This week has been heart breaking for Israel. A nation mourned as the bodies of the Bibas family were returned home. Then it was outraged to discover the final cruel trick of Hamas, to switch the bodies of the mother, Shiri, and deny her husband Yarden Bibas the right to bury his own wife.
Even in death, Ariel and Kfir, those precious Bibas babies who endured the unthinkable in life, are denied even the simple mercy of being laid to rest beside their mother.
This is nothing short of pure evil. An evil that is an abomination to the Lord. An evil that the world has shamefully tolerated for far too long.
“Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright. The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the just.” – Proverbs 3:31-33
The Church must stand up against evil.
We know we are not warring against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. Our battle is not physical, it is spiritual and the battle belongs to the Lord. He is the one who says He will curse those who are wicked. God’s hand of judgement will fall upon Hamas. There is no way it cannot, as God cannot break His promises.
With this in mind, here are this week’s prayer points:
- Pray for Yarden Bibas and the extended family as they endure this injustice that has been levelled against them. Pray that God will comfort them, that His mercy will rest upon that family, and that God will bring about a just resolution to all of this.
- Pray for all those who have suffered evil at the hands of Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups. Evil has repeatedly been unleashed against Israel and we pray that God will surround His people with His presence and comfort them.
- Pray for the people of Gaza. The only way for this antisemitic evil to be defeated is the power of God’s love. Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Palestinians, soften their hearts, open their eyes, and bring them to repentance. Pray they will turn away from evil and love those they see as their enemies.
- Pray against the tide of antisemitism and hatred towards Israel that has swept the globe. Pray that God opens people’s eyes to the lies of the enemy. Pray that people will reject the deception of Satan and instead see the truth of God. Pray the world will see Israel is a force for good in this world and that the Jewish people are a blessing.
- Pray that the Church will wake up and realise this is a fight of good against evil that we cannot ignore any longer. We cannot be complacent when evil is in our midst, especially when that evil threatens the nation that God loves. Pray that God will use CUFI and our supporters to be able to speak into our Churches and to reveal God’s heart for Israel to our friends.
