Before I share this amazing true story, which spans 26 years, let me first explain what a mezuzah is.

Three thousand five hundred years ago there was a commandment in the Torah:

“HEAR O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE.
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart
and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand,
and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.”
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Jewish Publication Society translation)

The mezuzah, which means ‘doorpost’, is a parchment containing the words from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (The Shema) and 11:13-21. In order to protect the parchment and the holy words from the elements, decorative cases were made.

The passage from the eleventh chapter of Deuteronomy promises blessing, if we love and serve the LORD, as well as a warning that our hearts not be deceived and we turn and serve other gods. There is a reiteration of Deuteronomy 6:8,9 in the Deuteronomy 11 passage. In Scripture, things are not repeated randomly…rather for emphasis.

Obedience to the LORD’s commandment promised multiplied days (long life) for oneself and one’s children in the Land of Israel. There is also a promise of the LORD’s blessing and protection.

I received a Mezuzah necklace when I was a teenager. It was in the shape of a miniature mezuzah case. Incidentally, while some see such jewelry as a talisman for good luck and prosperity, I wore mine as a reminder of God’s commandments.

Talismen are forbidden in Scripture. It is idolatry to ascribe power to objects.

There is a strong connection between ascribing power to physical objects (idols, talisman, jewelry worn to ward off evil spirits) and demons. Deuteronomy 32:16-17 declares:

“They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods (idols/statues),
With abominations did they provoke Him.
They sacrificed unto demons, no-gods,
Gods that they knew not,
New gods that came up of late,
Which your fathers dreaded not.”

The Hebrew parallelism is clear; the strange gods the Israelites sought after, and sacrificed to, were actually demons.

BACK TO THE STORY:

In 1978, I worked with a man who had previously been a bouncer in the largest nightclub in New York City, and had also been a successful businessman and an anti-Semite. His life was dramatically changed when he found Yeshua as his Savior. He came to love the Jewish people after he read, and re-read, the Bible.

One of our associates, also a believer, apparently had become offended by something we had done. However, we had no idea what that could have been.

The Scripture exhorts us to speedily get reconciled with people.

So, the right thing to do was to call the offended party. As the person lived less than a mile away, I walked over. I spoke with him and his wife, and we cleared the matter.

Then he said, “I’ll drive you to the subway.” I thought to myself: Hey, it’s almost two in the afternoon. Who starts going to work at that hour?

But I let him drive me there.

If he had taken me home instead, I would have walked in on a robbery! Evidently three men had climbed through a sixth floor kitchen window into our basic middle class apartment. There was no fire escape and they got in through a hallway window that was catty-corner to the kitchen window. What they were looking for, I had no idea.

My mother came home to find the place completely ransacked and robbed. She didn’t know where I was.

They took three items…a sentimental, but not particularly valuable, necklace of my mother’s, an unusual gold heart that contained a tree of life with miniature gemstones, and my mezuzah necklace.

Fast forward twenty six years to 2004. The location changes 1,400 miles.

I was making a left turn onto a main road, when I had this thought: Pray for the Jewish people from a particular country, many of whom have come to the States.

I uttered a quick ten second prayer.

Then I thought: That’s an anemic prayer…God’s not going to answer that.

Four days later, my husband met a Jewish man in his late sixties from that country. He took a liking to us and we became friends. He came to love our family and considered himself a member.

Months later, he took us out to dinner for my birthday. He handed me a small box. I thought, what could be inside?

I opened it and gasped!

There was a mezuzah necklace on a beautiful gold chain.

“This had been my grandmother’s in _______,” he said (mentioning the same country whose Jewish population I had prayed for a few months before.) It was obviously very old, as he himself was about seventy.

It wasn’t any mezuzah necklace.

It was the exact replica of what had been stolen twenty six years prior, plus a beautiful gold chain, and was from a place of awesome history!

Every time I wear that necklace I am reminded of the power of prayer, even very short prayers. I also think about God’s promises of restoration.

When we intercede for others, even people and people groups we don’t know personally, we have no idea what is set in motion.

Have you come to a place in your life where you are involved with the most exciting thing in the world? Derek Prince said it best, in the title of his book on prayer: Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting!

Who are you going to pray for today? What are you going to set in motion?

We’ll find out in eternity…if not before, as I did!

There are no self made men or women, though pride encourages that deception.

Likewise, when it comes to Kingdom “success”, no one “arrives” through their own efforts.

Those who are amazed at the zeal and knowledge of the Apostle Paul and the powerful impact that he made on his generation, and all subsequent generations, might be surprised to learn that he had “backing”!

We read in Romans 16:7:   “Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Messiah before I was.”

So, there were relatives who were believers before Paul.

What do you think they were doing while their relative, Saul of Tarsus (Paul), was busy persecuting fellow Jews who simply believed Yeshua was the Messiah?

I suspect they were fasting and praying on behalf of their relative Paul; and asking the Living God, the God of Israel who alone works wonders (Psalm 73), to miraculously redirect Paul’s energy away from persecuting Yeshua (Acts 9:4-5; 22:7-8; 26:14-15), persecuting and destroying the church (Acts 26:11; Gal. 1:13; Phil. 3:6), and even blaspheming God (1 Tim. 1:13), towards building up and furthering the Kingdom of God (Gal. 1:23)  Perhaps they even shared with him their faith and belief that Yeshua was the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures.

They haven’t received much press.  This little verse acknowledges them.  We who have read and been edified by these books:

Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Titus, Ephesians, Philippians, Galatians, Colossians, Philemon,  and 1 & 2 Timothy

have those obscure people to thank.  It has been said that the LORD does nothing without someone praying.  For some reason, in the divine economy, intercessory prayer is the catalyst for the “chemical reaction” which synthesizes God’s sovereign power and unfailing love with our needs, be they spiritual, physical or emotional, into His  marvelous works!

What if you have never had exposure to the Bible, and frankly couldn’t care less about this guy Paul and his relatives?

Well, you’ve heard, as Paul quoted Yeshua in Acts 20:35: ” ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

You’ve heard, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” — again, Paul.  (1 Cor. 13:13)

Western culture and governments were strongly influenced at certain points in history by the Bible, including Paul’s writings.  Various social institutions were conceived:  Hospitals, hospices, orphanages, food banks.  His legal mind, as revealed in the Book of Romans, is an early example of Judeo-Christian ethics influencing judicial thought.

Paul’s writings are brilliant and extensive.   I encourage you to examine the following list of topics which he covered in his letters that were canonized as Scripture, to see which ones are relevant to your life:

How to find peace with God; the ‘why’ of evil in the world; the wisdom of man vs. the wisdom of God; making relationships work; marriage & family matters; love, money, philosophy, prayer and spiritual gifts; Israel and the Jewish people in God’s plan; the relationship between the Church and Israel; how to be free from sin; how to relate to government, to the poor, to the rich; how to resolve conflicts and deal with enemies; how to find freedom from fear & bondage to self and others; lawsuits; sexual boundaries; relating to food; Satan and the spirit realm; resurrection and the afterlife; dealing with emotional and life pressures; future judgment and accountability; giving to others; putting sorrow in perspective; predestination; Torah; purpose & destiny; the unfathomable riches that belong to every believer; how to find joy and victory; connecting to community; walking wisely in a crazy world; how young men are to relate to young women; description of the end times and remedy for related fears; requirements for leadership; how to not be deceived; and of course, the magnificence of the Messiah.

Andronicus and Junias, Jews who believed in Yeshua during frightful times under Roman occupation, probably had no idea how mightily their lives and prayers would impact humanity over twenty centuries.

What can we learn from them?

Do not underestimate the power of praying for others that you know and love.  This includes those who are hostile to you and your beliefs.

Think big.  Pray big prayers. Pray for those who despise the things of God.  They could be Pauls for this distressed generation.