In May, our Friends of Israel Encounter team of 16 young adults visited Poland to learn about the Holocaust. What an experience it was! The combination of volunteerism, Holocaust education, and acts of solidarity we took part in created an unforgettable time in Poland. God blessed our trip with unity, safety, fruitful ministry, and wonderful fellowship.

Making History Tangible

In the months preceding the trip, I watched movies, read firsthand accounts, listened to survivor interviews, and toured Holocaust museums to prepare myself for what I would see. I wept over the pain the Jewish people suffered and longed for them to know the love of God. But then, actually walking on the very soil where the Shoah (Holocaust) took place was unlike anything I have ever done in my life.

The reality of every painful detail of the Holocaust was laid bare before our eyes at places like Majdanek, one of the death camps during World War II. Because the camp was almost immediately turned into a museum in 1944, many of the buildings remain intact, providing guests a working concept of what the camp was like. During our tour, we walked along the barbed-wire fence. As we passed many buildings, I could not figure out where we were headed. Then I saw it. My breath caught in my throat. I saw the chimney of the gas chamber where many Jewish people had been killed.

The stories I read became personal in that they were no longer distant history; they became tangible.

I will always consider it a profound privilege to have stood in these places. The stories I read became personal in that they were no longer distant history; they became tangible. I pray God will use me always to be a true friend to the Jewish people. 

In spite of the weight I felt standing in these locations, this glorious truth remains: God will always keep His promises. He has a continued plan for Israel and the Jewish people past, present, and future.

Standing in the site of the Auschwitz prison camp with thousands of Jewish people was an incredible honor. There we heard 10,000 Jewish voices sing “Hatikvah,” a resounding shout testifying to God’s faithfulness in preserving His Chosen People whom He loves so much. In Leviticus 26:44, God said of Israel, “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the Lᴏʀᴅ their God.” He is faithful and always keeps His promises!

Avoiding Past Atrocities

Walking where the ghettos once were, a particular thought struck me. The chaos of World War II hit cities of ordinary people like me. The rhythmic patterns of life, school, and work were shattered and transformed into a nightmare. The generation of these atrocities is not far removed from us—any generation is capable of committing such grievous acts.

It is not education but, rather, a spiritual change that prevents antisemitism.

It is not education but, rather, a spiritual change that prevents antisemitism. Nazi Germany was composed of highly educated people, and its grotesque atrocities were systematically organized. Intelligence does not prevent this behavior. Intelligence is merely a tool to carry out the implications of one’s worldview. We ought to be careful what we believe and think. Proverbs 4:23 teaches us, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (NASB). 

We need God to make us clean, and we need His Word to show us the truth. In these times of rising antisemitism, we all must know God’s Word and share it with others.

Sharing God’s Love

Hearing from a rabbi at the Krakow Jewish Community Center was a special blessing because he shared how the Jewish communities are doing in light of increased antisemitism and his appreciation for how we demonstrated Christian love for the Jewish community.

On the day of March of the Living, an educational program held at the site of the Auschwitz extermination camp that teaches Jewish high school students the realities of the Holocaust, our team joined a delegation of Jewish young adults from North America. They were pleasantly surprised to hear that we were Christians who loved them. During the trip, I heard many of them share wonderful words of appreciation:

“It’s so nice to have Christians who are genuine friends!”

“We need more people like you!” 

“I know you really care about us!” 

“None of you guys are Jewish? Wow, thank you for coming!” 

We pray that, through our words and actions, the Lord will use us to serve Him in our communities as lights to those around us. 

I would be terribly remiss if I did not share how amazing it was to be with the Polish Friends of Israel staff. Spending time with them immediately felt like gathering with family. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing how God is using them in Poland and beyond. It was a joy to assist them with ministry projects that will be a blessing to the Jewish people. God is at work in Europe and is using believers to bring biblical hope to a hurting world.

I am so grateful to God for allowing me to be a part of this trip. It will forever be special to me. It opened my eyes to history and to what ministry looks like around the world and encouraged me to continue following the Lord wherever He leads me. God is so good! May He receive all the glory!

Photo Credit: Alyssa Ruddell

About the Author

Only a few days after October 7, when Hamas terrorists massacred 1,200 of my fellow Israelis, I read two comments from two different people on two different social media platforms, both saying, “Mark my words, give it a few days, two weeks tops, and they’ll be back to hating us.” I thought it odd at the time, having a hard time believing that the world could forget such horrific atrocities in such a short time.

Then, on October 17 the Al-Ahli Hospital incident happened. Just 10 days after the war broke out, while the national morale was “below the floor,” the first report, courtesy of Hamas, was that Israel bombed the hospital, killing more than 500 people. I looked everywhere online to see what official statements my government issued or the IDF relayed. Nothing. Not a single word.

A few hours later, the IDF spokesperson said the incident was under heavy review from all angles and that an official statement would be given once all the evidence had been considered. Throughout the next few days, the IDF released many pieces of evidence refuting the false claim, proving that an Islamic Jihad missile had misfired and caused all these deaths. 

Truth, it seemed, was not in people’s interest to look for, listen to, or be held accountable to.

However, the damage was done. Back then, it seemed everyone was waiting for the first spark to ignite and advance the war. The immediate report from Hamas claiming that Israel brutally and indiscriminately killed more than 500 people was too much to bear. Truth, it seemed, was not in people’s interest to look for, listen to, or be held accountable to. 

The Root of Israel’s Vilification

My heart and spirit were heavy. As a matter of fact, “heavy” would be an understatement to the millstones I felt were attached to my shoulders. To make matters worse, a friend from Bible school started replying to my advocacy posts on social media with extremely combative, pro-Palestinian comments. At first, I tried reasoning with her, texting back and forth, presenting one fact after another, but after a while, I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. Her responses were the same as those I saw on TV in the massive demonstrations calling for the destruction and annihilation (yet again) of my people. 

I suspected we were not standing on the same ground of biblical truth and faith, so I asked her straightforwardly whether she believed any of what the Bible said about Israel. She replied that the fact that her faith had changed in recent years and that she wasn’t going steadily to a church didn’t matter and was irrelevant to our discussion. 

How could someone I ministered with for six months and shared a room with on an intense mission trip call for my and my people’s destruction?

At that moment, my mind knew there was nothing else I could tell her to make a difference (except to implore her to return to her first love, Jesus), but my heart had a more challenging time realizing that I had to let it go. I had to let her go. “If a wise man contends with a foolish man, whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace” (Proverbs 29:9).

The interaction haunted me for months. How could someone I ministered with for six months and shared a room with on an intense mission trip call for my and my people’s destruction? A quote I read in Rod Dreher’s book Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents gives one explanation:

Today’s left-wing totalitarianism once again appeals to an internal hunger, specifically the hunger for a just society, one that vindicates and liberates the historical victims of oppression. It masquerades as kindness, demonizing dissenters and disfavored demographic groups to protect the feelings of “victims” in order to bring about “social justice” (p. 9).

While this book gives a comprehensive analysis of the undercurrent of what is going on in the world today, those of us who use the Bible as a map key and a lens by which to see and understand everything that’s unfolding around us know that there’s more to it. 

The battle for the human heart and soul started in Genesis 3, with Satan the Deceiver planting a seed of doubt, a misconception within Eve’s mind. It has always been his method to portray half-truths, to plant doubt, to prey on the weak of mind and heart. And that is what we see all around us today. 

Finding the Truth About Israel

Truth has become somewhat elusive, for we must be diligent, even sacrificial, to find it. We need to (1) invest more time (not just 0.3245 seconds on a Google search that convinces us to believe the first result), (2) ask the right questions (Is there a hidden agenda? What might it be? Why? Who gains from it?), and, most of all, (3) read the Bible as though it’s today’s newspaper and tomorrow’s events’ key and lens. 

God chose to love Israel, and we can either accept this fact with submission and joy or fight it and ultimately lose.

And one more thing: Israel.

For reasons reserved only to God, He chose to weave His Name, character, and reputation into the Jewish people (Deuteronomy 7:6–8). He calls them the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8); He gave them the land of Israel (Genesis 12:7; 15:18; 17:8; 26:3–4; 28:13, Joshua 1:2–4); and He promises to never break His unilateral covenant with them (Psalm 105:8–11). God chose to love Israel, and we can either accept this fact with submission and joy or fight it and ultimately lose. 

Many of you have already decided about your relationship to God and Israel. To those of you who also have taken an active stand in voicing your decision for God and Israel—thank you. Know that your stand matters, your care touches, and your courage encourages.

About the Author

Photo: Adobe Stock

Stuffing the last bite of roast beef sandwich into my mouth, I tried to keep in step with the rest of our group on the crowded sidewalk. I gingerly balanced my box lunch on one arm and, with my free hand, waved my thanks to the wall of police cars lining the streets near the National Mall in Washington, DC. I appreciated their presence there at the largest pro-Israel rally in American history. Due to the sudden increase in worldwide antisemitism, including a 400% increase in the United States, the threat for national security was at its highest on Tuesday, November 14, the day of the rally.

Becky Meissner (left) and Amy Hansen (right) at the pro-Israel rally in Washington DC.

Ever since that awful morning on October 7, 2023, when Hamas perpetrated one of the most heinous massacres in Jewish history and carried away hundreds of hostages from southern Israeli communities into Gaza, the world’s antisemitic hatred has boiled over on college campuses and city streets at pro-Hamas rallies. At these rallies, voices screeched for genocide of Jews while burning flags, physically attacking Jews, tearing down Israeli hostage posters, and lauding Hamas’s abominable acts of terror. 

Any fear I had that morning as a Christian friend of Israel and the Jewish people soon gave way to courage and camaraderie when our small group merged into a mass of nearly 300,000 strong. Wading into a sea of blue and white, I smiled at the groups of Jewish students and families, synagogues, churches, and pro-Israel organizations. The diversity within the unity was profound, but the unified cry of Am Yisrael Chai! infused the atmosphere with peace, courage, hope, and life. Yes, the people of Israel live!

The diversity within the unity was profound, but the unified cry of Am Yisrael Chai! infused the atmosphere with peace, courage, hope, and life.

After squeezing my way through the security fence and onto the mall area, I waited for the rest of my group to come through and join me. I held my sign, which read the same as my blue T-shirt: “Christians Stand With Israel.” Thousands walked past me as I stood off to the side of the main thoroughfare. 

My eyes met with a middle-aged woman who mouthed the words, “Thank you.” Compassion filled my heart as I said, “It’s my pleasure. Am Yisrael Chai!” I soon felt a hand on my shoulder and heard a voice saying, “Excuse me. Could I get a picture with you?” A Jewish man had wanted a picture with a Christian friend of Israel. This kept happening over and over again—pictures, smiles, thanks, and hugs. 

There was an unspoken understanding among those who risked attending a march against antisemitism under the highest level of security threat. This was our Esther 4:14 moment, standing bravely with Israel “for such a time as this.” We were no fair-weather friends. We would stand, cry, shout, and sing together—both in good times and hard times. 

Created for Community

When He created the first human, God declared that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). The crown of God’s creation, humanity, was designed for companionship. God created people, male and female, in His own image and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. We were created for community. 

In difficult times, when hate and disunity seem to rule this world, we are tempted to think it would be good to be alone. Maybe hiding out alone in the mountains, surviving off the land, with a compass, an espresso machine, and a dog really is the best way, we suppose. But that’s not God’s purpose and plan for us.

Friendliness: The Key to Making Friends

Proverbs 18:24 reads, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

True friendliness culminates in sharing truth.

Jesus exemplified friendly behavior with others by asking questions, listening, speaking truth in love, and healing. He attracted multitudes with His great acts of compassion. His love and care were genuine. Many responded to His friendliness, and yet Jesus had an inner circle of friends with whom He prayed, cried, and shared everything He had received from His Father in heaven (John 15:15). 

I stood at the rally with a few of my inner-circle friends, colleagues from The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, who shared my Christian beliefs and biblical convictions. We stood resolutely by a large banner that read, “Bring Them Home Now,” referring to the hostages held in Gaza. A Jewish woman came out from under the banner and said, “Would you please help us hold up this banner? Please, please, everyone, please help us hold this banner.” 

We grabbed an edge and held it high. Across from me stood a 12-year-old Jewish boy. We smiled at each other as we held the banner and felt our arms grow tired. Love, hope, and solidarity supported our message. True friendliness culminates in sharing truth (1 Peter 3:15). 

Faithfulness: The Key to Keeping Friends

Gratitude, grace, and grit describe every faithful friendship I have known. Words of appreciation and affirmation flow in the friendship of deep, lovingly loyal companions. These types of friends will clothe themselves with humility and grace. They are quick to forgive and not hold grudges. They will stand by you in times of storm, illness, poverty, persecution, and war so that you will not have to face your troubles alone. The faithful friend is willing to sacrifice for your life and well-being (John 15:13).

Seeing Jesus is at the heart of being a faithful friend to Israel and the Jewish people.

Seeing Jesus is at the heart of being a faithful friend to Israel and the Jewish people. Would you get a bottle of water for Jesus to drink if He were thirsty? Would you bring food to Jesus if He were hungry? The Jewish Messiah, King Jesus, the Son of Man, will one day say to the nations, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren [the Jewish people], you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).

To me, it’s as simple as this: Would you be a faithful friend of Jesus? Then, be a faithful friend of Israel.

About the Author

I’m frequently asked for book recommendations on subjects related to Israel and the Bible. Sometimes, a person is looking to dive deep into a specific topic like prophecy, Israel’s history, or current events in the Middle East. Others want to expand their big-picture understanding of Israel and how all the puzzle pieces fit together. Maybe you fall into the first group and feel like you can’t quite make one particular puzzle piece fit. Or, perhaps you find yourself more in the other category and would be happy just to get the puzzle box open!

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Lately, I have recommended one book more often than others to those who want a more comprehensive, biblical understanding of Israel: Dr. Randall Price’s What Should We Think About Israel?

This study contains contributions from various perspectives, which will create meaningful dialogue with those in your circle of influence. Each chapter focuses on a unique, thoroughly answered question that provides a historical, legal, and biblical perspective on Israel. The questions Dr. Price selected for this book are like a survey of the most important topics we engage with at The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI). 

Last year, I led my ministry team through weekly discussions of this book. Our group was made up of a mix of people representing not only different generations but a wide variety in length of time serving with FOI (which made for exciting conversations). One of our goals was to better equip our team to understand and defend the important issues related to Israel and the Middle East, both personally and in ministry. We also viewed it as an opportunity to shape the content we create and bring to you through the various platforms by which we connect with you. 

Hamas’s attacks on Israel in October and the ensuing war brought with it a great desire in many Christians to understand better God’s program for Israel, the church, and the nations.

Whether a person was just starting his or her ministry with us or had been here for a few decades, our team profited from this study. I cannot say enough good things about this book’s influence on our team, especially in light of current events. Undoubtedly, it will shape what we bring to you through our magazine, videos, radio show, and blog.

Hamas’s attacks on Israel in October and the ensuing war brought with it a great desire in many Christians to understand better God’s program for Israel, the church, and the nations. Many of the questions I’ve recently received are answered in What Should We Think About Israel?—questions like: What should we think about the modern State of Israel and its right to the land? Jewish and Arab relations? Israel’s “occupation”? Zionism? Antisemitism? What about the plight of the Palestinians?

These questions are answered by experts like Thomas Ice, Paul Wilkinson, Walter Kaiser Jr., Mitch Glaser, Michael Brown, and Arnold Fruchtenbaum. The book features an excellent foreword written by Mark Hitchcock, an introduction by Mark L. Bailey, and an insightful and encouraging afterword by Randall Price. The appendices are gold—an interview with Israeli pastor Meno Kalisher on relations with Arabs and Arab Christians, and a dialogue between Jews for Jesus CEO David Brickner and Pastor John Piper on their opposing views on Israel. 

I can’t think of a book that deals with the issues we need to understand more clearly and fairly than this one. In light of all that is happening in the world and the confusion surrounding the complexities of the Middle East, if there is only one book on Israel you read this year, make it What Should We Think About Israel?

To purchase a copy of  What Should We Think About Israel? visit our online store.

About the Author

When the Arab terrorist group Hamas entered Israel on October 7, the world was horrified. On that day, these terrorists kidnapped 200, killed 1,400, and wounded more than 4,500 Israelis. Innocent men, women, and children were slaughtered simply because they were Jewish.

The appalling attack brings to memory another terrible act of violence against the Jewish people that took place 85 years ago. On November 9–10, 1938, innocent Jewish Germans endured devastating physical and spiritual darkness much like the evil perpetrated against Israel today.

Kristallnacht was the defining moment regarding the Nazis’ approach to the Jewish people, effectively launching the Holocaust. The Third Reich officially established the full-blown persecution of those they would later distinguish with badges bearing the Star of David. Cultural prospects began to deteriorate immediately for the Jewish people, though so many of them had long known this land as their home.

The Night of Suffering

So what exactly was Kristallnacht? The word literally means “night of crystal” but has since taken on the fuller meaning “Night of Broken Glass.”

The pretext for the event was the tragic decision of Herschel Grynszpan (a Polish Jewish teenager) to assassinate Ernst vom Rath (a German official) in Paris on November 7, 1938. Grynszpan’s evil act was a reaction against anti-Jewish policies impacting his own family. It was, of course, also foolish and played directly into the Nazis’ hands, giving them the opening they desired to institute an all-out assault on the Jewish people.

The destruction was massive, as Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were mercilessly destroyed.

The scope of Kristallnacht almost wearies the imagination. Rampant violence erupted throughout Germany, as well as in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and beyond. Disguising it as an organic demonstration, the Hitler Youth and Nazi Storm Troopers elaborately engineered the brutal pogrom. It was a bloodbath.

The destruction was massive, as Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were mercilessly destroyed. Firefighters protected German properties while allowing conflagrations to blaze unhindered in Jewish-owned structures. The sensation of walking over the broken glass must have given them a perverted sense of satisfaction. 

To add insult to injury, authorities demanded that the Jewish people pay an exorbitant penalty to cover the extensive damage they had suffered.

Reports of the damage can vary widely, as much of the night seems a blur to this day. But the consensus is that roughly 30,000 Jewish men—perhaps 10 percent of Jewish men in Germany—had their first encounter with Nazi concentration camps, especially Buchenwald (on a hill above Weimar), Dachau (northwest of Munich), and Sachsenhausen (in Oranienburg, north of Berlin).

Kristallnacht’s Enduring Legacy

When my wife and I attended a 500th-anniversary Reformation tour of Germany in 2017, we stayed three nights in Weimar, and our bus drove past Buchenwald. This firsthand visit helped us understand how this death camp would have overshadowed the city and its residents.

Like Haman in ancient Medo-Persia, the Nazi attitude toward the people of Israel was brazen and uncomplicated: “It is not fitting for the king to let them remain” (Esther 3:8). 

It is, at once, a study in human depravity, exploitation, and violence on the one hand, and intense agony and suffering on the other.

Studying Kristallnacht is heartbreaking, but captivating. As U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated afterward: “I myself could scarcely believe that such things could occur in a 20th-century civilization.” For almost inexplicable reasons, the event still holds a haunting attraction. It is, at once, a study in human depravity, exploitation, and violence on the one hand, and intense agony and suffering on the other.

Never Again?

Out of the shards of the broken glass of Kristallnacht, God crafted a work of art. Half a world away, He convicted a group of Bible-believing, Israel-loving Christians to formulate an immediate response. On December 1, 1938, only three weeks after Kristallnacht and the beginning of the Holocaust in Germany, The Friends of Israel Refugee Relief Committee (now known as The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry) launched in Philadelphia. It began out of loving compassion, through great vision, with remarkable wisdom and courage, and at great personal risk to all involved. 

In faith, they named the organization The Friends of Israel 10 years before the birth of the modern State of Israel. These brave men and women were willing—metaphorically and even physically—to walk over the broken glass of Kristallnacht, with “great sorrow and continual grief in” their hearts (Rom. 9:2).

The civilized world has vowed for the past 85 years to never forget such tragedies as the Jewish people suffered. Yet, how many today know anything at all about this monumental event?

Could there be another Kristallnacht, even another Holocaust, before the Rapture of the church? We desperately desire to say no, but recent events, most notably the violence Hamas committed against innocent Israelis and pro-Palestinian protesters’ support for these actions, indicate otherwise.

May the Lord help us, by His grace, to carry the same burden for the Jewish people that our forefathers bore—even being willing, as they were, to risk our own comfort and worldly esteem.

About the Author

Can it get any worse? I asked myself as I read of yet another antisemitic incident on a U.S. college campus. This week at Cooper Union, a college in New York City, Jewish students were locked in a school library as pro-Palestinian protesters banged on the door, yelling, “Free Palestine!”

Since October 7, I have hurt for my Jewish friends like never before, praying for my friends and their family members who are battling Hamas and Hezbollah in Israel. “Never Again!” has been the Jewish people’s cry since the Holocaust. They are now living in their ancestral land, Israel. Never again should anyone be able to come in and do what they did to them during the Holocaust. Except they did. And they are. 

As I continue to learn of the demonic way innocent lives were destroyed and traumatized in southern Israel on that sleepy Shabbat morning, anger grows inside me. How can this level of evil be allowed? I ask God. Yet, I know the answer. The prophet Jeremiah told us how wicked our hearts are—so wicked that he asked, “Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

I have asked God how I can help. I am a middle-aged Christian woman living in America—can I make a difference? I cannot go to war in Israel and defend Israelis. But I can do something much more effective right here in my part of the world. And through the reading of the Word, I have found my battle cry, and I ask that it be yours too.

Walk in the Spirit

Galatians 5:16 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (NASB). Walking is a natural action for most of us. I don’t have to tell my brain to move my feet with each step. It is something that I have learned and practiced. We walk in the Spirit by being filled with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our helper (John 15:26), and being in God’s Word, allowing the Spirit of God to shape and mold us, results in a life identified with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I cannot expect to make any lasting change in this world without moment-by-moment walking in the Spirit.

I cannot expect to make any lasting change in this world without moment-by-moment walking in the Spirit. Even our good intentions are worth nothing without the Spirit of God living and working through us. I am not my own. So if I am in a war with evil, I must obey my Master, and walking in Him is the only way. 

Be Sober-Minded

We are often reminded in the New Testament to be sober or of sound judgment (Romans 12:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; 2 Timothy 4:5; 1 Peter 4:7; 5:8). As believers in Jesus, walking in the Spirit means we must think clearly. Many things can take our soberness from us: alcohol, drugs, food, sex, anger, or any other escape our flesh is prone to. We must fight to stay sober-minded at all times.

I remember the anger that rose up in me as I heard the true accounts that happened in the south of Israel. It had been several days after the attack, and the stories were worse than any horror tale man could make up. Angry tears ran down my face as I clenched my fists. At that moment, I was not sober. I was filled with rage. No human—especially women, children, and the elderly—should have to witness and be subjected to the evil that happened in Israel. I paced the floor, asking God to take vengeance on the ones who did this.

As I prayed, something happened: I began praying for their enemies.

I was quickly convicted, remembering I don’t direct our Maker but rather that He directs me. I then spent time praying for the families of the victims. I prayed for the Jewish people near and far to seek Him and His Son. I prayed for the peace of Jerusalem.

As I prayed, something happened: I began praying for their enemies. God, open their eyes to YOU! They are not beyond Your reach. Open their eyes to Your Son. The last place I needed to be at that moment was not online spewing my rage, trying to force others to see what happened. Instead, it was at my Father’s feet, letting Him fight the battle. 

Do Not Grow Weary While Doing Good

We cannot sustain our Christian walk on our own. It is the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is not in our own flesh but because of what Jesus, our Savior, did for us on the cross.

Nothing saddens me more than watching people fall away from Christ. We have seen much of this in recent years. But something else has happened, Christians are simply weary. They are weary of the culture growing darker, weary of the economy, weary of countries at war. As I have prayed for Israel and the Jewish people, I have prayed that God would not allow me to grow weary because of the darkness that surrounds the world.

I remember the story Corrie ten Boom told from her time living in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. In her devotional book Each New Day, she wrote,

Once, while we were on a roll call, a cruel guard kept us standing for a long, long time. Suddenly, a skylark began to sing in the sky, and all the prisoners looked up to listen to that bird’s song. As I looked at the bird, I saw the sky and thought of Psalms 103:11. O love of God, how deep and great; far deeper than man’s deepest hate. God sent that skylark daily for three weeks, exactly during roll call, to turn our eyes away from the cruelty of man to the oceans of His love.

When we depend on our strength and focus on the dark world around us, we will grow weary, even while doing good. When we walk in the Spirit and stay sober-minded—knowing God has a plan for all of the chaos going around—everything changes.

Soldiers in war do not follow their own will but the will of their leader. It is no different in the Christian life. God has called each of us where we are.

I pray you will share my battle cry: “Walk in the Spirit, be sober-minded, and do not grow weary while doing good.”

Right now, Christian, Israel and the Jewish people need us. They need our support and prayers. They need us standing beside them. They need our resources and our time. Our workers in Israel and around the globe are busy doing good. They need our prayers as they share God’s love through His Son in tangible ways. It is our responsibility to “not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:9–10).

Our battle cry is not emotion-filled. It is a Spirit-filled cry of faithfulness. I pray you will share my battle cry: “Walk in the Spirit, be sober-minded, and do not grow weary while doing good.” Be encouraged, Christian: We are on the winning side!

About the Author