Palestinian Christians learn to ‘trust in God’

David Azar and his young family awoke at 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 12 when they realized they were in danger.

“Israeli settlers attacked. They burned our car,” Azar, a deacon at Ramallah Church in the occupied West Bank, told the Baptist Standard on a WhatsApp call. “It was completely destroyed.”

Although their house was not damaged in the assault, Azar and his wife Hiba, along with their 3-year-old daughter Maribelle, left their home in the village of Taybeh.

“We can’t go back,” Azar said. “It’s not safe for our daughter.”

Pastor Munir Kakish of Ramallah Church, president of the Council of Local Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land, invited Azar and his family to move into a room at the church building until they are able to find permanent lodging.

Azar is uncertain what the future holds, but he remains sure of one thing.

“We trust in God,” he said.

‘Daily dependence’ on God

Trust and dependence upon God characterizes Palestinian Christians, said Jay Abernathy, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodville.

“They practice daily dependence on the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the guidance of Scripture and the community of believers,” he said.

Abernathy, who has developed a close relationship with Palestinian Christians in the Middle East over the past two decades, returned early last month from a weeklong trip to Jordan, Israel and the West Bank.

Abernathy’s recent trip to the West Bank occurred prior to the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza.

“The ashes of Gaza figuratively fell on every conversation,” he said.

Even so, the Palestinian Christians he encountered held no animosity toward Israel.

“I never met a believer over there who harbored any ill will toward Israel,” Abernathy said. “They pray that Israel will do well.”

‘God wants you’

While Azar’s trust in God and desire to follow his leadership are typical among Palestinian Christians, Abernathy said, his testimony is extraordinary.

Azar grew up in a Greek Orthodox family in Gaza and dreamed of becoming a priest one day. However, when a bishop who had promised to send him to Greece to study reneged on that pledge, Azar grew disillusioned and turned his back on the church.

During the Fatah-Hamas conflict in 2006, Azar found himself on a street during heavy gunfire.

“That’s when I heard a voice saying: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by my name, and you are mine,’” Azar said.

After escaping the crossfire and returning home, Azar continued to think about the unexpected message of reassurance. He remembered a card the pastor of Gaza Baptist Church had given him much earlier.

When Azar contacted the pastor and repeated the words he heard, the minister told him he was quoting Isaiah 43:1. He assured Azar, “God wants you.”

“That moment marked the beginning of my journey of faith,” Azar said.

Serving and preaching at Ramallah Church

After he committed his life to Christ, Azar moved to the West Bank and began attending Ramallah Church. Pastor Kakish helped him enroll in a Bible college in Bethlehem and supported him in his studies.

In the years that followed, Azar distributed Bibles and Christian literature locally and internationally. He was ordained as a deacon, and he often preaches at Ramallah Church.

In fact, Azar preached on Oct. 12—the same morning his car was burned and his family had to seek shelter at Ramallah Church.

His sermon text was Numbers 23:23, with a special emphasis on the final phrase of that verse: “See what God has done.”

Instead of focusing on the dangers his family endured, he gave thanks for God’s protection in keeping them from harm.

“It bothers me that more American evangelicals are not aware of what so many of their evangelical brothers and sisters in the Holy Land experience,” Abernathy said.