Simple Obedience

I need to write this down while it's fresh. I just stepped out of a prayer meeting, and the noise in my head has finally quieted down.

I’ve been meditating on Romans 10:1 again—"my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved." For a while, I tried to carry the emotional weight of that verse, but today I realized I don't need to manufacture the burden. I just need to offer the obedience. God put it in the Bible for a reason, and my job is simply to follow.

We are staring down the barrel of 2026. It’s been 24 months of conflict—Israel’s longest war—and honestly, it's easy to feel small and helpless against that kind of timeline. But listening to the ICEJ team today, the path became clear.

They spoke about Urgent Relief, Solidarity, and Prayer. But it was the Prayer report that stopped me.

I often ask myself, "Is my voice actually making a difference?"

The answer today was a resounding Yes.

They shared that nearly one-third of Israelis have reported turning closer to God during this time. Even in the shadow of war, hearts are softening. The testimony of Omer Shem Tov, a released hostage, wrecked me. He spoke of experiencing God’s tangible presence inside the dark tunnels of Gaza. One former hostage even admitted he misses those encounters—that intimacy found only in the deepest valley.

It made me think of my own past.

I was reminded of my days flying for the airlines. I used to spend my days working in a tiny metal tube, packed with strangers like sardines, hurtling through the sky. You would think being surrounded by people would make you feel connected, but it was actually incredibly lonely. I remember looking out the airplane window at the vast world God created, feeling so insignificant in that metal plane. I didn't ask God back then, but He answered me recently: The closest place to Him isn't high in the sky; it's on my knees.

It circles back strangely to this truth: the world’s "highest" places are often the loneliest, while the lowliest posture—kneeling—is where we find the most company with God.

Scripture backs this up. Psalm 51:17 tells us, "My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." And James 4:6 reminds us that "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."

I stopped chasing money last year to chase God instead. Since then, I’ve not been earning at all. It’s scary, but it has taught me that eternal salvation is the only gift money can't buy—and the hardest one to sustain. Matthew 7:14 haunts me in a good way: "small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

I don't want to reach the end, having done "God's work," only to hear those terrifying words from Luke 13:25: "I don’t know you." I don't want to be a stranger to the Father.

So, if God is moving in the tunnels of Gaza, I want to be moving with Him here. This is a spiritual restoration, and I want to be part of the "few" on that narrow road.

My commitment: Read the Word. Do what it says. Pray.

Action Item: Block out 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM (Israel Time) daily.

Link to join: https://on.icej.org/ICEJGlobalPrayer 

News Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/

Let’s align my heart with His.