the book of Esther demonstrate the importance of the watchman anointing.
 
In one of the capitals of the Persian empire, a place called Susa, their lived Jewish families who had been deported by Babylon. Having lived there for over 100 years, the Jews had been able to independently run businesses and hold positions in government. Esther's cousin, Mordecai, had an official position among the Jewish captives that required him to be around the king's palace frequently. He developed the skill of watching and listening to what was going on around him.
 
In the seventh year of King Xerxes reign over the kingdom, Esther became queen of the empire. As a palace official, Mordecai was able to station himself at the king's gate. His watchman anointing became particularly important as he overheard two of the king's eunuchs plotting the death of their king. Mordecai revealed this plot to Esther, who passed the information to the king. Those who plotted evil were executed. The watchman anointing continued to help Mordecai save his people from death that was being plotted by the king's second in command, Haman.
 
Haman's hate for the Jews compelled him to plan for their destruction. By lot, Adar 13th was selected as the day when the Jews were to be annihilated. Knowing the plan, Mordecai asked Esther to appear before the king and plead for mercy. For anyone who approached the king uninvited, death was the decree. Confident of God's protection for his people, Mordecai reminded Esther of this:  "If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14) Esther musters up the courage to approach King Xerxes, tells him the entire story, and the Jews are given permission to kill all those who would come against them on the very day that they were supposed to be destroyed. The triumph of the Jews over evil is still celebrated on the anniversary of their planned destruction. (Adar 14 and 15)
 
Scripture points out the importance of watching. This is a skill that the Body of Christ needs to develop. What a perfect time to do that during Adar! Let us look at some of the Scriptures:

• Isaiah 52:8 - "Listen! Your watchman lift up their voices; together they shout for joy." Those who watch can spread the good news of redemption of God coming near.
• Habakkuk 2:1 – “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look and see what He will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint." Habakkuk felt comfortable asking God questions. Through watching and waiting he gained greater understanding and faith.
• Ezekiel 3:17 & 33:7 - "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give warning for me." God appointed some of His prophets to watch over Israel for Him. Ezekiel was such a man.
• Psalm 145:20 - "The Lord watches over all who love Him..."
• Nehemiah 11:19 - "Akkub, Talmon, and their associates, who kept watch at the gates - 172 men." It is most important to watch over our spiritual gates to assure that there will be no entry for evil demons.

 
Everyone who calls himself a Christian has a call to watch and guard their lives and that of our loved ones. Our assignment for this month of Adar is to listen carefully for the Lord's instructions and watch over His Word that we might guard our gates and encourage the Body of Christ with directions that lead us into more intimacy with Him. If we ask for an increase in the watchman anointing, I am sure He will give it to us.

​The word rubble was used by the Old Testament prophets to describe what was left of towns that were being overtaken by the enemy. When Nehemiah and the Jews returned to Jerusalem and attempted to rebuild the city walls, they were harassed by Sanballat, an official of a surrounding nation who was angry at the progress they were making. His words were meant to ridicule and discourage them. He shouted, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Can they bring the stones back to life from these heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” (Nehemiah 4:2)
 
This story came to my mind when I read the news about the birth of a baby girl under the rubble of the earthquake in northern Syria. A 7.8-magnitude quake hit parts of Turkey and Syria on February 6. In the town of Jinderis, Syria, an entire family, except the pregnant mother, was killed when their five-story apartment building came down on top of them. Ten hours after the quake, search and rescue teams heard the sound of a baby crying and dug her out of the rubble. What they found was amazing! Apparently, the baby's mother, Abu Hadija, gave birth to her while conscious and still buried in the rubble. Abu died before rescuers found her. The child was discovered with the umbilical cord still connected to her mother. Destruction and rubble would not stop the birth of this baby.
 
She was taken to the hospital cold and barely breathing, with her body covered in bumps and bruises. However, she is recovering and has been aptly named Aya, meaning "a sign from God." Indeed, this is a sign from God that new life can come from the rubble around us, whether physical or spiritual. With death and destruction everywhere, God demonstrated His mercy and love in the birth of a child who will be part of the next generation to rebuild life.
 
Processing great losses such as have occurred in Turkey and Syria is not easy. However, we can be encouraged by the stories of loss and recovery in the Bible. Job is one such story. Job's faith and trust in God was strong throughout an extremely difficult season. He had a proper perspective on the sovereignty of the Lord though in one day, he lost his livestock, his children, and their home. Yet, Scripture says, "At this Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.'" (Job 1:20-21) Job endured more losses and trials until God restored his prosperity and "gave him twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10)
 
There is a multitude of people in Turkey and Syria who do not know the Lord. I am sure they are overwhelmed with shock and trauma from all of the death and loss that came with the earthquake. How can we help? Of course, there is a great financial need. There are Christian organizations on the ground in the region now who can use support. Most of us cannot physically travel to the Middle East to help, but we can pray. Our prayers for individuals to get the assistance that they need along with the love of Christ can change lives. Let us remember that God is the God of redemption and that He will use this situation to introduce Himself to those who are lost without Him. Perhaps He has already shown Himself to baby Aya and that one day she will be able to testify to the love of the One True God. Let's pray to that end.

Most of the prophets in the Old Testament wrote about a remnant in Israel who would return to the Lord after turning their backs on Him. Micah is one of them. "The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many people like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man. The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations in the midst of many peoples..." (Micah 5:7-8)
 
On Wednesday, February 1, there was a remnant of congress people (16) who met before dawn in the Museum of the Bible. Their unique gathering was called "The National Gathering of Prayer and Repentance." Almost 60 individuals from different nations, organization, and political districts met to humble themselves and seek God's face. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Majority Leader, Steve Scalise led those who came from Congress. The event, co-hosted by president of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, and Pastor Jim Garlow, included Anne Graham Lotz, Ambassador Sam Brownback, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, former congresswoman Michele Backman, and 19-year-old Jacob Kersey, the young man who resigned from the Georgia police department after coming under fire for posting a Bible verse about marriage.
 
As they prayed, many confessed our sins and asked God for wisdom. Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL) humbly asked God to intervene and deliver us from going our own way and thinking our own thoughts. She cried out, "Help us to acknowledge our need of You, our need to weep and mourn over our pride, our immorality, child abuse, and idolatry. Draw us back to You and to Your Word." Representative Daniel Bishop (NC) prayed, "We repent for acquiescing in the status quo. Forgive us for our lack of courage, our resignation, our cynicism, our hopelessness, our narrow self-interest, and ambitions. Forgive us for making our government an idol and then for turning a blind eye as its instrumentalities have accumulated power and turned it against the humanity, the dignity, and the rights with which You endowed the people."
 
Leader Steve Scalise read from Psalm 33. In this psalm we are told to sing a new song to the Lord. It continues:  "For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love...Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people revere Him...Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance...But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in You."  
 
Truly, the Lord is the only hope for our nation. I am sure He heard the prayers of the remnant who met at the Bible Museum. We must join in their prayers of confessions and repentance to our God. We must pray for the fear of the Lord to fall upon the people of the United States of America and that all of us would revere Him. 

​Tragedy struck in Israel last week! A 21-year-old Palestinian man planned to attack Jewish families as they exited their synagogue in Jerusalem. Seven Israelis were killed and three injured by this young man. Since that attack videos and photos showing Palestinians celebrating these murders have been played around the world. Tensions are high as we see that violence against innocent people seems to be the new normal.
 
United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken traveled to Israel and expressed his administration's views on how to advance peace. He suggested that improving the daily lives of Palestinians in the "West Bank" and Gaza and realizing a two-state vision would do so. My opinion is that these suggestions are like putting a small band-aid on a large, open wound.
 
There is a root issue that is being ignored as we try to solve the problem of growing violence in communities all around the world. At the risk of oversimplifying this problem, I want to share a deeper issue that has grown over the years and has created a huge void in the lives of young people. It seems to me that many of the young people in our society are part of a lost generation. They are in desperate need of families who bless and impart to them a sense of purpose, identity, and destiny for their lives. God's plan is to bless every child born on the earth. Ephesians 1:3 says it well:  "Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because He sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate Him with all our hearts!" (TPT)
 
Who is affirming the call and sense of destiny that our children have through Christ? Terry and Melissa Bone authored a book called The Power of the Blessing. They ask, "How do our heavenly blessings get transported to earth?" The answer:  "Through words! Words we speak are vehicles that transport spiritual blessings from heaven to earth. They transform the promises of God from potential in heaven to power on earth."
 
In the Jewish culture, when a child turns13 there is a ceremony to mark their transition into maturity and to bless them on their next stages of life. This ancient rite of passage is called bar mitzvah for boys and bat mitzvah for girls. Family and friends and leaders of their synagogue join together to celebrate the child and impart blessings to them. The key is to affirm them in the call on their lives, to give them a sense of purpose, and to assure them that they are loved and supported.
 
I cannot help but wonder:  If all the cultures in the world adopted this form of blessing for their teenagers, would it not make a difference in their self-esteem and sense of purpose, and in the way they integrate into society? Such an encouraging life event for these young people might completely change the way they think.  We might see the manifestation of love and peace instead of hate and violence. For children who are missing parents, and even for those who have them, this could be a place where the Church steps into the gap and implements a blessing time for the young ones in their care. We must sow into the next generation! Without our doing so, we will have a lost one that cannot find their God-given purpose on earth.