A War Message – Where, Not Why
By a member of In Search of Shalom
Asking “Why?” and “Where?”
Even an unbiased observer taking a cursory look at Jewish history cannot help but ask, “Why?”
Why historically has there been so much tragedy, vitriol, and animosity against Israel and the worldwide Jewish community collectively. Why does it still continue to this day?
At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 7, during Shabbat, the terrorist group Hamas unleashed a barrage of rockets on Israel, along with a coordinated incursion by murderous terrorists via land, air, and sea. This attack has left well over 1,400 Israelis dead and thousands wounded. Out of our souls bursts a question of why. “Why G-d, if you exist, did you allow this unfettered carnage?”
Now is not a time for a drawn-out theological response to the why. Now is a time to weep with those who weep, and to speak of where – that is, where do we find help? Where do we turn when we are going insane with grief and our hearts and emotions cannot reason through the noise of our pain?
I am not Jewish, and though intellectually I know the difference between sympathy and empathy, this time is different. I cannot get the images I’ve seen and the voices I’ve heard, or the accounts of atrocities, out of my mind. When I lie down, my thoughts are busy with what is happening, thinking of the families of those who were savagely slaughtered, and of the terror that must have consumed them while this happened. I see a terrified young Jewish boy, a numb, bewildered little girl; a grandmother… all helplessly being carted away to Gaza, their current state and fate still unknown.
We are weeping with you.
We may never have answers for all our questions about the evils we see and experience, but we know the reason why we can weep and grieve and experience joy, forgiveness, anger, and other emotions. We can do this because G-d gave us free will that can be expressed in love, obedience, charity, and goodness, but also in the depraved violent scenes that have unfolded before the eyes of the world this last week.
Where can help be found?
The writers of the Psalms and the prophets of Israel (especially Jeremiah) cried out with the same questions. They found it was not answers they needed, but the L-rd Himself.
A medical event that nearly took my life was the catalyst to opening my heart and mind to hear and understand my lost spiritual condition and my need for G-d. I needed help, and it came from the Jewish people. The Redeemer, Jesus, the One the Jewish prophets spoke of, was the help I needed. I was changed in a way that only G-d can change a person, and it was through His Son. This happened years ago, and my love for G-d has also given me a real love for His people, Israel, and the Jewish community worldwide.
This website’s purpose is to spark conversations about where to find hope and peace (shalom).
Our hearts are broken over what has happened and continues to unfold in Israel. I cannot answer your why, but I can tell you where – where your help can come from.
Refuge is found in His Son.
Psalm 2 tells us refuge can be found in the Messianic King, G-d’s Son. It says, “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” He is the one in whom we can find hope and shalom. He is the One who will bring true justice and peace for Israel and the world.
We welcome you to contact us through the chat box on this site if you wish to talk further about where your comfort can come from or if you have questions or wish for us to pray for you.
Shalom