As I sit in my apartment reflecting on the current state of the world, my heart is troubled by Israels recent invasion of the Gaza strip. The conflict in the middle east seems never ending and virtually unsolvable. Everything I have learned tells me that nothing is impossible with God, but I fear that sometimes my heart does not always believe this.

As I sit and read the news on the situation, on how many families are being killed, left with out acess to clean water, how the UN is suspending all food aid, etc. I begin to imagine what life would be like if I lived in this troubled area. What would it be like to live in fear every hour of every day. We know intense fear can breed anger and desperation. What would it be like to live with this anger, this desperation. As I begin imagining, I realize that I cannot even comprehend what any of this would be like. My reality is so drastically different

According to Brother Andrew (author, pastor, and founder of Open Doors ministry), in 1948 approx. 15% of Palestinians were Christians (the United Nations also supports these statistics). Over the course of the next number of decades things drastically changed. Today less than 3% of Palestinians are Christian and the church is suffering. In my life time I have heard sermons, talks on Christian radio and articles in Christian publications on how God has some great and mighty plan for Israel. I have been to some churches that hang the Israeli flag in it. Some quote the number in the millions of Christian zionists in North America who believe that Jesus will not come again until every last Jew on earth has returned to Israel. Jerry Falwell once famously said "To stand against Israel is to stand against God". All I wonder is if you were a Palestinian Christian and heard that what would you think?

Before I go any further, let me clarify one thing. I absolutly do not doubt that God has a plan for the nation of Israel. I just do not think I, living here in North America, being a human being not God, can say exactly what that plan is. All I know is that there seems to be a forgotten group of people in the middle east: Palestinian Christians, who are suffering. In 2006 this issue was brought President George W. Bush's attention in a letter from now deseased US Congressman Henry Hyde. In this letter Hyde noted that "the Christian community is being crushed in the mill of the bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict," and that expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are "irreversibly damaging the dwindling Christian community." What is interesting is that Hyde, who was a supporter of Israel, realized that Israel did have a right to defend itself, but could not be blind when ” Israeli actions seem to go beyond the realm of legitimate security concerns and have negative consequences on communities and lands under their occupation.”

I guess I sit here and write this blog for a number of reasons. One, I need to get some of the things rolling around in my head down on paper. And two, more importantly, I want to remind my brothers and sisters who do church with me to pray. Pray for the situation in the Middle East, pray for the 3000 Palestinian Christians in Gaza who are under attack without adequate food and water. Pray for our brothers and sister and our fellow human beings who are living in fear in the land where our saviour was born. Pray for peace and God's love to transend and reign down on both Israel and Palestine. Pray for justice, even if we are not sure what that looks like or who is right or wrong. Pray that God will teach you how to pray for the Middle East.

I pray that God will plant a stirring desire in the hearts of the people of Simple Church to rise up and be warriors of prayer for global issues like these.