Praying The Gates of Jerusalem: Month of April

“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.”  Genesis 12:3

When God spoke these covenant words to Abraham, He was talking about the release of inheritance and destiny. We are also directed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. When we pray through the gates of Jerusalem we are releasing inheritance and destiny for Israel and for those who bless her. Each Gate represents a part of this destiny. See Ps 122:2, 6

Damascus Gate of Jerusalem  “Applying it for today”

The Damascus Gate was named for the road from this gate which leads to Damascus. This is the largest of all the gates. It is also called the Shechem Gate in Hebrew. This gate dates back to the first-century to biblical times. The Apostle Paul’s (known as Saul) experience on this road points to the inheritance it represents both to Israel and the Christian Church. It points to the need for fresh revelation of God’s Word to the people of God. It points to the great need to hear “the next word from God” for our present day plight! When the people of God do not cherish and seek after the words of the Lord, He often sends a famine until we cry out as described by the prophet Amos “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. Men shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11,12) 

In Acts chapter 9 Saul was "still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples." He starts out through the gate of Damascus for the city of Damascus to find and arrest "any there who belonged to the Way." As Saul journeys and nears the city, a great light from God shines out of heaven. Saul is temporarily blinded by this bright light. He has encountered the one who is the Light of the World and can no longer proceed down the path of destruction that he has been following. His physical eyes are darkened in blindness so that his spiritual eyes can be enlightened. Acts 9:8 says, “His eyes were opened and he saw no one.” This passage points to a spiritual truth. God wants to so open our eyes to Him self that the rest of the world will grow dim in the light of His presence.  

Saul was next led into the city blind. He goes from a man who is self-sufficient, self-driven and seeking to destroy God's word through His disciples to a man whose life depends on hearing “the next word of the Lord from God".  He spends the next three days refusing to eat or drink until he hears the next word. Hearing from God was truly more important than any nourishment the world could offer!

We know that God changed Saul's name to Paul when he became a new creation in God. Later Paul the apostle writes, “ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance.. And the exceeding greatness of His power..
(Ephesians 1:16-18)

The opening of the spiritual inheritance of this gate to Christians and Israel has to do with calling forth a hungering after “the word of the Lord.” It is a seeking and hungering after God that creates such a priority of hearing from the Lord for our current needs so that God’s Word becomes truly more important than anything the world has to offer. This is the first recorded act of fasting in the early church. The result was spiritual breakthrough! Where are we as a people on our journey? The Gate of Damascus beckons us to come aside from our self-sufficient and self-driven lives to encounter God on our road of life. It beckons us to behold God’s glory so that we are blinded to the things of this world but are awakened to the light of His truth for our day. This is the largest of all the gates because one of our greatest needs is a revelation of the glory of God. This gate should have a sign posted upon it that warns, “All who travel through this gate must die to self and find new life from above that will give new vision. The world will never look the same for those who pass this way.”

Praying through the Gate of Damascus

“Father of light and truth! We are reminded by the Damascus Gate of the famine of your word in the world around us and in our lives. Give us the hunger for seeking after your word! We ask that You would so encounter us, and our communities, with Your glory that the things of this world will grow dim in the light of Your presence. We ask this even if it means that You knock us from our high horses like you did Paul. Father, we ask that You would give us, and those who dwell in our cities, an open gate to Your presence. Let Your glory enlighten our eyes that we might see the hope of our calling and our inheritance with all the saints because of the power of Your truth. Father, we pray that this spiritual gateway, and the inheritance it represents, would be released upon Israel. We call forth the release of new truth and fresh revelation of who You are to the Chosen people of Israel. May this revelation lead to renewed covenant and purpose to serve and know You as it did Paul on his journey on this road to Damascus. By faith we call forth the peace of Jerusalem given by Jesus, the author and prince of peace."

*Additional Note: The Gate of Damascus was also called the Shechem Gate.
Joshua 24:  Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem - Joshua told the people they had to make a choice as to whom they would serve, much like Saul had to make a choice.  They could either live in blindness, forsake the Lord and 'He will turn and do you hurt and consume you' (vs. 20) or else they could......." incline their heart unto the Lord God of Israel" (vs. 23)..... Shechem was an historic site for the people of Israel.  It was there that the Lord first promised the land of Canaan to Abram (Gen. 12: 6,7) and where Jacob destroyed the idols which had been brought from Mesopotamia (Gen. 35:2-5)

Joshua called for the people to put away their idols and incline their ears to the Lord. We may not have wooden idols that we worship but the idols of materialism, power and wealth have captured many until hearing the words of the Lord is not a priority in our lives. We have no time for God. Here now the voice of Joshua, “Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.” (Joshua 24:23)