Dear friends;
“ … what we will be is not yet known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
1 John 3:2
Jay and I are of the WW2 generation. Jay remembers the windows of his home being blacked out in Victoria. He was terrified of the sound of air-raid sirens; because his mother held him close and cried in fear. He does not remember the curfews. I remember sugar, coffee and meat were rationed. Jay’s Daddy Vic never came home. He died at 28, as a Canadian soldier liberating Deventer Holland from the Nazis. My Dad Don, was gone from 1941 to 1945, serving in the Air Force. I remember the anticipation of his coming standing on the station platform. The old steam engine pulled the train filled with soldiers to a screeching halt. The jubilation was wild. Dad came walking toward us with gifts for us all. I especially remember the music of that era. Our home was filled with music. Those were hard years. Jay and I learned many invaluable lessons very early on in life. #1 the world did not revolve around me.
“God is not concerned about making you happy right now. His is continually working out His unlimited perfection for you that is found in the Book.”
Oswald Chambers
I hope you keep Remembrance Day, in your country, or has it been declared obsolete? I believe, people in every nation touched by WW2 remember! Mothers do.
Pray of course for any nations at war, as so many in Africa are under the curse of terror by El Shaba and others. Israel continues to welcome refugees from Ukraine as well as Ukrainian Jews.
If my heart is tender to the Authority of heaven,
I will be tender to His Eternal plans and purposes.
My prayer for you is: “May the older generation remember and understand this and she it. Today, Israel still lives with blackouts, bomb shelters and sirens. We are continuously under attack. We still have widows and orphans because of war. Nothing has changed for us. I pray that your heart will be softened. Hopefully, you will share this letter with your children and their children and pray with tender hearts for Israel at this vulnerable time.”
“I have given them the glory and honour which You have given Me,
that they may be one, just as We are one:”
John 17:22
Softly and tenderly Jesus found me during the war years. He turned the lights on in my soul and they have stayed on ever since. I am so thankful. He can do it for entire nations.
“Jesus what a wonder You are
You are so gentle so good and so kind.
You shine like the morning star.
Jesus what a wonder you are.”
One of the mysteries of the Jewish people is: they refuse to forget loved ones.
“The Almighty writes them on the palms of his Hands.”
I pause now to reflect on Israel’s modern history; past and present. Last week sirens blared; calling the nation to stop and to stand to attention to remember the victims of the Holocaust. Israel remembers. Unlike the military in the great wars; these victims were defenceless individuals and families. The ‘vile enemies’ of Hitler were Grandpas, Grandmas, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and infants. Perhaps your response is: “Why can’t the Jews give it up? They need to forgive and forget, already.”
If you have the privilege of listening to a Holocaust survivor give their testimony, you will wonder if they are not hateful? The same applies to the testimonies we hear of parents who have lost their sons and daughters in Israel’s wars. Yes, they remember and weep, BUT they don’t hate. Sorrow has burned all of that away, and so many survivors are blessed with long lives. “Our Heavenly Father often ignores our present level of completeness in favour of our ultimate future completeness.”
This week those sirens will blare again out over the nation. And again we will all stand to attention. This time we remember our fallen soldiers and victims of terror. Israel was born against all odds when the modern nation was birthed in a day! Isaiah 66:8 Since 1948, Israel has forged flourishing diplomatic relations with nations that were formerly bitter enemies. Israel has blessed the whole world; filling it with the fruit of God’s Word, the Messiah, the fruit of their fields, the fruit of their minds and hearts [fruit of inventions, medical and technological.] as the prophets foretold.
In closing friends:
Remember, George Beverly Shay used to sing: “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold…”. If my heart is tender; I will be tender to His Eternal plans and purposes.
“What do I want in my life?
Am I seeking great things for myself;
Or, am I seeking to be a great person?
How about if I said, “I want You Jesus, I want more of You in my life.”
It is so important to remember where I came from. I remember the people who cared for me when I was most vulnerable. I remember the days of my small beginnings and give thanks. I know that what I lived through then, Israel is still living through today. Will you pray for and bless Israel? Remember, “If you love Him you will love His people Israel.”
Enjoy the famous WW2 songs made famous by Vera Lynn below. Remember and pray for those who know no peace. Especially your Jewish and Arab brothers caught in the “Longest War”.
Bless you always,