“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
Last week was Shavuot/Pentecost – a time of celebration and a time to reflect on our faith. At the same time, we continue to deal with the pandemic and other tragic events that are headlining the news.
We need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit across Israel, the United States and our world. So many are hurting. There is anger. Fear. Despair.
It is more important than ever to be witnesses for Jesus our Messiah – as the verse says above – to the ends of the earth. And that starts in your home and your community. Love and encourage others. Offer hope. Share your faith. And be in prayer.
There are some interesting developments in the news this past week related to Israel. Please read about them below and continue to lift all of this up to our Lord.
For decades, the Arab world maintained an intense hostility toward Israel along with a widespread belief that “Palestine” must be liberated at all costs. But this belief is changing in Saudi Arabia.
“Today, the public is informed. There is a deluge of opinions against the Palestinian cause,” explained Saudi writer Abdulhameed Al-Ghobain in an interview this month with BBC Arabic, according to Israel Today.
And concerning how Saudi Arabia views its relationship with Israel, Al-Ghobain said, “It is no longer just public support for normalization and building ties with Israel. Our public has turned against the Palestinians in general.”
This is a dramatic change that seems to stem from strategic national interests becoming the top priority for Saudi Arabia.
“It is in our strategic interest, and in keeping with our future economic interests, to maintain real relations with Israel,” says Al-Ghobain. “Israel is an advanced country and we can benefit from it.”
It comes down to many in the Arab world realizing what many in Israel have said all along: a Palestinian state, especially one heavily influenced by Hamas, will only further destabilize the region.
