Shalom from under the missile-less, rocket-free, siren-silenced skies of the Jezreel Valley! What a blessing it is to be able to drive to work in the morning without having to keep one eye on the road and one eye looking up. It’s true, we are not officially at peace. There is still fighting going on in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. However, for the most part, the action is taking place outside our borders with very few aerial or ground terrorist attacks.
I can’t say that it is back to how it was before the black day of October 7, 2023. It can never again be how it used to be. In some ways we are better off now than we were then. In others, we are worse. One positive is that we have a buffer zone in both the north and the south. No longer can terrorists simply pour over the border. We’ve ensured there are enough cameras, kilometers, and guns to mow down any attempt at a Hamas-style redux coming from Lebanon, Syria, or Gaza. We’ve also decimated the manpower, weaponry (both ground and aerial), and leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Assad, too, is gone from Syria, and we’ve made sure that the massive store of weapons that he left behind is less than usable for any rebel groups who have rushed in to fill the leadership vacuum. It’s true that the Houthis still like to lob a missile at us every now and then just so they can feel relevant, but the sand is quickly running out of their hourglass. Payback is coming soon – in fact, you’ll see in breaking news below, it has already begun. Vengeance is coming to the Houthis and it will destroy once and for all the last bent spoke of Iran’s axis of evil.
All of that helps me to look at this coming season of Hanukkah and Christmas with true hope. With both holidays, we celebrate God’s provision coming at just the right time. Many will unite with their loved ones to rejoice over the birth of the Messiah, while those of us here in Israel will gather together as families to celebrate our festival of lights. But for many of us Israelis, the celebration will be different than it once was.
Think of a child who receives a Hanukkah gift or a Christmas present. There is joy and exuberance. They may shout and dance and maybe even run around the house. With each passing year, however, the celebration calms incrementally. Often, a grandfather’s delight is expressed with a smile, a hug, and a thank you, all from the comfort of his favorite chair. Part of that mellowing is age and maturity. Much of it, though, is life experience. Suffering and struggle often quiet the soul. This Hanukkah, there will be joy, but it will be tempered. As a people, we Israelis have aged over these last 14 months. Our gladness is moderated by both a very deep sorrow at what so many of our people have suffered and a greater perspective which recognizes that we have survived this fire but the global flames of antisemitism still burn. […]
— Read More: harbingersdaily.com
