Hi friends! The recent journey to Israel left me with deep-seated grief and a bright hope for the future of Israel. Why the contrast? Because both are so very palpable when you stand among God’s uniquely called people in His uniquely promised land!

Being there made it quite obvious that Israel is a hurting nation. To say they have experienced difficult days is an understatement of great magnitude. We happened to be there during some very heartbreaking days, such as when they received the dead bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two adorable red-headed boys, ages 4 and 9 months when kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Shiri’s husband, Yarden, had recently been released as well, only to face the reality of exactly what happened to his wife and sons. Agony hung over the nation.

Yet, the future is also bright because God’s promises to His people will always be fulfilled. Jewish people are awaiting their Messiah, which I believe gives them a zeal for life like no other people group on earth. Instinctively, they seem to know God is on their side protecting them and keeping them.

I saw a video soon after the October 7, 2023 attack. In it, a group of Messianic believers gathered on the barren, bombed-out site of the Sderot police station to sing a prayer song from Isaiah 61. Sderot sits right on the Gaza border and was directly attacked that day.

Yet, our group stood on that very spot just 3 weeks ago and it was different. True, grief continues to hang heavily over that place, but only 1 year following the attack, they had already built and dedicated a memorial to those who lost their lives fighting in and around the police station that dreadful day. Life goes on. They grieve together (still to this day), but they also build things. They have not stopped living life in the midst of their grief.

I want to demonstrate that paradox. In the video below, the story is laid out before you, including footage during the attack, all the way up to the memorial dedication of the site that is there today. Having been there, it is surreal to “relive” the great paradox: a chilling reminder of grief and the warm reassurance of life. May it touch you as it has me.