Love Far Greater Than Hate

Today was proof that Israel’s love for their people is far greater than the hate for their enemy. The same enemy that 471 days ago brutally murdered, raped and kidnapped people from their homes and from a concert in the open desert. It is hard for my mind to wrap around the hostage deal. I know it is human to be angry, but God’s word says in your anger do not sin. I am afraid that today I find myself struggling with bitterness in my heart. For over fifteen months I prayed and asked the Lord to protect all the hostages. I ask him to bring them home and bring peace to Israel. I have spoken to anyone willing to talk to me about why Israel has the right to defend her people and the evil that is Hamas. I have so many emotions running through my head. I should be thanking the Lord for these three beautiful girls’ freedom and celebrating their mothers getting to lay eyes on them after over 15 months of anguish. While I am so thankful that they are home, and we have a promise that many others will be released to return home to their families as well, I cannot help but recall the price. While we are rejoicing ninety monsters are being let out of an Israeli prison. I am scared for my friends in Israel and for how these monsters will cause more pain and harm to any Jew or Christian they can. But in all my thoughts and frustrations, God showed up. He always does if you are willing to listen and be still. You see for Israelis there is no price too high to pay for one of their brothers or sisters. They say that no Israeli will ever be left behind. They will move mountains for their people even if they must take the chance that even one of these monsters may cause the people of Israel harm again. That is love. And that is the kind of love God has for us. You see, His love never fails. He called Moses to lead his people out of Egypt, He used a young Jewish girl named Esther to save her people from annihilation and he sent his son to die for the whole world. Jesus’ entire ministries was an example of the truest form of LOVE, sacrificial love. This is what I see in my friends today, sacrificial love for their brothers and sisters. What I have come to understand about my Jewish friends is they love well. Not that we don’t but if we stop and try to see the world through their eyes, we can see love in a new way. They have been persecuted as people for centuries. We as Christians have done our fair share to harm them, even in the name of Jesus. We must recognize that, and we must come to a place where it is ok to admit our ancestors wrong and reverse the hate with love. I believe that is what Jesus was calling us to, in the beginning before we got it all wrong. Golda Meir one of Israel’s early prime ministers (I believe the fourth) once said “We Jews have a secret weapon in our struggle with the Arabs – we have no place to go.” That is a profound statement if you ask me. Why do they love so big? They have to! Why do they fight so fiercely? Because they must survive. And why do they defend their right to this very small chunk of land we call the Holy Land? They have no other choice; “they have no place to go.” This land was rightfully given to them by God! our God, their God, the ONE TRUE GOD, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. God’s words are the same yesterday and today, he never changes his mind, and his words NEVER FAIL. 

 “When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.” – Golda Meir