This Sunday, September 29, marks the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah, and the beginning of the holiest portion of the Jewish calendar known as the Days of Awe.
This year we have been responding to a call from God to pray through the 40 day Hebrew repentance season of Teshuvah which began August 30. For the first ten days, from August 30 to September 8 we prayed for personal repentance based on the literal meaning of Teshuvah as a return to the presence of God. From September 9 to September 18 we prayed for the unity of the Church, joining with the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20-23. Then, from September 19 to September 28 we prayed for the healing of our land, remembering that God’s people can bring healing if they humble themselves, pray, and seek his face (2 Chronicles 7:14).
The last ten days of Teshuvah begin with the feast of Trumpets, which prophetically represents the Day of the Lord, Christ’s Second Coming. These ten days are truly “Days of Awe” because they began with the awesome prophecy of the return of Jesus in the feast of Trumpets and end with the Day of Atonement, an awesome picture of God’s judgment. These ten days are the climax of our time to repent for the failures of ourselves, our churches, and our nation, and to return to the Presence of God.
The Days of Awe are also a time of release and the out pouring of God’s favor. It is during the days of awe that the Shemitah, the 7th year Jewish Sabbath rest for the land and release of debts, begins. During the Shemitah Years, Hebrews were forgiven from all debts. After 7 Shemitahs, or 49 years, the first year of the new 7 year Sabbath (the 50th year) was the Year of Jubilee when slaves were freed, debt was forgiven, and the land was returned to its original owners.
The Shemitah and the Year of Jubilee were used by Jesus to describe His ministry (See Luke 4:18-19 quoting Isaiah 61:1-2). Shemitah Years remind us that as we complete our Teshuvah Journey to return to God’s presence we can experience a “Year of the Lord’s Favor”.
So join us this year in praying in the Year of the Lord’s Favor.
• September 29: Feast of Trumpets, Isaiah 61:1-4 and Luke 4:19 – The Year of the Lord’s Favor begins.
• September 30: Proverbs 3:3-4 – Love and faithfulness bring favor with God and man.
• October 1: Leviticus 25:1-13 – The 7 year Sabbath and the Jubilee.
• October 2: Deuteronomy 15:1-18 – The 7 year release from debt and slavery.
• October 3: Deuteronomy 31:10-11 – Reading God’s word in Shemitah years
• October 4: Psalm 69:13-16 and Jeremiah 26:19 –God’s favor for protection
• October 5: 2 Chronicles 33:10-17 – God’s favor after repentance.
• October 6: Psalm 90:17 and 106:4-6 – God’s favor for success, prosperity, and joy.
• October 7: Nehemiah 1:11 and 2:5, Luke 1:30 – God’s favor for Destiny
• October 8: The Day of Atonement beginning at sunset: Isaiah 49:89 and 2 Corinthians 6:1-3 – Now is the time of God’s Favor.
Also be in prayer and consider attending the Kairos 2019 conference in Dallas, Texas on October 3-5, 2019, which will feature Kenneth Copeland, Lou Engle, Matteo Calisi, and many others seeking the Lord for unity and transformation during the Days of Awe. See the attached short video https://youtu.be/pw-bR54E1iQ and visit the Kairos2019.com website.
Let us pray through the Days of Awe for a Year of God’s Favor as we continue the Teshuvah journey of returning to God’s presence and seeking God’s face for unity and healing our land.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. –Luke 4:18-19