Two years ago, JoAnn and I woke up to a flurry of texts and missed calls from our friends in Israel — desperate messages coming from bomb shelters, pleading for prayer. With blurry eyes, we realized what was happening: the unimaginable. The demonic forces of hell had been unleashed on the people of Israel.
It was a Sabbath morning that would forever mark history. Like the day Kennedy was shot or September 11th, everyone connected to Israel remembers exactly where they were when they heard the news of October 7th.
As the hours passed, the horror deepened. Terrorists had breached Israel’s borders by land, sea, and air — murdering 1,200 people, injuring over 9,000, and kidnapping 250 hostages into Gaza. Children, the elderly, Holocaust survivors — no one was spared.
It was worse than a nightmare. Who could have imagined that, 730 days later, some of those hostages would still be chained and starving beneath Gaza?
An Ancient Story of Bondage and Deliverance
For the Jewish people, the story of Exodus is not just history — it’s identity. It is the moment God stepped into human bondage, broke the chains of slavery, and led His people through the Red Sea to freedom.
The Ten Commandments begin with these defining words:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
This is the heartbeat of the Old Testament — God is a bondage breaker.
So to stand in Israel on our solidarity tours since 2023, thousands of years after the Exodus, and look across the border into Gaza — knowing Jewish men, women, and children are again held in captivity — feels unfathomable. History’s cycles of bondage, from Babylon to the Holocaust, echo painfully still.
Two Years Later: The Wounds Remain
We spoke with several Israeli friends about how they’re processing this two-year anniversary. The overwhelming feeling? Shock that this war still rages and that hostages remain in Gaza.
One friend told us:
“There’s a part of you that’s distraught because you feel like the families of the hostages just can’t take any more. I try to imagine being in their shoes, and I don’t know how anyone could survive that kind of agony.”
Across the country, people are walking with collective trauma. Believers and unbelievers alike are seeking professional counseling, but even soldiers are on waiting lists — the demand is that high.
Every Israeli has been touched by this war. And tragically, while Israel’s pain is ongoing, the world’s empathy was fleeting. The global outpouring of sympathy on October 7th turned to hostility as soon as Israel fought back.
Today, two years later, that hostility has morphed into a surge of antisemitism worldwide.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, 2023 saw 8,873 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. — a 140% increase from the previous year and the highest number ever recorded.
How Should We Respond as Believers?
On this two-year anniversary, how do we, as Evangelical Christians, respond?
We pray. We trust that God’s kingdom is not shaken, and that there’s no panic in heaven.
Pray for God’s Will to Be Done
When Jesus taught us to pray, He said, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” Let that be our anchor today.
Pray for the Hostages
Pray for the deal currently being negotiated — that every hostage will be released and that Hamas will be eradicated from Gaza.
Pray for those who return home: that they would be healed physically, mentally, and spiritually after years of starvation and torment.
Pray for their families, who will receive back loved ones deeply changed by trauma — that they would have grace and strength for the journey of restoration.
Pray for Revival in Gaza
Pray for the believers in Gaza’s underground church to be bold and steadfast, sharing the Gospel even amid danger.
Pray for Muslims in Gaza to have dreams and visions of Jesus and to encounter His love.
Pray for the Soldiers and the People of Israel
Pray for the IDF soldiers battling post-traumatic stress and grief. Ask for supernatural healing of their memories and hearts.
Pray for peace to return to Israel’s streets and homes, where addiction, anxiety, and despair have risen sharply since October 7th.
Pray According to God’s Promises
We are not called to judge Israel but to bless it — standing on the eternal promise God gave Abraham:
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” — Genesis 12:1–3
Let’s continue to bless Israel, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122), and to intercede for God’s purposes to prevail in this land that is so close to His heart.
Pray that rising antisemitism would be silenced, and that the global Church would stand with courage and compassion beside the people of Israel.
Pray for the Salvation of Israel according to Romans 11:25- 29: “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
Hope Beyond the Headlines
October 7th is a scar on history — a day that changed Israel forever. Yet even now, amid grief and uncertainty, we can trust in the same God who led His people out of Egypt, through the sea, and into freedom.
He is still the bondage breaker.
He is still faithful to His covenant.
And His story for Israel — and for the world — is not over yet.
