Just before Israel launched its historic strike against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a quiet, deliberate visit to the Western Wall.
With his prayer shawl wrapped over his shoulders and a simple kippah atop his head, he inserted a note into the ancient stones. It read:
“Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion.” — Numbers 23:24
What followed within 48 hours would be seen not only as strategic, but prophetic. In a decisive campaign called Operation Rising Lion, Israel struck deep into the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military ambitions. Targets included Iran’s infamous doomsday clock—the digital countdown in Tehran to Israel’s destruction—as well as regime intelligence centers, missile sites, and command structures.
From a biblical lens, this was more than national defense. This was destiny. This was a people refusing to bow to annihilation. This was the Lion of Judah roaring again in the face of those who plot genocide.
A Prayer, Then Power
For believers, especially Christian Women for Israel, the symbolism cannot be missed. The lion in Scripture is not just a creature of strength—it is a divine metaphor for Israel’s calling, for the Messiah, and for the people of covenant rising when others expect defeat.
It is no accident that before commanding a military offensive, Netanyahu returned to the place where Jewish kings, prophets, and mothers have cried out for millennia. He invoked not a modern slogan—but a timeless truth.
Israel does not rise on her own. She rises by the hand of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Why “Rising Lion” Matters
The name wasn’t chosen for bravado. It was chosen for belief.
Just as God used King Cyrus to restore the exiled Jews from Babylon (Ezra 1:2-3), so today God is stirring nations to take righteous action—even when the cost is high. Iran’s regime, which has spent decades funding terror and pursuing nuclear weapons, declared their aim long ago: to wipe Israel off the map.
But in the spirit of Deuteronomy 30:19, Israel chose life.
As Netanyahu said in his post-operation statement, "We have acted with strength and resolve. This is not vengeance—it is our survival."
Esthers, Are You Watching?
Modern-Day Esthers—this moment is not far from us. We may not command airstrikes, but we do command something just as powerful: prayer.
In our latest devotional, “Prayer Changes Things,” we’re reminded of Jeremiah 33:3:
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Netanyahu called on heaven before calling on his generals. The lion roared in the Spirit before it soared through the skies.
We are invited to do the same.
In a World That Denies Miracles—Be a Witness to One
While the world debates headlines, we discern timelines. While critics frame Israel as aggressor, we remember her as the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8). And while leaders posture, we posture our hearts before the throne.
Let this your call to watch, to weep, and to war—in the Spirit.
