As the Feast of Trumpets approaches here in Israel, there is a sound that will once again be heard throughout the land—the sound of the shofar. It is a sound deeply woven into the biblical story of Israel, but I believe its message reaches far beyond our borders. There is something in it for each of us.
Scripture gives us two beautiful Hebrew expressions connected with this feast. Yom Teruah speaks of a Day of the Shofar Blast, while Zikhron Teruah speaks of a Memorial of the Shofar Blast. The shofar itself is not a man-made trumpet as we normally picture one. It is a ram’s horn, taken from God’s creation, and its sound has carried deep meaning through the generations.
But what are we being called to remember? To understand that, we have to go back to the wilderness.
Israel had just come out of Egypt. Our people had witnessed the plagues, crossed the Red Sea, and experienced the miraculous deliverance of God. Then they arrived at Mount Sinai, where something happened that no generation could easily forget.
Exodus tells us:
“Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.”
Exodus 19:16
Imagine being there. Thunder and lightning surrounded the mountain. A thick cloud descended. And then came the sound of the shofar. God was preparing His people to hear His voice.
He had brought Israel out of slavery, but deliverance was not the end of the story. He was drawing His people to Himself, calling them into covenant and preparing to give them His Word. Thousands of years later, I believe there is something deeply important for us in that picture. The shofar calls us to remember the God who speaks.
We live in a world where many voices compete for our attention. News, responsibilities, worries about our families, uncertainty about the future, opinions coming from every direction—it can become difficult to hear anything clearly. Perhaps you know that feeling in your own life.
The shofar interrupts the noise and calls us back to something we already know but can easily forget: God has been faithful.
Remember who He is. Remember what He has done. Remember what He has spoken in His Word. Remember the prayers He has answered and the places where He carried you when you could not carry yourself.
But the Feast of Trumpets does not only turn our eyes backward. One of the things I love about the biblical feasts is the way they bring together the past, present, and future.
We remember what God has done. We listen for what He is saying today. And we look forward with hope to what He has promised still to do.This is where the message becomes especially beautiful for those of us who know Yeshua.
The New Testament also speaks about the trumpet when looking toward the fulfillment of God’s purposes. Paul tells us that “the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 15:52). And in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, we read of the Lord descending from heaven “with the trumpet of God.”
The sound that calls us to remember also reminds us that the story is not finished. Maybe that is something you need to hear today.
Perhaps you are entering this season carrying questions about your family, your future, your health, your work, or a prayer that seems to have gone unanswered for a very long time. You cannot see what lies ahead, and perhaps you do not understand what God is doing.
You may not know the future. But you know the One who holds it. And sometimes, when we cannot see forward, faith begins by looking backward and remembering.
Remember His faithfulness. Remember His Word. Remember the doors He has opened. Remember the times He provided. Remember the moments when you thought there was no way forward and somehow He made one.
Then look ahead again. Not because every question has suddenly been answered, but because the God who was faithful then is still faithful now. God has spoken. God is speaking. And God will fulfill what He has promised.
So when the shofar sounds here in Israel during this biblical feast, I want you to know that we are thinking of you as well. Many of you faithfully pray for Israel and stand with the work God is doing in this land. From Israel, I want to pray that the message of this feast will also reach into your home and your heart.
May the Lord quiet every voice that has become louder than His. May He remind you of His faithfulness in your past, give you ears to hear Him in your present, and renew your hope for everything He has promised for the future.
“Lord, as we enter this biblical feast, help us to remember. Remind us of Your faithfulness and bring us back to Your Word. Give us hearts that are sensitive to Your voice and courage to obey what You speak. Where there is fear about the future, replace it with trust. Where we have become distracted, draw our attention back to You. And as the shofar sounds here in Israel, awaken within us a fresh expectation for the fulfillment of Your promises. May Israel hear Your voice, turn toward You, and come to know the salvation You have given through Yeshua our Messiah. And may our brothers and sisters around the world also be strengthened to trust You again. Amen.”
As you pray for Israel during this season, please know that we are praying for you from Israel as well.
May the sound of the shofar remind all of us—here in the land and across the nations—that the God who has been faithful through every generation is still faithful today.
Shabbat Shalom and blessings from Israel,
Pastor Israel Pochtar