A Letter from Christian Israelis working in Israel

This was sent to us from prayer partners in Israel.  

As you know the secular media does not usually give us a true picture of what is happening in Gaza & Israel.  

This letter reprinted here to provide another perspective about the Israeli/Gaza conflict:

Dear friends,

We don’t usually talk about politics, but we felt the importance of balancing some of the things you might hear and read in the media in your countries…. So much could be said! But first a small story: In light of the recent

“Operation Protective Edge” two Israelis received the Lord Yeshua in their hearts on the same day during a messianic meeting in Tel Aviv. The moment they came forward to pray the prayer of salvation, the siren went off, calling people to immediately run to the nearest bomb shelter. However, the pastor said, let’s go on: what’s happening here is more important. Then they all heard the rocket being intecepted by the iron dome. To the people meeting there the New Testament word “no weapon formed against you will prevail” (Is 54:17) had just come to life.

Over the past two weeks life changed for all of us and it’s not been easy. Personally, we returned from a summer holiday in Europe last Thursday. We left a more or less peaceful Israel, but returned to war. While writing this, the alarm went off, as every evening, and we immediately had to run to get everyone into the bomb shelter (see picture). We don’t have to tell you that what is portrayed to you in some of the mainstream media is not objective! Why is the war against Hamas so difficult?  Because for years they used money donated as humanitarian aid in order to stock arms and build their tunnels, under schools, kindergartens, hospitals. Warned by the Israeli army to evacualte their neighborhoods/houses because they are going to be bombed (because underneath these houses stocks of arms are hidden) the Hamas prevent their own people to leave, using civilians as human shields. Little children Lia’s age are armed with hand grenades to be thrown at Israeli soldiers. Today the Hamas prevented wounded Palestinians to get help in a field hospital just set up by the Israeli army. Later today they bombed it. They hid themselves in ambulances and shot from there. They abuse their own people for their goals in a fiercefully hateful way, which seems to lack any honor for the value of human life. That’s the real tragedy. We feel so immensely sorry for the Palestinian people, the children, the mothers and fathers, who have been betrayed by their brothers for decades. The Hamas militants mostly hurt their own people because they so hate the existence of a Jewish state. We can only express what Golda Meir so poignantly stated in 1957! “Peace will come when the Arabs (in this case, the Hamas terrorists) will love their children more than they hate us.”

In the present war, more than ever, the IDF is very careful about each strategic step and they provide evidence of what is going on by photos and videos, in order to prevent reports like the heavily debated “Goldstone Report“.  From north to south of Israel, our nation has been exposed to rockets, several daily, at any random hour of the day or night. The war fell on the big summer holiday, much awaited by children of all ages. Now, instead of moving about freely on streets and at the beach, children and youth have to stay in or near buildings that provide (bomb) shelter. Summer camps have been cancelled or heavily restricted. In time, the sounds of the alarm and the rockets instill fear into the children and many of their parents.  Again we want to stress that we are aware of and concerned for the great suffering of the Palestinian civilians. They have no bomb shelters to run to. Many homes, sometimes whole neighborhoods have been destroyed. And yet the war of the IDF is against the Hamas terrorists only, NOT civilians, and not the Arab people as a whole.  We appreciate the effectiveness of the iron dome and thank God for His protection, as even after nearly 2000 rockets have been launched at targets across the nation, almost no one has been hurt (Psalm 91:7).

As a fellowship, we haven’t been able to meet on Shabbat for the past two weeks, due to the fact that no properly functioning shelter is available. We met in several homes instead. Besides calling and encouraging each member of congregation, Michael has begun visiting the different home groups. He is planning to also use the newly set up on-line teaching for our own members of congregation. We thank God that through this attack we’ve been more united. People came flocking in yesterday for prayer. During the prayer meeting, God gave us verses from Joel (Joel 2:12-17): We are called to fast and pray as priests of the Most High, on our own behalf first, repenting and being changed, then on behalf of our country, our nation, that their eyes would be opened, and that they would see that their safety and protection comes not only from the iron dome and the strong army; God Himself is the author of our protection and safety. We also proclaim Psalm 91.

We want to heed God’s call and stand in prayer for our country’s leadership. We are still considering how to do this in a collective and organized way, 24/7. We also continually pray for two members of congregation who fight in this war right now. One is serving his obligatory army service, the other has been drafted into reserve duty. The munition held by the Hamas is nothing compared to what Hezbollah holds. The present conflict is a dress rehearsal for what is described in the book of Zechariah, the day of Jerusalem. That’s why this is the time to lay down strife and differences in families, between congregations (over different doctrines) and as a nation (left and right). We must also stop arguing within the congregation and gird ourselves in unity for a holy work of intercession.

If you want to join us, we will be glad if you can pray as follows:

• For the protection of the Israeli soldiers in Gaza, particularly our two brothers mentioned before.
• For protection of the civilians on both sides.
• For all the children of this war who suffer from loss, trauma and fear.
• For the leadership of our nation.
• For opportunities to witness the peace of Messiah to people in fear (John 14:27), that we could be a living letter and witness of His peace and perfect love that casts out all fear.
• That we could soon meet again collectively and that this experience would unite us and we could live as the believers lived according to Acts 2:43-47.
• For the believers in the Messiah in Gaza.

Peace is  not the end of conflict. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit. The tree is the Messiah Yeshua, the prince of peace. Real peace will come only, when Jews and Arabs will call on the prince of peace Yeshua the Messiah! On a small scale, this microcosm of peace has already begun.

Every blessing on you

Michael and Marianne