If you are an intercessor for nations and have been seeing 11 or 11:11 or 1111 recently, here may be why (and how to pray accordingly!).
After seeing these numbers everywhere I began to treasure them in my heart. God has been drawing my attention to sparrows (sparrows in my yard, songs about sparrows, verses about sparrows), so I happened to be looking at sparrow in Strongs and noticed one of the instances was Hosea 11:11. It says:
“11
They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria, fluttering like doves.
I will settle them in their homes,”
declares the Lord.”
Because of the numbers, it immediately sparked my interest. To gain context I re-read the chapter. The chapter is called “God’s love for Israel”. It reads:
“1“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2
But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.
3
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
4
I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed them.
5
“Will they not return to Egypt
and will not Assyria rule over them
because they refuse to repent?
6
A sword will flash in their cities;
it will devour their false prophets
and put an end to their plans.
7
My people are determined to turn from me.
Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.
8
“How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused.
9
I will not carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I devastate Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man—
the Holy One among you.
I will not come against their cities.
10
They will follow the Lord;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
11
They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria, fluttering like doves.
I will settle them in their homes,”
declares the Lord.”
I immediately realized this was being spoken over the United States.
“When Israel was a child I loved him”- God remembers when the foundation for the nation was laid... before they separated church and state, before they began to take God out of the fabric of daily life. Just like a parent of a rebellious child still remembers lovingly their infancy and KNOWS the true child behind the current behavior, God sees this nation with the same love.
“The more they were called the more they went away from me”- While many may emphasize the second half of the sentence, I see the first half highlighted. THE MORE THEY WERE CALLED. There is an increase in waywardness as a nation, yes, but there is also a call to more! As a nation we are being called to more! There are still plans and callings yet to be fulfilled for the US.
“... but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.” - It’s no coincidence that the US is a nation that has one of the best medical reputations worldwide. We need to remember it is GOD who is the ultimate source of healing. I love that this passage alludes that the healing wasn’t withheld just because Ephraim didn’t realize it was God, but there is an added blessing to the TURNING that happens when God gets glory where He is due.
“I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed them.”- What both of these postures has in common is the position of being EYE TO EYE and sharing vision. God both lifting us up to see from His perspective (and be led by KINDNESS AND LOVE) but also God being able to see and empathize from our perspective and FEED us in the places we are lacking.
“Will they not return to Egypt”- This reference brings to mind when the Israelites questioned in the wilderness if they would be better off under the oppression of Pharaoh than the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. Let’s take a lesson from them and realize the wilderness of revival IS better than the bondage of oppression despite its familiarity or comfort.
“A sword will flash in their cities;
it will devour their false prophets
and put an end to their plans. My people are determined to turn from me.
Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.”- We know the sword of the Spirit divides down to the very thought and intentions, so this verse promises a greater clarity and distinction of God’s truth over worldly knowledge. Lies won’t get the final say.
“My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger,...I will not come against their cities.”
God is moving in compassion! Instead of destructive purposes, God’s purposes now are restorative!
“They will follow the Lord;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria, fluttering like doves.
I will settle them in their homes,”
declares the Lord.”
There is a ROAR that will happen that will fan into flame a renewed fear of the Lord. He uses sparrows and doves as images which is an interesting choice. Sparrows are a reminder of God’s loving remembrance of us (Matthew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”
Sparrows also are referenced when CURSES ARE DENIED PERMISSION TO LAND (Proverbs 26:2 “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
So a curse without cause does not alight.”)
Doves are seen Biblically at PIVOTAL BEGINNINGS. A dove with an olive branch was Noah’s sign to prepare to unload and RESTART after the flood. Jesus’s baptism showed the Holy Spirit appearing as a dove, showing God’s love and acceptance of Him as well as a mark of walking in the power of the miracle-working Holy Spirit.
God finished by saying He will SETTLE them in their homes. A few of the definitions of “settle” that caught my are “to clarify by causing dregs or impurities to sink” and “to arrange in a desired position”. Church, we are not being squashed in our homeland, but instead God is causing clarity as He sinks impurities/untruths, and He is using this time to ARRANGE and re-arrange us into our desired positions.
Our response, global church, in regards to all that is happening in the US is this:
Pray for a collective remembrance of our identity to the Lord as a nation.
Pray for the “more” we are being called to to be revealed and stewarded well.
Pray for the healing of our land, and THANK God for being the source of all healing.
Pray to see what is happening from a Heavenly perspective.
Seek Him for how we can LEAD with KINDNESS and LOVE.
Pray for eyes to see the revival happening as opposed to eyes that see complaints on the way to the promised land.
Pray for bondage to be broken and for us to be willing to step outside of our comfort zones for the Lord.
Pray for greater clarity, for God’s truth to be upheld, and for lies to be torn down.
THANK God for His compassion and restoration.
Ask God to bring the roar!
Thank God for remembering us.
Ask God that, through Jesus, curses would not have a place to land here.
Thank God for restarts and new beginnings, and ask God to reveal to you the part you can play!
Ask God to SETTLE us as a nation and position us for His plans.
We are positioned for transition!