Pray. Pray. Pray for CMJ staff in the Holy Land
US Director reports from wartime Israel
TEL AVIV – I arrived in Israel on May 21 to lead a Tour with Purpose – a week of service projects meant to help and encourage the peoples of the Holy Land. A few days before the trip was to start, my one traveler informed me that her flights had been cancelled. Mine were not. So I continued to come visit CMJ Israel colleagues and friends and report back to you.
The first week I helped out at the Christ Church guest house, spent time listening to Mercy Fund testimonies, helped an Israeli friend in distress get home, traveled with the Mercy Fund to make two aid deliveries, and helped sort donated supplies at Israel Support Bridge. I will share some of those stories once I get back to Pittsburgh.
The second Mercy Fund trip took us to the Galilee, where a friend picked me up and took me to his family’s home in the Golan Heights. It was quite peaceful in the north. I visited Majdal Shams, the Druze community that lost 12 children to a Hezbollah rocket when it hit the town soccer field, and I looked down on Syria from Mount Bental. I finally visited the Banias, also known as the Hermon Stream Nature Reserve. The streams of snow melt here form the headwaters of the Jordan River and are the source of the Sea of Galilee. The park also has the remains of Caesarea Philippi, the district where Jesus asked his disciples who they believed he is (Matt 16:13ff).
I returned to Beit Immanuel in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening, June 12. There had been talk that Israel might attack Iran, but I wasn’t so sure. If it was happening, I was hoping it would kick off after my June 16 flights.
That night around 3 a.m., Israel’s Home Command woke up the whole country as the Israeli attacks on the Iranian military command and nuclear facilities began. They woke us up before Iran had any time to retaliate so that the population was ready for what was to come.
That first night, laying on the floor of the bomb shelter trying to rest between sirens, I could hear the birds singing. All day I hear the birds sing. They continue to rely on God’s presence, provision, and protection (cf. Ps 84:3, Matt 6:26). So do I.
We have a youth group staying here at Beit Immanuel, and they have connections to some musical worship leaders in Israel.
One of those musicians who has popped in the evenings is Emanuel Roro.
Emanuel was interviewed by Israeli TV news about where he was spending his evenings:
Reporter: What did you do the past few days, were you here?
Emanuel: No, yesterday I was near a bomb shelter. I spent hours in the bomb shelter... we sang in the bomb shelter... In the end, some things are simply beyond our control. We trust God to do his job. 'He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.'
Emanuel’s word has been a great reminder for me. We’re in a position where we can do nothing but wait on the LORD and trust his sovereignty. We have been safe in our shelter, our building, our neighborhood, but others have suffered strikes. Let us pray for the injured and those grieving their dead.
At breakfast, we heard from one of Beit Immanuel’s long-time staffers who lived through the Gulf War (1990-1991). She said then Sadaam Hussein targeted Tel Aviv every night for months. Only at night. The days were peaceful but the nights were full of sirens and missile attacks.
No one is quite sure how long this exchange in 2025 will play out.
Your prayers are so important to all of us here right now. Please pray for all the CMJ staff and volunteers serving in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Prayer points provided by CMJ Israel
For ISRAEL
- Prayer for Wisdom for Israel’s Leaders and Military: Ask that they be guided by justice, compassion, and strategic clarity in their decision-making. Pray also for unity within the leadership and for divine guidance in seeking pathways toward peace.
- Prayer for Reconciliation and Long-Term Peace: Pray for breakthroughs in reconciliation efforts between Israelis and their neighbours, particularly Iran, that lasting peace may one day be achieved. Pray for international and regional actors working toward diplomacy, that they would be effective in facilitating dialogue and peacebuilding initiatives.
- Prayer for Protection and Peace in the War Zones: Pray for the safety and protection of all those living in areas directly affected by the ongoing conflict. Ask God to protect civilians, soldiers, and emergency responders. Pray for supernatural peace to descend on regions of intense fighting and for the preservation of life amidst the violence.
- Prayer for Economic and Financial Recovery: Pray for the economy of Israel and for the Palestinian people. The last two years have harmed the economy for everyone in the region and a counter-attack from Iran could further devastate the infrastructure and economy in the region.
For CMJ Israel
- Prayer for CMJ’s Leadership and Staff: Lift up CMJ’s leadership and staff, both in Israel and around the world. Pray for wisdom, strength, and endurance as they navigate the challenges of ministry in a region facing conflict and instability. Ask that they be filled with the Spirit, encouraged in their faith, and united in their purpose.
- Pray for the financial needs of CMJ. Pray that we would have the resources to be able to serve the Christians in the land who cannot take care of their own. Ask God to provide the necessary funds, open doors for new donors, and grant favor in all fundraising efforts.
- Pray for protection over CMJ’s ministries and facilities, particularly in conflict zones.
- Prayer for the Protection of CMJ’s Staff and Friends: Pray for the safety of staff and family members who have been called up to serve in the reserves; pray for courage and comfort for their families; and pray for the testimony of both those who serve and their families to be powerful.
For Israel's Neighbors
- Prayer for the People of Iran: Pray for wisdom and restraint in the response of their leadership; pray for the church that has been growing in Iran, that they would be a light of God’s hope, peace, and love in the region.
- Pray for the People of Gaza: War always harms those who are the most vulnerable, and so we ask that you pray for the many families who are in need and in constant fear; pray for the light of God to shine even in the darkness.
- Prayer for the People of Syria: Pray for the Christians in the north. An estimated 1 million or more Christians have been displaced during the recent civil war and, of those who remain, many endure severe persecution—even death—under the new Syrian regime. We must not forget to pray for our brothers and sisters just because something new and scary occupies the news here.
As for me, pray that I can get return to Pittsburgh in God’s time. Pray that I can get back safely to continue the work of building bridges with our Jewish neighbors. They continue to hurt after a series of dangerous antisemitic attacks and need our friendship and comfort.
How you can help
As a result of the Israel-Iran War, I expect antisemitism to keep flaring in the United States. I will continue to call the church to love their Jewish neighbors well in this fraught time. Jeff, Ron, and I will continue to educate Christians on the Jewish context of the New Testament and how to respectfully engage with our Jewish neighbors.
Once the Middle East conflict settles down, there will be so much physical, emotional, and spiritual need in the Holy Land. CMJ Israel will continue to love on the peoples of the Holy Land through the Mercy Fund, our guest houses, and churches.
CMJ needs your help to combat antisemitism at home and care for the battered people of Israel -- both Jew and Arab. Consider making a gift toward both CMJ USA and CMJ Israel. Give to the work in both countries through the donate button below.
Thank you for praying. Thank you for giving.
Photo credit: YouTube screenshot from Channel 4 of Iron Dome interceptors rising from the Tel Aviv skyline.
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