NerYah

One of the greatest problems that Israel faces today is its youth, its future generation. The youth in Israel are looking for something. Unfortunately, many of them are finding their comfort in alcohol, drugs, etc. Throughout Scripture, we see the importance of teaching our children the ways of God. We at Hope for Israel consider it a priority to invest our resources in the future generation of Israel. Therefore, we have partnered with Ner-Yah (literally, "candle of God"), a youth outreach, to achieve this goal. We will disciple them, support them in prayer, and support them financially as well. One of the things that grabbed my attention about Ya'el and her group of leaders is the fact that they did not sit around idly, waiting for things to happen, but started reaching out by practicing their faith.

"Arise, shine; for the light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." - Isaiah 60:1

I grew up in Israel in a family of new immigrants who were also new believers. I came to the Lord when I was 14. Before that, my life was a big mess, a mixture of hopeless routine. I never used drugs or went to wild parties, but what was happening within me was pretty horrible, and I felt like I was losing every bit of hope and sanity with every moment that passed by.

I was so very near to falling into an unending abyss of death! My calls upon the Lord never seemed to be answered. After a long period of crying out to the Lord, I was convinced to go to a youth conference by my best friend, and so I went. Later I realized that my parents made real, bold and unexpected efforts in order to save me spiritually. Many people around the world, spiritual co-workers of my parents, prayed for me and our family. God answered their prayers.

During the conference I saw young people praising and worshiping the Lord. I saw passion and love in their eyes and I knew they had something I didn't: a relationship with God. I did not have a chance to talk to these people who were on fire for the Lord, since I didn't know most of them, but I was changed by simply observing their lives. So when the Lord knocked on the door of my heart, I said yes to Him. I've come a long way since that moment, and have been through a lot of experiences, all of them good in the final account, thanks to God's mercy and leading. I believe there is a reason for the fact that my life with God started in a youth conference. God has given me a heart and a vision for the youth, for His generation.

When we started our Ner-Yah movement in 2004, it was no more than four believers at the same school meeting to pray during the breaks at school, but that in itself was a small miracle. Since then, God has led us through a miraculous process of growing and developing. Today, we have youth group meetings once a week, with about 25 young people attending, and different activities such as Bible study and social events. The staff of the ministry also meets weekly for prayer (the staff includes four youth, all of them under 18: myself, David Seguin, Angelika Mikuyan, and Keren Shoshani). We also stand in prayer and quiet time for Ner–Yah in our private lives.

We believe that God has a unique, wonderful plan for the new generation of His Land: we believe that God has chosen and anointed us to step forward in this land, carrying the banner of His love and salvation, declaring the name of Yeshua. We know that the Lord had chosen this nation, these people, to be His sons and daughters, and we believe that the revival promised to them is approaching fast.

The situation of the young generation of believers in Israel is not good: many are completely lost and confused, walking the other way and ignoring the true "road less traveled". That's the reason why Ner-Yah was born. The truth on which the movement stands is this: we believe that it is time for us, the youth of the Body of Messiah in Israel, to stand up and carry the responsibility and blessing which God has placed upon our shoulders. We want to build a generation that is faithful to the Lord and is totally committed to walking with God.

We know that our main calling is to bring the light of Yeshua to the darkened hearts of young people. That is why we pray for and invest in this generation of servants who are humble and who respect their parents and their authority out of obedience and love. We are a generation of men and women of God, who know God's word and promises, who stand up together as one in order to bring God's will to this land. We are a generation of united sons and daughters of God, loving, giving, serving, and reaching out into the darkness.

We know that there is much hard work ahead, but also that the harvest is great. We have lots of plans and ideas for this year, and we believe that this year will be a special year, the year of waking up and becoming an army for God.

It's all just a tiny part of the picture. God's indescribable miracles and wonders in Ner-Yah and in our generation occur daily. We thank the Lord for the great privilege of working with His precious chosen ones, and we know that the fruit, which is now ripening, will eventually become sweet and precious in the eyes of our Lord, and that Israel will be a light for the nations.

Ya'el Blum

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