Choosing God’s heart over hatred’s fury as prayers for Israel, Gaza intensify

Isaiah* had to choose the heart of God or the fury of hatred. 

The horrors of October 7, which initiated war between Israel and Hamas, generated struggle and faith.

“It’s very easy, starting October 7, to wake up as an Israeli and have your heart bitter,” Isaiah said. “I felt God leading me in that shift, not to fall into that trap of having an embittered heart.”

The global worker shared his story with hundreds of people during Converge’s 24-hour prayer gathering last month. One day of prayer equaled a combined 700 hours of supplication for least-reached peoples and those who serve them.

Steve*, a global worker who planned to start his ministry in Israel late last month, now has difficulty entering the country. His son is also fighting for Israel’s Defense Forces.

“The believers’s role in all of this is to be fervently in prayer for God’s will to be done,” he said. “The need for everyone in the world, Arab or terrorist or not, to come to faith is an absolute need.”

Related: Join one of Converge's many prayer networks for the world’s people groups. 

Steve said God sees all believers as kingdom laborers.

"If people can’t be part of being field workers or financing the field worker, the next, and just as important, thing to do is be in prayer for those who are taking the gospel to the entire world, including the least-reached people groups — of whom orthodox Jews are one,” he said.

Such unity in the gospel helped Isaiah pray last month for children, unbelievers and believers.

“It was all-inclusive for humanity,” Isaiah said of the October intercession. “God’s heart is never changing, so we are the ones who have to realign ourselves with him.”

He knew that shift had happened as he heard many praying “that God’s love would be more powerful than the hatred.”

Converge partners are distributing humanitarian relief to Jews and Gazans, demonstrating the love of God for both unreached peoples.

Related: You can give to bring relief to gospel leaders and those hardest hit by the war.

Converge International Ministries is asking God for a gospel movement among every least-reached people group — in our generation. More than 1700 churches and hundreds of global workers pray throughout the year.

“Everyone’s praying into what God’s heart would be,” Isaiah said. “There’s power in the number of people praying.”

* Names have been changed for security reasons