Middle East News

July 02, 2020

With the calendar turning to July this week, the discussions concerning the potential annexation of the West Bank and the need for peace have heated up and everyone has something to say – from leaders in Israel, the United States, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to those who are part of terrorist group Hamas. NETANYAHU CALLS ON PALESTINIANS TO "SIT DOWN AND NEGOTIATE IN GOOD FAITH" Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a virtual summit of Christians United for...

June 25, 2020

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him; to the one who seeks him. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” Lamentations 3:25-26 (NIV) I pray God’s faithful goodness for your life this week, as the above Scripture in Lamentations promises to those whose hope is in Him. In recent news, it seems to be a love-hate relationship between Israel and Jordan. Publicly, Jordan is pushing for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. However, back-channel con...

June 18, 2020

“The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace” Psalm 29:11 (NIV) Do you get the sense the world is spinning out of control? I know it feels that way to me. Every day a new crisis or reason for worry seems to spring out of nowhere. That’s why I’m so thankful we know God is in control. He isn’t taken by surprise or overwhelmed by circumstances. Even when we are surprised or overwhelmed, the Psalm above says that He gives us strength and peace. I don’t kn...

June 11, 2020

“Likewise know that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off” Proverbs 24:14 (TLV) I am focusing us on wisdom because with all that is going on in our world today, wisdom is something we can all use more of, don’t you agree? Look at the verse above from Proverbs – wisdom is linked to having a future and hope that will last. Certainly something we all desire. And if we pray for wisdom earnestly, God will grant it. When y...

June 04, 2020

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” Acts 1:8 (NIV) Last week was Shavuot/Pentecost – a time of celebration and a time to reflect on our faith. At the same time, we continue to deal with the pandemic and other tragic events that are headlining the news. We need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit across Israel, the United States and our world. So many are hurti...

May 28, 2020

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” Romans 15:13 (NIV) This weekend is Shavuot/Pentecost! Historically, this period of time has been one of waiting in hopeful anticipation of what the Lord has in store for the season ahead for His people. I believe God is working in wonderful and amazing ways during this challenging time and will continue to unfold His plan. We just need to wait o...

May 21, 2020

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV) It’s been more than two months in isolation for most of us across America and in other countries as well. Let me encourage you with the words of Jesus from John 16:33 above. We live in a fallen world which means we will have trouble. But we can take heart because our Messiah has overcome the world. That means we are overcome...

May 14, 2020

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) As I am writing this, Israel should finally have a new government – putting an end to 16 months of political turmoil wrought by three inconclusive elections. You can read more about this significant event in the news articles below, but let’s just say for we who care so deeply about Israel and her people, this is an answer to ma...

May 07, 2020

“We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20 NIV) This past week I’ve been thinking about how we are all doing a lot of waiting because of the pandemic. In last week’s Middle East Update, I shared our podcast about waiting with expectation. If you missed it, you can check it out here. But how are we waiting? I found 130 references in Scripture about waiting – most often in Psalms. We are called to “wait in hope for the Lord” as in Psalm 33. Wait in hope n...

April 30, 2020

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:3-4 NKJV) Let us share with you just a tidbit of what you’ll hear in the special podcast we’ve put together for you this week. As we are all in this time of waiting because of COVID-19, I encourage you to really consider how you are spending this time and how you think of this season. Right now, especially, whatever we are focusing o...