Hard to Believe

Today is January 1, 2010. This day is a special day for me as we mark the 10-year anniversary of Hope for Israel Ministries. As I reflect on the past 10 years, I am filled with gratitude to God for His faithfulness; He has provided for us and sustained us throughout the past ten years in an amazing way.

I would like to devote my next few blog entries to sharing with you stories about God’s faithfulness, as well as stories about the way that Hope for Israel started; I pray and hope that these stories will be an encouragement to you and that they will draw you closer to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the Messiah of Israel.

The Call to Ministry: Not long after I came to the realization that Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel and welcomed him into my life, I had a strange, but wonderful experience. I woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare and as I turned on the light, I felt a strong urge to open my Bible and read from it; where exactly I intended to read, I didn’t know. I just opened and closed the Bible a few times to the exact same place:

“15 I said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ and the Lord answered, ‘I am Yeshua, and you are persecuting me! 16 But get up, and stand on your feet! I have appeared to you to appoint you to serve and bear witness to what you have already seen of me, and to what you will see when I appear to you in the future. 17 I will deliver you from the People and from the Goyim. I am sending you 18 to open their eyes; so that they will turn from darkness to light, from the power of the Adversary to God, and thus receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who have been separated for holiness by putting their trust in me.’” Acts 26:15-18 CJB

As I was praying, I knew that this was no coincidence, but that the Lord was calling me into His service. I shared this with a few people whom I trusted and asked them to pray that God would reveal His will to me. These people felt the same thing as I did and gave me the confirmation that this was, indeed, God’s will for my life.  Two years later in 2000, a door was opened to begin working in the ministry full-time. That was the sign I was waiting for from God.

Hope for Israel’s name: After losing a few close friends in a suicide attack in Israel during my time serving in the IDF, I became very angry, bitter and lost much of the hope I had for peace. A few months after I finished the army, another friend died during an operation in Lebanon. This was the “last straw” for me and I had to leave Israel; I felt like there was no hope for this land and that no one in this world cared. I left for England and then continued on to the U.S.A. That is where my life changed forever, after receiving the revelation that God is real, and that Yeshua is indeed the Promised Messiah of Israel. God took my broken, bitter, hopeless and stony heart and replaced it with a new one, just as the Prophet Jeremiah foretold (Jeremiah 31:31).

When I knew that God was leading me into a life of full-time ministry, I began to think of a name for the organization that would be a reflection of what had happened in my own life. In reading through the entire Bible for the first time, I came to Psalm 130:

“1 A song of ascents. By David: ADONAI, I call to you from the depths; 2 hear my cry, Adonai! Let your ears pay attention to the sound of my pleading. 3 Yah, if you kept a record of sins, who, Adonai, could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that you will be feared. 5 I wait longingly for ADONAI; I put my hope in his word. 6 Everything in me waits for Adonai more than guards on watch wait for morning, more than guards on watch wait for morning. 7 Isra’el, put your hope in ADONAI! For grace is found with ADONAI, and with him is unlimited redemption. 8 He will redeem Isra’el from all their wrongdoings.” Psalm 130 CJB

The name Hope for Israel comes directly out of this Psalm; our hope is not in flesh and blood, but in God Almighty! Over ten years ago, I left Israel hopeless, but today I have returned with a renewed hope not just for myself, but for this land. Not only that, but I also have the great privilege to oversee an organization that is bringing the one and only Hope back to the people of Israel.

Friends, there is hope for Israel, and this hope is found in the Messiah of Israel.

May God bless you!  I pray that you will be faithful in whatever He has called you to… Blessings for a wonderful 2010