“Mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15)
As people with a special heart for the salvation and well-being of Jewish people worldwide, our hearts break for everyone affected by the brutal and murderous attacks by Hamas and the war that has come as a result. We are concerned for those who have lost loved ones, those who await news of family and friends taken hostage, and those living in constant fear and anxiety for what might come next. Not since the Holocaust have Jewish people suffered such an enormous and devastating loss of life in one day.
Fear, anxiety, hatred, grief and death are all around and only growing worse as Israel mobilizes to protect its people from further atrocities and seeks to remove Hamas from Gaza. We also grieve for the humanitarian crisis that has arisen as a result.
With this in our minds and hearts, we implore all in the Lausanne Movement to pray for the following at this time:
- For all those mourning to be comforted
- For the remaining hostages to be returned
- For an end to the violence in the region
- For the civilians who are suffering in Gaza, desperately in need of humanitarian aid
- For an end to the anti-Semitism that is currently reverberating around the world and for the Church to stand against it
- For the Church to take up her place as a voice and agent for peace and the sharing of the gospel to both Israelis and Palestinians, as only the gospel will truly change hearts and minds and bring peace
- For the salvation of both Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Gentiles, as testimony to the world of the reconciling power of the gospel
We thank everyone for their expressed sympathy and empathy for Jewish people and all those currently suffering in the region because of this war. The verse quoted above sits within a chapter where Paul repeatedly reminds us to walk in peace and love, even for those who have hurt us. As followers of Jesus, may we have the courage to pray wholeheartedly and choose God’s path of peace in the Messiah Jesus.
Yours in the name of the Prince of Peace,
The LCJE International Coordinating Committee:
Dan Sered (President), Joseph Steinberg (International Coordinator), Rachel Davis (Member at Large), and Tim Sigler (Member at Large)