Once again, today, I am joining with an amazing group of writers for Five Minute Friday. #FMFparty is a writing prompt that Kate Motaung tosses out at 10pm on Thursday evening. We grab the word prompt, write for 5 minutes, and hit publish. No editing, no overthinking. Just writing whatever comes to our hearts and minds.
Today’s writing prompt is~~~~~ LONG.
GO!
The Lord has placed a love for the nation of Israel in my heart, and I long for the Jewish people to know Jesus, their true Messiah.
I have had the privilege of making two pilgrimages to Israel, the first in 2006 and then again in 2010. Truly it is the trip of lifetime. As I walked the Land, my heart was drawn to the people like a moth to a flame. Constantly I prayed that the Lord would soften the hearts of the Jewish people to the message of the gospel.
On my first trip, our tour guide was a Jewish man named Hillel. His vast knowledge of the Land and Scriptures kept us enthralled every moment of our trip. He knew the New Testament better than most of our group. He knew it so well, in fact, that one day I asked him how long he had known the Lord. He tenderly, yet confidently told me that He did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
Hillel teaching our group
My heart was broken. I walked away with tears streaming down my face. Hillel had head knowledge, but not heart knowledge of my Jesus. How my heart longed for Hillel to know Jesus. It took me several minutes to regain my composure. Call me naïve because I did not comprehend that Hillel was fully JEWISH, but his knowledge of the Scriptures fooled me. I was convinced that with that much knowledge of the Scriptures, he MUST know Jesus.
Hillel, and millions of other Jewish people, have experienced the hardening of their hearts toward Jesus that the Bible describes. Because the Israelites rejected God over and over throughout the millennia, God hardened their hearts toward the gospel.
Yet……..
…the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. Isaiah 30:18
Even though the hardening of the hearts of the Jewish people allowed Gentiles like me the opportunity to know Jesus, God longs for His chosen people to accept Jesus.
My longing for Israel to know Jesus prompts me to pray for the Jewish people every day. God is long on compassion, but He will not wait forever. Would you join me in praying for Israel?
STOP!
