Prayer alert by Christine Darg:

We’ve just entered the Hebrew month known as Av and we’re in the midst of a three-week period on the Hebrew calendar called “dire straits,” a time known for various catastrophes that befell the Jewish people, culminating on the 9th of Av, when both temples were destroyed.

A rhema verse I want to share is very fitting for our times.  Proverbs 24: 10 says if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. But wait—it gets better and that’s why Hebrew word study is infinitely fascinating. As I looked at the Hebrew, I was amazed to see how Proverbs 24: 10 fits in with the time period we’re passing through called “dire straits.” It says literally, if you faint in the day of narrow straits, your strength is small, inadequate.

The commentaries on this verse refer to believers who possess little faith; they have a small degree of fortitude but they lack moral courage; they act like babes in Christ; they don’t have a mind to endure hardness, as good soldiers of Messiah. And consequently they don’t have the strength to encourage others to persevere. So I want to encourage all people of faith to stay in faith and not to faint! The battle is fierce so now is not the time to faint! God has been uncovering works of darkness and many things that needed to come to light are being exposed! We’re in a spiritual battle but even within battles, times of refreshing can come if we stay in faith, press into God and refuse to faint.