From
Dr. Mike Evans – Jerusalem Prayer Team
This
morning I read First Samuel chapter 4. It tells the story of one of
the darkest hours of the Jewish people. The Philistines had defeated
Israel; the high priest, Eli, and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were
dead. The Ark of the Covenant had been captured. Phinehas' wife had
named her newborn son Ichabod, which means “the glory of God has
departed.” Tragically, the light had gone out in Israel.
Despite
this crisis, a godly woman, Hannah, had dedicated her life to the
Lord to be light. God answered her cry. Her son, Samuel, was carried
to Shiloh as a young child to serve the house of God. Through Samuel
came a new generation of righteous prophets and judges.
The light of Christian love had gone out from the life of my Jewish mother. I saw professing Christians in the United States throw tomatoes and eggs at her and spray paint “Jew witch” and “Christ killer” on our house. I never realized the terrible meaning of those words until I spoke them aloud.
My father was an anti-Semite beyond even the wildest imagination. He beat my mother repeatedly. The moment I attempted to defend my mother against my father, he strangled me and left me for dead. I could never defend my mother, so God gave me another Jewish mother to defend: Israel. My mother never saw the love of God—only hatred. I want the Jewish People in Israel to see the light of the love of Christ and not the hatred my mother saw.
What a mighty God we serve! He took a broken little lamb at 11—me, a stuttering, terrified introverted boy—and has used him for over 40 years to be light and to defend a Jewish nation.
Matthew 5:14-16 says:
The light of Christian love had gone out from the life of my Jewish mother. I saw professing Christians in the United States throw tomatoes and eggs at her and spray paint “Jew witch” and “Christ killer” on our house. I never realized the terrible meaning of those words until I spoke them aloud.
My father was an anti-Semite beyond even the wildest imagination. He beat my mother repeatedly. The moment I attempted to defend my mother against my father, he strangled me and left me for dead. I could never defend my mother, so God gave me another Jewish mother to defend: Israel. My mother never saw the love of God—only hatred. I want the Jewish People in Israel to see the light of the love of Christ and not the hatred my mother saw.
What a mighty God we serve! He took a broken little lamb at 11—me, a stuttering, terrified introverted boy—and has used him for over 40 years to be light and to defend a Jewish nation.
Matthew 5:14-16 says:
|
You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a
stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way,
let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment