When I visited Israel a few years ago, I learned much about its preparation for an attack.  Every house and apartment had a safe room with a steel door about four inches thick where families would go, should there be a missile headed in their direction.  When we were there, we were removed from a tourist bus because the sirens warned that the missiles had been launched.  Scary stuff.

Fortunately, Israel’s Iron Dome (missile interceptors) shot them out of the sky before they landed.  I learned that these interceptors are fired only if an incoming rocket poses a threat to a populated area. If not a threat, then the incoming rocket will land in an unpopulated area.

Recently, Israel’s enemy Hamas has purposed to bring horrific evil to God’s chosen people.  “Time Magazine” reported the assault: “A world in which you see an entire tribe of people as lesser—as roaches, as vermin—this is how you justify gunning down hundreds of unarmed teenagers at a concert, how you rationalize men going house to house and murdering parents at point blank range in front of their children, how you legitimize intentionally setting houses on fire with infirm, elderly people trapped inside, unable to escape; how you explain kidnapping toddlers still not old enough to speak and mocking them in front of the camera; how you excuse desecrating corpses, stepping on their faces while grinning for the camera.”

As shocking as all of that is, what is almost as incredulous is how some students at Howard University are blaming Israel for the massacre of its own citizens. No matter how much one hates another group, albeit based on religion, politics, gender, ethnicity, etc., the brutality of this attack cannot be legitimized.

So, what are we to do?  Dr. David Jeremiah, one of my favorite Biblical scholars, has asked that we pray this prayer for Israel:

“Heavenly Father, the psalmist tells us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”  So I pray for peace for Your chosen people, Israel, and their beloved city today.

“You have planned for Israel, provided for Israel, and protected Israel for thousands of years.  But as in days of old, there are those today who seek to harm, even destroy, Your people. So I ask you to keep Israel in Your loving care.  Put a spiritual hedge of protection around Your people and their land.  Watch over this nation as a Good Shepherd watches over his flock, and may Your chosen people find their ultimate safety and security in You.

“While You watch over Your people, may Your Spirit awaken in them a hunger to embrace their Messiah—the One who died for them—until they see Him face to face.”

I might add to that prayer that if any of us harbors hate towards anyone (including the college defenders of Palestine), may we ask for forgiveness and see them as God does—children who need a Redeemer…no different than any of us.