Shalu Shalom Yerushalayim (Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem)

The website Hebrew Word Meanings says, 'The common phrase shalu shalom yerushalayim (pray for the peace of Jerusalem) is not speaking about an absence of war (though that is part of it) but that Jerusalem (and by extension all of Israel) is complete and whole and goes far beyond the idea of "peace".' When our South Dakota State Capitol was dedicated in 1909 (and rededicated in 2009), Psalm 122 was declared. Psalm 122:6 says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee." Pierre Aglow joins with Aglow International and the state of South Dakota (and even our Capitol building) in declaring "wholeness and peace be found in you, Jerusalem".


Israel Stands for Peace is a great catchy song.
 
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Aglow International was given the 'Israel Mandate' twelve years ago, which is to stand in loving support for Israel and the Jewish people. The following is from Jane Hansen Hoyt's March blog (Jane is Aglow's founder and international president).
 
"I believe that the year 2012 is a very significant year. The number 12 symbolizes divine accomplishment and governmental perfection. Twelve also implies structural beginning or foundation of organization. This is a year in which the government of God will arise in the earth in fullness through His people.


Aglow's 36s (12 x 3)
• This year marks Aglow's 36th year to have the name 'Aglow' registered.
• This year marks Aglow's 36th year since moving the headquarters office out of 2 houses into the school building due to growth.
• This year marks Aglow's 36th year to have a Covenant Partner program where people are willing to pay a small yearly fee to show their support of the ministry.


Aglow's 24s (12 x 2)
• This year marks Aglow's 24th year to be in a minimum of 91 nations of the world.
• This year marks Aglow's 24th year to have a minimum of 1,000 Lighthouses in the United States and a minimum of 800 (now nearly 3,000!) outside the U.S.
• This year marks Aglow's 24th year since sending out the first direct mail fundraiser to all its members.

Aglow's 12s
• This is Aglow's 12th trip into Israel to bless the land, to pray for the people, and to stand with the tender shoot of Messianic believers. We have pledged to sow into the land each month this year. The first two gifts have been sown already.
• This is Aglow's 12th year for our Arabic television series, Diwaniya. It is now available around the world. Recently, a pastor in Pakistan posted on Facebook that Aglow is famous in Pakistan because of Diwaniya. Many are coming to Christ.
• This year marks the 3rd year that the 12 regions in the United States have gone into Washington, DC to pray, making strategic connections on many different levels.

There is a new awakening upon Aglow and it has come with a quickening spirit. New foundations are being laid which will enable us to overcome the roots of our history and continue moving into the fullness and future of God's plan for Aglow. We are no longer a hidden women's group! We are a movement of women and men that is fully on the move.


This year, 2012, also marks Aglow International's 45th year since our birth in 1967. Forty-five represents victory over the stronghold!


The Time of Our Arising


This is the year Aglow will see VICTORY OVER STRONGHOLDS! Stronghold is defined as a place of security or survival. While a place of survival can be necessary during times of danger, the position of survival is not a position for citizens of Heaven. Citizens of Heaven are meant to thrive, not survive!


The number 45 also means maintaining, preserving or protecting the things that matter the most to you. In Joshua 14, we find that Caleb was kept alive, preserved for 45 years until the word God had given him was fulfilled. If the Bible was still being written today, we would find in its pages that Aglow, like Caleb, has been preserved or kept alive for 45 years for the fulfillment of the words God has spoken over us.


It is time for Aglow to arise to the place that God has prepared us for. This is the time of our arising. At the 2011 Aglow Worldwide Conference, Graham Cooke said, 'If we are to be the people who usher in the return of the King, then we must become the fulfillment of all the Father's intention in creation. This is our moment to really shine in the earth. We are a people who have God living on the inside of us. It is time for us to stand up. God is breathing on us. He trusts us. Our voice shall be heard in the nations. We must rise up and occupy the place God has set aside for us.'


I closed the conference with these words: '2011 marked our 38th conference – 38 means slavery. In John 5 there was a man by the pool of Bethesda. He had been there 38 years. He was enslaved within a body that would not function in the way God purposed or intended. He was locked in old mindsets and old ways of thinking. When Jesus appeared and asked him why he was by the pool, the man began to explain. I cannot get into the water. I have been here 38 long years. Jesus told the man, 'Rise and walk!' Something had shifted and now healing was coming in a different way. It was up to the man to believe and receive that word and to step into a new mindset, the new way. I believe that is what God is doing in this ministry. He is coming to us in a different way than perhaps we have experienced Him in the past. He is coming to us in a way that is transforming old mindsets into new ways of thinking.


It is our time. It is our hour. It is our moment. When God called Abraham out of Ur, Abraham received the word and began to walk in it. He did not know where he was going. He simply obeyed. God has told us that this is the time of our arising. We are to arise and walk. All arguments must come down and the glory of God must arise! It is an hour where we can no longer play church. We must arise and let the glory of the Lord be seen upon us!'"