Being a pastor’s son is a calling all on its own. Having to face both the challenges, as well as the special favor that comes with the territory, has made my youngest son Guy’s journey special.
He felt a strong calling to ministry early on in his young life, and God’s special anointing on Guy made him a strong leader among his young peers.
When your child reaches the important milestone of turning 18, many parents face a brand new season in life. While in many countries, including the U.S. that season is college, here in Israel our reality is different, which dictates a different path for our young children.
Our 18-year-old high school graduates are drafted to serve a mandatory military service, 3 years for the men, and 2 years for the women. It isn’t voluntary or optional and is practically unpaid. However, that is one of our civic duties living in a country like Israel, whose survival many times depends on the strength of our defense forces, composed mainly of young people like my son, Guy.
Military service in the IDF is a fully operational active duty. Initiated after receiving gruesome training, young men and women are sent out into the field to defend Israel.
As a family, we lived through this season with our oldest son Sasson, our daughter Moriel, and now with our youngest son Guy, who is finishing his intense training and in a few days will be sworn in, starting his active duty as a combat soldier.
Guy has been shining the light of Christ from the day he joined IDF. Throughout the duration of his boot camp, preparation, and training, he has not complained once, but rather pushed through every challenge along the way, making sure he leads by example, especially when it’s hard.
The Lord blessed him with special favor, and Guy has been praised by his commanders week after week for his excellence in training.
As parents, Vicky and I couldn’t be more grateful to God for making Guy such a lighthouse among his peers.
He is serving in an Infantry Brigade (NAHAL), in one of the combat units, meaning he will face more than his share of responsibility, but that he will also need all our prayers.
This Thursday, along with the rest of his unit, Guy will be standing at the Western Wall, under where theTemple once stood, to be sworn-in in a special IDF ceremony, where these young Israeli soldiers will be giving an oath on the Bible, while formally being presented with a weapon which will be used to defend their country.
Hashba’ah — the swearing-in ceremony is an important one, as well as very symbolic. It’s about young Israeli men standing on Temple Mt. before God, their families, and their commanders, giving an oath to defend their country, even at the cost of their lives.
It’s never easy to send your child off to the army in Israel, especially now when the situation is so volatile and Israel is facing more enemies than ever which actively seek its destruction.
However, our trust is in Yeshua alone. Guy’s life, future, and calling are in God’s hands, and we entrust him to the Lord just as He entrusted us with Guy when he was born.
Please pray for Guy and the thousands of new soldiers that will be initiating active operation duty in the IDF after this upcoming swearing-in ceremony.
May Yeshua keep them safe as they stand as guardians of God’s nation.
Beit Hallel is a Messianic Jewish congregation in Ashdod, led by pastor Israel Pochtar, serving holocaust survivors and the poor and needy locally and throughout the nation of Israel, while building up the body of Messiah in the promised land of Israel.