Tikkun Global
Jerusalem, Israel
Life in Israel has been like a rollercoaster with weeping, anger, and hope – all at the same time and one after another. We have seen death, evil, and mourning, but also miracles of biblical magnitude.
In one day, the dead bodies of little children who had been brutally murdered were returned to us. On that same day in the evening, five terrorist bombs hidden in public buses, programmed to be detonated at 9 AM during rush hour killing hundreds of Israelis, went off mistakenly at 9 PM without injuring even one person – a total miracle.
Changing the Equation
At a time like this, we must return to foundational knowledge: God loves us. And for God to love us, He must exist, be all powerful, be good, and be for us. That should surely change how we look at the circumstances.
Many Israelis feel broken and traumatized from a century of constant danger and dashed hopes of coexistence. But if you add to the same “equation” the fact that God exists and loves us, everything changes: we are not helpless; the Master of the universe is with us. This gives us peace and confidence, intimacy and faith.
During this past year and a half of war, we see Israelis focusing on God and on prayer in the public sphere. The phrase “we are all praying” is suddenly heard in the mouths of secular journalists who probably never tried to pray before.
We are beginning to see how it will look when “all Israel” will be saved (Romans 11:26). We are part way there. Yes, it’s “stiff going,” but we are still a stiff-necked people. The trials and difficulties are pushing our people to call upon God together. With the return of each captive from Gaza, we feel that we are all one family: these are our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
God not only loves us, He gave us Yeshua, His son, to save us from sin and death. This revelation is hard for Israelis to receive. Our rabbis claim that God does not have the image of a body, much less a son. But they miss the fact that God appeared in the image of human form in dozens of places throughout the Hebrew scriptures. For example, Exodus 24:9-10 says 74 leaders of Israel beheld the LORD with their own eyes.
Deserving of Wrath
God loves us even though we don’t deserve it. In fact, we deserve just the opposite.
“You were dead in your transgressions and sins… you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:1-3 NKJV)
Our disobedience has provoked God. We have all sinned; we have all betrayed God. Psalm 7:11 says that God is angry every day. Our sin is not negligible. We deserve wrath and punishment. Yet, God chooses to love us. We were dead in our sins. Many people who think they are “living it up” are spiritually dead on the inside.
When people sin, they are giving in to temptation and to the influence of demonic forces. To walk in faith, we must go against the flow – against the influence of sinful human society and against our own selfish desires.
“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Messiah even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Despite all our evil ways, God chooses to forgive us because of His great love. He grants us pardon based on Yeshua's willingness to take our punishment upon himself.
A Godly Vantage Point
“And God raised us up with Messiah and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Messiah Yeshua.” (Ephesians 2:6)
In addition to forgiving us, God invites us to be seated with Him in heavenly realms. While your body is here on earth, you can pray with Yeshua from the highest position of spiritual authority and power.
We should not allow circumstances to dictate how we live. We can influence the situation around us. Let’s not waste even one sentence on complaining! You could use the same breath to help alter reality.
Proverbs 21:1 says God can change the hearts of political leaders. “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; he directs it wherever he wants.” It doesn't matter how one feels about Netanyahu, Trump or any other leader. We pray for God to direct their hearts and the hearts of all in authority.
We have seen the effect of this kind of prayer during this war almost daily. God has given revelatory wisdom to our government and miraculous victories on the battlefield.
Something good is happening here. Within the last half a year, a song about God’s love has become the most popular song in Israel, garnering over 27 million views. It was written by an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, but is sung exuberantly by young secular Israelis – in a surprising display of unity and optimism.
“He Always Loves Me”
Words by Y. Elitzur and Rabbi S. Arush, Performed by Sasson Shaulov
Hashem is a good father, and He always boasts of me. He sees in me only the good points. Sees that I want to be good, but it doesn’t turn out that way. And Hashem also saw my desire, that I tried and did not give up. He sees my disgrace, the bitterness I felt, how I started over each time.
(chorus)
And Hashem, may He be blessed, always loves me,
And always does me good. And even more good. And even more good. And even more good. And it will always be good for me.
He hears, has mercy on me and always answers me, and if He has not yet, I continue to wait. Lead me in Your compassion. May all see that You do hear prayer. A beautiful happy life year after year.
He will shine His light in us, faith will shine. The wisdom of truth, knowledge and understanding. Our Messiah will finally come, and there will be no war.
What a startling declaration is made in this song, which has gone viral among Orthodox and secular alike! Even though most of our people do not yet see Yeshua, this song echoes much of the love and faith found in the gospels and epistles:
“Neither height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)
