Christians urged to pray for Israel during Hanukkah

Hanukkah runs Dec. 7 through the evening of Dec. 15. The Genesis 123 Foundation is asking Christians around the world to pause and pray for Israel.

“At these unique and abnormal times, this is a timely initiative with Hanukkah and what it stands for before us,” said the Rev. Peter Fast, CEO of Bridges for Peace. “The world roars with all her might as we see antisemitism exploding upon our streets and the terrible marches. One thing we are pushing for is for the people who stand with Israel to count the cost and not remain silent.”

The details of the Hamas attack on Israel become more grim with evidence and first-hand testimony from victims of mass gang rape of women, children and men during the attack.

These revelations have continued to traumatize the entire nation but ministries on the ground in Israel say the country is aware of the support and prayer they are receiving from the Christian community.

READ: What is Hanukkah?

The foundation suggests praying for eight specific things:

• Pray for all of the hostages to be released and come home to their loved ones safely and right away.
• Pray for the families of the hostages, that they continue to remain strong physically, emotionally and in their faith.
• Pray for the families and loved ones of the more than 1,200 people who were massacred by Hamas terrorists on October 7 that they will find strength despite their loss and derive comfort from the love and support of Christians and Jews around the world.
• Pray for the full and speedy physical and emotional recovery of thousands of Israelis who were injured physically and scarred emotionally since October 7.
• Pray that God will change the hearts of evil Islamic terrorists of Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad on Israel’s borders and the source of the evil from the Islamic regime in Iran, and pray for Palestinian Arabs, who will also have a change of heart, that they will no longer support terrorism and that they a new generation of leaders will be raised up who will put the well-being of the Palestinian people above the hatred of Israel.
• Pray for the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have been uprooted from their communities that have been destroyed and must be rebuilt and those who have been evacuated from border areas because of the threat of war and terror literally in their backyard.
• Pray for the safety and success of the Israeli Defense Forces, that collectively and individually they will have divine protection to defend Israel with the morals and courage that are needed.
• Pray that millions of Christians around the world will lend their voices by signing a petition to free all the hostages and encourage Israel to resist international pressure at this time in any way that will put Israel at greater risk.

–Dwight Widaman| Metro Voice