We are in the midst of summer and the days are uncomfortably hot and dry and it has been nine months since the war started. For most of us, time passes quickly. I looked forward to my trip to the States and now its two weeks since we came back and already it seems like a dream! And then my heart goes to the hostages who have suffered each and every day of these months and I know that for them, the days are long, unending and blur into one horrible ongoing nightmare.
Although we have had incredible moments of joy and victory when the Israeli Forces were able to rescue four hostages in broad daylight last month and three others several months before, the reality of the ones still languishing somewhere in Gaza is a dark cloud hovering over the nation at all times.
The latest news in Israel is that there is some cautious optimism concerning a cease fire agreement. The nation is tired of war and of having their young sons die in battle but want to see victory with Sinwar eliminated and Hamas defeated. And there are a growing number of Gazans who want the same thing.
Lately, there have been reports that Hamas has been greatly weakened by the non stop Israeli barrage on their infrastructure, leaders and power and control centers. A few days ago, Israel announced an attack on a Hamas command center and that they eliminated the #2 and #3 generals in the hierarchy under Sinwar. Reports are that Hamas leaders are pushing Sinwar to accept the cease fire agreement.
The situation in the north continues to be extremely volatile although it seems that both sides want to avoid a declaration of war. Israel has been very successful in assassinating Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad leaders in Lebanon and Syria. There is no doubt they are significantly affecting the organization of these terror groups.
Within Israel, the division among the people is exerting great pressure politically. Huge demonstrations continue against the government every Thursday and Saturday night. The hostage families are crying out daily for an agreement and feel that Netanyahu is not willing to stop the war in order to get the hostages back. It is a complex situation as the Prime Minister is committed to destroying Hamas and it does appear that we are achieving those goals which will in the end give us a more advantageous agreement. And yet, each day is a critical day for each hostage. The nation’s heart breaks to hear the mothers speak about their daughters who have been taken captive.
In addition, the Haredim ultra orthodox are also demonstrating and not always peacefully against the conscription legislation requiring the young religious to serve in the army. They believe that it is anti-Torah to serve and their rabbis are telling them to rip up the conscription notice. Among the more extremist groups, they are saying they would rather die than be in the army. One haredi said on national news that it is “holy to die” for this. I was struck by the amazing similarity with the terrorist jihad spirit which glorifies death and doesn’t honor life.
Please pray for this embattled nation on all these issues as we draw closer to the end of this war. We are a nation that is fighting for its survival on so many fronts. The enemy, who never succeeds in his plans against Israel also never gives up trying! In this hour, he is unleashing his fury both outside and inside our borders and in the hearts of our people. And throughout the world, anti-semistism is at an all time high. Happily, there are increased numbers of Jews who want to return home but sadly it’s in the midst of division, war and uncertainty.
We know that what the enemy means for harm, God will turn around for the good and we will yet see a prosperous, vibrant and unified Israeli society filling the world with blessing and light! Although everything seems to be shaking, I feel an excitement in the spirit that we have turned a corner and will soon begin to see the fulfillment of all that we have asked of the Lord. Trump’s miraculous escape from assassination and the call for Biden’s exit from the Presidential race has heralded something new in the spiritual realm in the US and it’s inevitably connected to Israel.
Please pray for the exact timing of the Lord for a ceasefire and for strength for PM Netanyahu. He is being pressured and besieged in the spirit and we pray that he would hear the wise counsel from heaven and he would stand firm. The end of the war will no doubt result in a change of government and we pray it will be able to take this country into a new era.
Israel is a great nation with the favor of God resting on it but has yet to realize its full destiny. Pray that our deep and profound sufferings will lead this nation to see and identify with the cross of their Messiah. May God change our mourning into joy and give us a mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
Pray especially for the salvation of our young soldiers who enter the army right out of high school. This generation has seen evil face to face in combat at such an early age and they have fought valiantly with incredible bravery and courage and with broken hearts as over 600 of their fellow soldiers have fallen. In the days to come, these young soldiers who have been trained to be fearless in battle will be the ones God will use to be His mighty men of valor and who will lead the Body of Messiah world wide in spiritual warfare. We will yet see great and awesome victories!
In addition to our regular meetings on these hot summer days, our congregation has been organizing some fellowship focused activities which give a break from the intensity of the war as we gather together and simply enjoy each other. A few weeks ago, we went to the Sea of Galilee and enjoyed a beautiful boat ride across the lake with a great lunch provided by a local hotel. This week we will be having a dinner together followed by a day at the beach the following week. Please pray that we would see ourselves more and more as family as we walk together through these incredible days.
I will be hosting a “Third Season Gathering” on August 3. Please pray that we would have a special time in the Lord as we come together as the grandparents of this generation and recognize God’s continuing purposes in our lives.
Thank you for praying for our trip to the States. It was a great blessing and a wonderful time of refreshing. It was especially gratifying to speak about Israel to a prayer group from Morningstar Fellowship in Kingston, NY, where Eddie brought me when I came to faith 45 years ago, almost to the day. It was such a joy to have Evan share about Shelanu.tv, the media ministry he manages here in Israel. Most of them knew him as a young boy and haven’t seen him in all these years! I was also very deeply touched by what I believe is Eddie’s legacy – the depth of all the relationships that we have had for all these years. What joy to know that these relationships will never end but just grow ever deeper into eternity.
God is beyond wonderful and it is a great privilege to know Him and to serve Him. Thank you for walking with me and for being such an encouragement.
With love from Zion, [...]
