https://youtu.be/kujzTxLmIVo?si=ZQtFidE-u2fHp2pO

I know those of us both with and without military backgrounds have been praying for the peace of Jerusalem these last several weeks.

I saw today that a mostly American C.S. Lewis study group finally got out of Israel and spoke of opportunities they had had to share their faith while taking cover unexpectedly at various times while there. One night of their tour, one of their couples was up in Tel Aviv while the rest of them were in Jerusalem. That turned out to be the night of the initial attack. After that couple ended up in a shelter with an Israeli family, ministering to them in their fear, the tour's Christian Arab bus driver drove through the shelling to Tel Aviv and back to rescue that couple. We always hear of true heroism at such times.

The link is the beautiful Israeli national anthem Ha Tikvah, with a history of being sung during World War II as a way to defy Nazis (one group of Czech Jews sang it on the way into the gas chambers) and to instill each other with courage. Here it opens a show at Carnegie Hall by this year's Rubinstein piano award winner, as a tribute to the victims of the Hamas attacks. I love how the audience joins in!

Let's keep praying. God will show Himself strong!