Israel's 63rd Anniversary

I was a young child of not quite five in 1948 when Israel became a country, but I remember it and was overjoyed.  The likely reason for that was because I had been told about the Holocaust, and about how millions of Jewish people had been killed during the Second World War.  That broke this little girl's heart.

My Dad had served in the Canadian army during the war, but because of his German heritage, he served in Canada as an interpreter.  When I discovered the Germans were the ones who had caused the slaughter of the Jewish people, I was ashamed of my German heritage, and thereafter, whenever I was asked my nationality (which seemed to be a common thing in those days) I would answer "Canadian".

Yesterday Israel celebrated its 63rd birthday in this day and age, but I know from God's word that Israel is an ancient land, the land to which the patriarch Abraham was called by God Himself.  Today Israel consists of just a portion of the land that God gave to Abraham on the day He made a covenant with him and said, "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates" (Gen. 15:18).

Today, in spite of Israel occupying only a small portion of the land God gave to Abraham, and in spite of the Arabs occupying the rest of the Middle East, it is apparent that they want it all, including the tiny strip which today is called Israel.  Consequently Israel has had to fight for her life again and again, through a series of wars, roadside bombings, and missile bombardments. 

With the threat of a 'Third Intifada' on the day of Israel's 63rd anniversary, a call had gone out to fast and pray for Israel.  Many believers heeded that call, Jew and Gentile, and God heard our prayers, because the 'intifada' resulted in far fewer deaths and casualties than could have taken place.  Praise be to God!  He is so faithful to hear and answer the cries of our hearts!

However, this does not mean we should cease praying!  God's word tells us to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6).  This city of God is a hotbed of clashes and violence, a city divided, where the Temple Mount is in the hands of the Arabs, not the Jews.  Indeed, we need to continue to 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem'!