Most of us will never grasp what it is like, even today, for IDF soldiers operating in the tunnels of Gaza. With October 7, 2023, still fresh in their minds, and having witnessed the most atrocious brutality ever imagined, an elite group of soldiers known as Yahalom still work the underground tunnels of Gaza.

Much more extensive than anyone knew, those soldiers are finding interconnected tunnels that served as literal underground transportation routes for Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip. Go inside one of those tunnels with the tunnel commander, Lt Col H of the Yahalom unit, as he describes what they have discovered in the underground world of Hamas. Then get a glimpse of the formerly Hezbollah-occupied Beaufort Ridge recently conquered by the IDF in Lebanon.

Remarkably, some unit commanders in these hyper-intense environments, such as Lt Col H, have rarely had opportunities to go home. Some have toddlers they hardly know, due to the time spent commanding troops in military service.

Praying friends, this is a great reminder of how important it is to pray specifically for these soldiers and others facing hardship in Israel. Isaiah 40 exhorts us to comfort the people of God (the Jews) and speak comfort to Jerusalem (and all of Israel). Certainly prayer is a means of accomplishing that. But read the next few verses.

It is a message of hope. God has pardoned Israel’s iniquity (verse 2) and a voice crying in the wilderness is preparing a way for the Lord (verse 3). Verse 9 speaks of bringing good tidings, before verse 10 tells of the coming of the Lord. Friends, meditate on that chapter and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Then pray those blessings back to God in a prayer of yearning for the Jewish people to recognize their Messiah! We are invited to play a part in what God is doing, and it all begins with a prayer for the soldier who has been away from his family for 2-3 years. It continues with prayers of comfort for Israel and the anticipation of the strong hand of the Lord that will act on their behalf.

Prayer warriors, use God’s Word to pray! He will guide you, and you will bless Israel, just as the Bible commands!