Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek help from the LORD their God.

This past week the nation of Israel was torn asunder by political divisions, chaos, turbulence, and fierce rivalry.  It was shocking to see the pictures of violence exploding across our TV screens as literally hundreds of thousands of protesters crowded the streets and even blocked the entrances to the Knesset, intending to block the vote on Judiciary Reform.  The "Holy Land" didn't look very holy.  And then something even more alarming happened.  Military (I.D.F.) reservists refused to report for duty. I saw pictures of some of them lying in the streets in protest.  

As one who endeavors to keep a true watch over Israel, attempting to line up current events with ancient prophecies, this development was truly stunning!  Suddenly it appeared as if Israel was more vulnerable to attack from all her enemies  than she has been since becoming a nation in 1948.  But it seems that the people of Israel today have a great memory lapse regarding those early wars.  No sooner did they receive the great miracle of their re-birth as a nation than their enemies waged a great attack against them and they had no trained army to defend themselves. No horses and no chariots! But God intervened mightily - just as He did again in the 1967 war - and they won great and unexpected victories only through the power and strength of Adonai Tzav'ot, Captain of the Angel Armies, their Defender and Protector! It seems those on the Left in the Land have forgotten their God. They have been trusting in their "mighty men," the great Israel Defense Force.  And suddenly the "mighty men" were refusing to report for duty, leaving the country in dire straits.  By no coincidence, this all happened in the week of the time known as Tisha b'Av (the 9th of Av), when all the Jewish people fast and pray, to remember the MANY horrific losses and events of that day in history, including the destruction of both temples. This time is also known by the Jews as the "Dire Straits."

The LORD warns Israel what will happen when they turn from Him and depend on their own strength in Hosea 10:13-14: 
But you have planted wickedness,
    you have reaped evil,
    you have eaten the fruit of deception.
Because you have depended on your own strength
    and on your many warriors,
    the roar of battle will rise against your people,
    so that all your fortresses will be devastated--

And He also speaks through the prophet Amos regarding these hundreds of thousands who are protestsing and railing against JUST LAWS in their courts. It is breathtaking how accurately Amos prophesies from ancient times what is happening even in THIS WEEK:
Amos 5:7, 10-15
There are those who turn justice into bitterness
    and cast righteousness to the ground.
There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court
    and detest the one who tells the truth.
You levy a straw tax on the poor
    and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
    you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
    you will not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your offenses
    and how great your sins.
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes
    and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.
Seek good, not evil, that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy
    on the remnant of Joseph.

Israel is a divided nation, and Scripture tells us that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. It breaks my heart that there are so many who have no desire at all to be reconnected to their Jewish heritage and to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Yet we in America dare not point fingers.  Are we not always a "mirror" of Israel?  Indeed, the entire passages from Amos, Hosea and Isaiah above all accurately describe the very same situation here.  Our prayer for both nations must be a prayer calling the people to repentance. The Hebrew word is teshuva; and it literally means to "turn and go 180 degrees the other direction."  Then and only then perhaps the Lord God Almighty might have mercy on the remnant of Joseph and on those grafted into His family.

I wonder how many others besides myself are feeling like you're witnessing a huge, roaring steam locomotive racing down the track toward you, and you are tied to one of the rails, watching this fast-advancing train but powerless to do anything about it. You cry out to God and His answer is "Wait on Me. Trust Me."

We live in perilous times, even as our Master Yeshua told us about, and we think we should be able to do some great exploits to avoid the collision we see coming, but we really don't know what to do.  Like so many other Americans I have been feeling this great urge, this deep desire to pack everything up and leave this blue state and escape to where the governments are more Godly and the laws more in line with His His Law; but every time I begin to seriously consider a move, Father says "Wait." That led me to a blog I wrote back on 2/7/2017, which gave this word from the Lord:

Patience, child. From complexity to simplicity. I work while you wait. Your wait is NOT inactive; wait upon Me as a waiter waits upon his table. Keep your focus on Me and attend to the small needs at My table. Then....because you have kept the WORD OF MY PATIENCE, I will also keep you from the tribulation that will come upon the whole world." (Rev. 3:10)

How then do we prepare for the coming wars and collapses?

• Wait on God - be attentive to Him
• Move from complexity to simplicity
• Breathe deeply and connect with His Spirit and His heartbeat
• Be willing to shepherd the small flock [person/ministry/assignment] entrusted to you                          

I was moved by Dumitru Duduman's devotional reading for today. He writes:
"This is the best time to prepare our spirits, so that when the turbulent times come we may be able to stand.  Be awake and have great zeal in the work of God."

I think I'm finally starting to get it. Keeping the WORD OF HIS PATIENCE is lived out by my willingness to wait on Him, to be awake, alive, and willing to do the small assignments He entrusts me with every day. He is asking me to learn to live in the moment; to be present with Him in the day I am in. He works while I wait, because HE is doing the work in my heart, testing my faithfulness.  God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. These are the same tests He used with the children of Israel as they made their own journeys through the wilderness.  
Deuteronomy 8:2: "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart.

Breathe deeply and connect with His Sprit and His heartbeat.
Move from complexity to simplicity.
Be awake and have great zeal in the work that God is doing - in YOU!