For the past three weeks we have been partnering with a ministry in Jerusalem that focuses on ministering to the Arab people in Israel, especially those living in refugee camps. For me, this experience has been a huge eye-opener. I suppose that when I used to think of Israel I automatically thought of the Jewish people – God’s chosen people. But this ministry here has shown me a beautiful glimpse of God’s heart for the Arab people too.
God is moving in Israel.
He is moving amongst the Arabs. So many of them are open to and hungry for the Word of God. God is giving them dreams and visions of Jesus. People are being healed. The Kingdom of God is coming in power amongst the Palestinians. As Jesus says in Matthew 11:5, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” These things are happening here in Jerusalem and in Jericho where our friends are ministering in refugee camps. The Arabs are being set free.
One area in particular where God is moving is in the city of Jericho, the world’s oldest continuously-inhabited city. I was fascinated to learn that Jericho lies in the ancient Valley of Achor, which means Valley of Trouble. This name dates back to the time when Joshua and the Israelites were entering into the Promised Land (see Joshua 7). There was a curse placed over the land which God is changing into a blessing. We are seeing part of the fulfillment of God’s promises in Hosea 2:15, where God says that He will “make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.” God is restoring hope in Jericho.
I am honored that my team and I got to participate in a
small part of God’s plan for Jericho and its people. The leader of our partner ministry lived in Jericho for many years, working in the refugee camps there. During that time, her house and car were bombed 7 times. People tried to stone her and her son. But she persevered, and God has brought about a drastic change in the hearts of the people there. With the full approval of the Israeli military, she was able to start a church in Jericho. On some nights now, approximately 200 people come to the weekly service. Our teams were able to attend these services. During the service we were able to lay hands on and pray for each person in attendance. We were invited to people’s homes to pray for sick family members. Some of my teammates were also able to help out with Bible studies throughout the city. How incredible it is to see the fruit of one woman’s labor of love for the Lord.
Another area of ministry has been on bringing in a shipment of rice to distribute to people in the refugee camps. The ministry here has been praying for over two months for this rice to come in, but the shipment has been held up in Israeli customs issues. God finally released it to us right when we arrived and were ready to help. The two World Race teams working here unloaded a truckload of approximately 13 tons of rice, which is enough to fill an entire garage! We have now been in the process of bagging up the rice and preparing it for distribution amongst the people. When people come to our church services and Bible studies, they receive coupons which they can then use to get their rice. Each bag of rice that we give out contains Bible Scriptures and teachings in Arabic. We have heard that some people are more desperate for the Bible teachings than they are for the actual rice, praise God!
A third part of our ministry here was simply to worship God. Every morning, we would join the ministry staff for a time of worship followed by prayer and prophecy over Jerusalem and Jericho. How amazing it is that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence before our Lord and ask Him to provide for us, to bring healing to our bodies and spirits, and to do the miraculous! We serve a God who answers prayer! One child that we prayed for was healed of a hip deformity and no longer needed to have surgery. The rice that we prayed for for so long was finally released to us. We were even given monetary rebates from the shipping company that had been storing the rice until it cleared customs. We have also had several opportunities during these morning worship times to minister to other missions teams and church groups that have come to Jerusalem. One morning we had a group of 35 people from Mexico come in and worship and pray with us. Another day we were joined by a team of 7 people from Singapore. It is exciting to see many nations represented when coming together as one body to worship the King of Kings.
As you can see, I could go on and on about how God is moving here in Israel and what I have seen and experienced during my time here. Our God is a mighty God! There is no other like Him! To Him be all the glory for the things He is doing in the Promised Land.
God is on the move.
