Shalom!
One of my favourite verses in the Bible is what Jesus prayed in John 17:23 “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” The world will know that He is in us through our intimacy with Him, not through things we do or don’t do. Intimacy is best expressed in rest in the beloved’s arms, and that can only come when we are sure in the beloved’s love. As you know, the first book I wrote is called “Enter the Rest” from the epistle to the Hebrews, I understand and experience it even more now.
We are in a war for the last one and a half year. Many lives were already lost, including some of people that we are connected to. Sadly, the war is not just against enemies from without, but some from within as well that think that our government is the enemy, not the Hamas, or Hezbollah, the Houthis or Iranians. It breaks our hearts and the temptation to lose our peace and rest we have in Him is always present. BUT, then we remember that God is in control of history, past, present and future, He set the times and the borders, as it is written in Acts 17:26-28 “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’”
He also promised us that “all Israel will be saved” Rom. 11:26, that it will happen through great trouble “for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” And on that day we will recognise the Messiah as a nation and cry greatly “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
He is faithful. We can rest in His promises when times are difficult since these times lead us to this day. May we long for that day even when times are not easy and may we long and weep today for the salvation of Israel. Please pray for this day to come soon!
Every two years we do the Passover meal at our home with the families of our sons. The other years they celebrate with the parents in law. This year it was our turn, and we had a great time. The whole family plus one of our daughters in law’s family, came to our home. As the grandchildren grow, it becomes more fun and relaxed at the same time. Singing, laughing, playing, talking, washing feet, and enjoying one another in the presence of God, celebrating His goodness and salvation. Passover for me is one of the highlights of the year, and I love leading our family in this celebration. At this stage of our lives, we do not know how many more times I will be able to lead it, so it is great to know that each of our sons has already lead Passover Seders and they are able to take over if needed. Praise God for His grace that our family is walking with Him, and please pray that each family will be a testimony of God’s love and salvation in their daily lives and work.
Pic – celebrating passover
Then we celebrated Independence-day doing a picnic with the congregation in a park in Karmiel with hundreds of other Israeli and their families all around us, playing, talking, having fun, and of course doing the obligatory “Al HaEsha” (grilling). Congregational life is based on relationships, so this was a great opportunity to get to know people in a deeper way.
Please continue to pray for the congregation, for deep relationships with God and one another. Please pray for Yossi, the pastor and the leadership as they lead us at this time.
Thanks for continuing to pray with us for the salvation of Israel and for us! Until the Lord returns or takes us home.
Israel and Shlomit.
