ELUL

THE MONTH OF ELUL

Wednesday August 31st begins the Hebrew month of Elul, the 6th month in the religious calendar and the 12th of the civil year. This is traditionally a month of self-examination and repentance before the Lord in preparation for the High Holy Days of Yom T'ruah (The Day of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah) and Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). As a call to this, it is customary in some Jewish circles to blow a blast on the shofar each morning (except the Sabbath) of this month. A further ancient practice is to recite Psalm 27each day from the First of Elul through the "Last Great Day" of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This wonderful psalm reaffirms our trust in the Light and Salvation of our LORD (vs. 1), the importance of seeking His face, dwelling in His presence and gazing on His beauty (vss. 4,8), our place of safety in His sukka and tent (vs. 5), and our utter dependence on Him to deliver us from our adversaries-including our own sin (vs. 12). It was during this month of Elul that Nehemiah finished rebuilding the Wall around Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6:15). We need to see this to be a time for inspecting our "walls," securing all breaches, all places of vulnerability along our 'borders'.

PLEASE PRAY:

*For revelation that it is the Lord's kindness (Romans 2:4b) that leads us to repentance; that many Jewish people will sense the Holy Spirit drawing them and will respond.

*For an awareness amongst believers that it is a time for examining and securing our spiritual borders.

*That the LORD release spiritual guidance and leadership upon His returned people in our day as He did for the returned remnant from Babylon (Ezra and Nehemiah). That He define Israel's physical borders (Psalm 147:14) and the lines of Jerusalem according to His desire, in such a way that Israel's enemies will "perceive was done by God" (Nehemiah 6:16). That He Himself become a "wall of fire around Jerusalem, and her Glory within" (Zechariah 2:5).