An Israeli at a recent Jews for Jesus event in New York City told me, ‘I don’t see how people can believe in God after 7 October.’ I replied that I felt exactly the same way – years ago when I was serving with the Israeli military. Two of my close friends had been killed – one was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by Hamas. It was the darkest point of my life. And yet God reached through that darkness to give me hope that no one can ever take away.
Ministry in Israel is challenging, even at the best of times. The horror of 7 October has thrown the nation into a year of chaos, fear, grief and, at times, even despair. But God has moved powerfully over this past year, and we are seeing a new spiritual openness among our Jewish people because of Christians who show love and support for Israel.
Benjamin Franklin said, ‘Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.’ We have seen and felt the darkness. But there are biblical values that Christians hold, which – lived out in the midst of the current conflict – seem to me like candles in the dark.
The Lord’s calling for Israel as a nation is to be a ‘light to the nations’ (Isaiah 42:6), but this past year has been a very dark time for Israel and our Jewish people.
