An Israeli family is crediting God after surviving a missile strike on their home during an Iranian attack.
We might not have had the experience of living in a bomb shelter or being trapped under rubble. But we can imagine how hard it must be to live through those life-or-death situations.
That’s when our faith becomes our anchor. The Bible reminds us that even if we hide behind the stars, God is right there with us. His protection goes far beyond what we can ever imagine.
That’s exactly what happened to the Levin-Waldman family when a missile struck their house.
The Alert That Changed Everything
Ariel Levin-Waldman was sound asleep when his phone buzzed at 5 AM. The message made his heart race: “Get to a shelter in extreme danger of missile fire.”
He jumped out of bed and ran through his house, grabbing his wife and children. His mother-in-law was already heading down to their basement bomb shelter.
The family rushed down the stairs with his seven-week-old baby and his little daughter who wasn’t even three years old yet.
When the Missile Hit Their Home
They almost made it to safety. The shelter door was still open because they were waiting for one more family member. That’s when everything changed in a split second.
“That’s when the missile hit the house,” Levin-Waldman said. “There was this flash of light – loud boom – and everything went black.”
The air filled with dust and chunks of concrete. Nobody could breathe properly. The family was trapped in complete darkness.
Finding Strength When All Hope Seemed Lost
“We were all screaming. My wife was screaming. My kids were screaming. My mother-in-law was screaming. And I’ll be honest, I was screaming too, because we were not exactly in the best headspace in the world, panicking,” he remembered.
But then something clicked in his mind. “Yes, I recovered first from the screaming because I realized that if I’m here and screaming, I’m still alive.”
Ariel grabbed a water bottle and took a drink to stop choking on the dust. He turned on his phone’s flashlight, but the air was so thick with debris that he could barely see anything. Still, he could tell that his body was okay and he wasn’t badly hurt.
Then he saw his mother-in-law. A heavy bookcase had fallen on her and pinned her against the wall. She was bleeding.
God Gives Supernatural Strength
What happened next shows the strength that God gives us when we need it most. Ariel threw his tiny baby over his shoulder and lifted that heavy cabinet off his mother-in-law with just one hand.
He made a path so his wife and daughter could get out of the shelter.
The Miracle Escape Route
As they climbed out, a voice called to them through all the dust and darkness. Ariel thinks it was a firefighter, but he couldn’t see clearly. The man led them up through the basement stairs.
Here’s where God’s hand becomes even more clear. The missile blast had blown open a wall in their basement apartment. That opening became their escape route.
Without it, the family believes they would have been buried alive under all the rubble.
The Frantic Search for Their Baby
Ariel’s feet were cut up from walking on broken glass, but he kept going. He handed his baby to a rescuer so he could help get everyone else out safely.
When he looked around, both of their cars were completely buried under chunks of concrete and debris.
Then came a scary moment. The paramedics had taken his baby to their station in the street, but Ariel didn’t know where she was.
People saw him walking around covered in blood and dust, yelling “Where’s my baby? Where’s my baby?” He must have looked terrible.
Starting Over with Nothing
The family had lost everything. Their credit cards, clothes, and all their belongings were destroyed. But Ariel works at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, and his workplace stepped in to help.
They gave the family clothes and toys for the children. They helped them get back on their feet.
Another Close Call
The danger wasn’t over yet. Less than 24 hours later, the family was staying at a hotel when another missile hit the building right across the street.
All the hotel windows blew out. Ariel said this was definitely not good for his nerves.
A Miracle in the Rubble
But God had one more surprise waiting for them. Four days after the missile attack, rescue workers were still digging through the rubble of their house.
That’s when they heard barking. They pulled out Tzvika, the family dog, and he was alive!
When Ariel thinks about everything that happened, he knows exactly who saved them.
Only by God’s Grace
“When I say that we are only alive by the grace of God, I mean that, because there’s no luck, there’s no physical explanation that I could imagine for us taking a direct missile hit and all six of us being alive at the end of it. And we all made it out, effectively uninjured. It’s just statistically, physically – I don’t understand how,” he said.
Ariel believes God kept him alive for a reason. “It’s pretty obvious, too, somebody does not want me dead yet, for whatever purpose. And that’s the case.”
When a CBN reporter told him that God was watching over him, he replied, “I have stuff to do. I don’t know what it is yet, but whatever, I’m going to do it.”
If you are going through a situation where there seems to be no hope, believe that God is working on your situation. He will deliver you from it all.
Israel and Iran have recently agreed to a ceasefire. But we should pray for continued peace in both regions so that families like the Levin-Waldmans can live without fear.
WATCH: Israeli Family Credits God After Surviving Direct Missile Strike on Their Home
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