Understanding the Times

As we enter the Jewish year 5787, I believe God is calling the church to understand the times. First Chronicles 12:32 describes the sons of Issachar as people who had understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do. The Hebrew word binah means understanding. They discerned their moment, and that understanding showed them how to act.

Zayin is the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet. As I pray over this year, I see a connection between Zayin, the rest associated with seven, and the need for binah. Rest will not come from doing more of the same things. We need to discern God’s mind so that our labour comes into alignment with His direction.

In intercession, I have come to see a missing connection: we may pray for change yet fail to discern what God wants us to do next. Without understanding, we repeat mistakes, toil under the same conditions, and remain in situations we were meant to move through. The sons of Issachar understood the times and knew what to do. Discernment must lead to obedience.

Think of the widow of Zarephath gathering sticks to prepare what she believed would be her last meal. Her need was real. Then Elijah arrived with a word from God, and her response opened the way for provision through the famine (1 Kings 17:8–16). I believe many of us are tired and frustrated after years of toil. God is drawing our attention to the direction we may have missed.

Apply this to your work, finances, ministry, and the people you build with. Apply it to your relationships and marriage. Where have you kept walking when God is calling you to pause and understand? I believe He is opening a door in this season: as we discern His mind and follow His direction, we can leave fruitless toil behind, find provision for the journey, and enter the rest He has prepared.