This week I found myself in Nahal Oz, a kibbutz that was badly attacked, one of the places that still carries the pain and fear of what happened. I went there with Gert, a dear brother and staff member at Christian Friends of Israel (CFI). We were there to help a family, to move furniture, assist with renovations, and simply be present with them in the midst of the chaos that had settled over their lives.
But we didn’t just move boxes. We entered into something much heavier: their grief.
The husband was clearly in deep pain. You could feel it in the silence, in his body language. He was still traumatized by the attack. Angry, broken, distant. His wife later told us that he hadn’t spoken for weeks. He had shut down. Closed in. Trapped by everything he had seen and couldn’t forget.
As we worked, I felt God nudging me to speak. So I did.
I told them my story, the trauma I carried from the Lebanon war, the killing I witnessed, and the hatred that had grown in me. I shared how, at one time, I hated the Jews. Then, after discovering that my mother was Jewish and I myself belonged to this people, I joined the army. And I hated the Arabs. I told them how pain had pulled me in both directions, and how the only way I found peace was through forgiveness. Through Christ, who taught me to love my enemies and set me free from the chains of bitterness.
As I spoke, the husband listened. Then he looked at me, really looked. And he started to ask questions. Real ones. Deep ones. About healing, about trauma, about forgiveness. And then… he cried.
I hadn’t seen him smile. I hadn’t heard his voice. But in that moment, something broke, or maybe something was finally beginning to heal. We prayed together. We wept quietly. And we left them in peace, the kind only God can give.
Please pray for that man, for his wife, for Nahal Oz, and all the others like them across this land. Trauma runs deep. But I believe with all my heart that Jesus is deeper still.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:32
Our Mighty God, only You know the pain and trauma these people have endured. Only You can bring them the healing that they need. Please comfort this man and his wife. Bring them Your strength and peace. Please, bring them Your joy. In Jesus name, Amen.
I am thankful for Elias and Gert and CFI, who brings them the healing love of Christ with every assignment.🙏🙏🙏