“to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and Peace − what GIFTS He has made available to us so freely. May you and I experience them today.
Oh was I ever blessed today in the midst of my life. Perhaps you remember Eliyahu the plumber whom I shared my testimony when we moved into our apartment and how grieved I was at it was been received by him. I am so thankful that today was different.
“Yoooo Hoooo, friend, come to the window. Haaalllooo. Are you home?”
There was someone calling MY name outside from the street? I was cleaning the bathroom and dropped everything and ran to the merapeset (balcony). There on the street below was Rakel looking up and calling to ME of all people.
“Wow. Rakel, come on up, I’m just one flight up.”
Rakel came huffing and puffing up the stairs, smiling her contagious smile and gave me a big hug. “Found you,” she said. “I knew you would be the window with the beautiful flowers hanging out.”
I smiled as my dog jumped around her legs and my bird began to sing.
I met Rakel at work, and over the years I have been able to share with her a bit how I believe, and she accepted that, so I wasn’t concerned that my Bible lay open on the chair as I showed her in. Rakel struggles with weight and depression. She came to Israel when she was about 9 years old from, I think, Auschwitz. Her war experience as a child and a subsequent failed marriage scarred her terribly. She has been searching for answers to relieve her pain for the nearly 17 years that I have known her. Because her food addictions seem tied to the pain, she actually joined AA and has lived by the 12 step program.
When she saw me be able to finally loose the 41 kilos (about 90 pounds), and then keep it off (it has been nearly 9 years now), it opened a door for me to share with her about The Lord. But at work my sharing is limited and we always said, “We should meet for coffee someday and talk.”
Here she was at my door.
Right away she began talking about her weight again. Even though I struggled about my own weight issues with The Lord for many years, and I don’t know WHY He gave the victory at this point in my life, it was still HIM Who did it. So the conversation soon turned to Him, His ways, and how I believe.
Rakel is religious, but is always searching for God. “I just read a scripture in Malachi about telling man how to live,” she began.
“Oh, funny, I just read this in Micah,” I said, grabbing my Bible. I turned to Micah 6:8 and read:
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
“That’s it!’ she exclaimed.
“Your Bible has Hebrew too. Can I see it?” she said taking my Bible and reading it in Hebrew, nodding her head. “Wow! You really read your Bible a lot don’t you?” She leafed through it.
“Yes. I love The Bible. It is the Truth that sets us free. My Bible also has the brit h’desha (New Testament) in it.”
I showed her.
“Let me see it. And that is in Hebrew too.”
We talked a bit more and then she left for an appointment.
She is very open, but she is also open to anything spiritual, including kabala (Jewish mystical occult) and new age things. I plan to get her a full Bible in Hebrew. Perhaps you will pray with me for her, and also for my testimony to be received. May His Word produce fruit in this hungry seeking lady.
Today has been Day 9 of Operation Protective Edge.
Tensions are running high as crazy information floods the airwaves and internet. The world grows darker and deeper into deception at a rate possibly unprecedented. Surely it is compounded by the abundance of available information (truth or lies…seems to make no difference). People read or hear something, form an opinion and then act on that opinion. It is almost as if the world has plunged headlong into one of those weird fantasy movies.
Here in Jerusalem it is, I think, the 3rd day since we have had an air raid, but non the less there is much tension and expectation of one occurring at any time. The rest of the country has had an onslaught of more then 1,200 rockets. Our first death from a missile occurred yesterday when a 37 year old volunteer, the father of 3, was bringing food and water to troops waiting on the border. Meanwhile, more then 200 have been killed in Gaza thus far.
It seems self-evident for us in Jerusalem, but since the rest of the world does not understand, I will share a bit of what seems so obvious:
When Israel painfully evacuated our own people from Gaza (Gush Katif) in August 2,005, all of the rich and productive greenhouses, the fertile land and most public buildings were turned over to the Palestinian government with the sincere hope that they would build a thriving economy and build their country and government. It was an opportunity of huge value for them at great hurt and cost to us. They burned most of the greenhouses and buildings and voted the hamas terror organization in to govern them.
The billions and billions of dollars donated to the area by the world went almost entirely into weapons development, which we are seeing now. Instead of farming or manufacturing of durable goods for their people, they dug expensive, sophisticated tunnels, built weapons manufacturing workshops and starved their people, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The people are filled with fear, anger, hatred and propaganda. It deeply grieves the hearts of nearly every Israeli and totally puzzles us (me included) how on earth this isn’t apparent to the entire world. Why is the world yelling that Israelis are using disproportionate force because our people are instructed to protect themselves in bomb shelters and follow clearly given procedures and air raid sirens and the people of Gaza are told to stand on the roofs? Their children play in the streets. Even as a believer I find this frustrating to tears.
I simply want to be sure that YOU, as believers who care and desire to know and to agree with what The Lord says, understand. I have had a number of emails from people saying that they are thankful to hear from me what is happening because their local media is so biased or shares so little, but I ENCOURAGE you to put ynet and Times of Israel on your bookmarks menu. Check them because things are moving and changing so rapidly and the lies are mutating just as quickly.
And yet we all know that all of the truth about what is going on will avail NOTHING without The Holy Spirit directing our prayers. My dear mentor whom I dare have called friend used to say that we can beat the air with many poetically and spiritually worded prayers but they avail NOTHING if not filled with the Life of The HOLY Spirit. One Word anointed by Him does the job that hours of words cannot. I call it “silver bullet praying,” the arrow that hits the mark.
A news report came in today that you will likely not hear elsewhere:
It is only a few weeks ago that 3 of our teens were kidnapped and murdered by Arabs. The killers have not been found as yet, but sadly, 3 young Israeli boys kidnapped and horribly murdered an Arab boy. These 3 were tracked down and are awaiting trial, but meanwhile the homes of these Jewish boys who killed the Arab boy are being destroyed JUST AS ISRAEL DOES TO THE HOMES OF ARAB TERRORISTS. The law is equal.
The events of these days are trying and I am likely too emotional to write about them. I would rather turn my eyes and, “Look away unto Yeshua.”
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.”
Thank you for your prayers for Israel, for us, for the plans and purposes of God to be fulfilled and to bring glory to His great Name. Thank you for your prayers for Rakel. May there be fruit for His kingdom, and MAY WE BRING GLORY TO HIS NAME. May you be encouraged, and kept in His straight and narrow path.
Lovingly,
your somewhat tired sis J
Larry Who 