Power Prayers for Israel

Psalm 122:6-7 reads “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.” Most Christians are aware of this passage and may even pray for the peace of Jerusalem. But I’ve always had somewhat of a hollow feeling when I pray for Israel. To me, simply praying “ Lord we pray for the peace of Jerusalem” is only a framework for prayer. How do we “build out our prayers as we pray for the peace of Jerusalem?

Very few people alive today recall the time before 1948, when Israel once again became a nation. Prior to that the nation ceased to exist in AD 138 when the Roman emperor Hadrian, crushed a revolt and banned all Jews from Palestine. After World War II Britain was given a mandate by the League of Nations to administer the territory. This area was sometimes referred to as Mandatory Palestine, but there was no Jewish nation, no Israel, until 1948 when the modern State of Israel came into existence. 

There is Much to Pray About for Israel.

Salvation. The Jewish people are God’s chosen people but, by and large, they are not saved. There is one way to Heaven and that way is accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. In Romans 10:1, Paul prayed “my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them [the Jewish people] is for their salvation.”

Release of the Holy Spirit. Don’t focus on human efforts at peace or the political situation. An angel gave Zechariah a message from God (4:6)  “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.’” Only when the Holy Spirit turns the hearts of the Jewish people will God’s plan will come to fruition. All earthly powers will fail. I don’t mean to sound discouraging but human leadership alone will not bring lasting peace. Pray for the Spirit to inhabit the people.

Bring them Back. From Romans 11:25 we know that the future restoration is not only a possibility, it is a certainty. “For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”  Paul is saying that Israel’s blindness is only temporary.

Fullness of the Gentiles. There is some debate about the meaning of the “fullness of the Gentiles.” Many think this refers to the Great Commission when the Gospel has reached every nation and peoples worldwide. At that point, the church will be taken up. 

Warren Wiersbe writes “The name “Jerusalem” means “foundation of peace,” yet the city has been a center of conflict for centuries. If we understand biblical prophecy correctly, there can be no peace in Jerusalem or on earth until the Prince of Peace reigns on David’s throne (Is. 9:6, 7; Luke 1:26–33). So, when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are actually praying, ‘Your kingdom come’ (Matt. 6:10).” 

Pray for Israel’s Leadership. Current and future Israeli leaders need us to pray for God to give them wisdom – politically and militarily as well as spiritually. 

Pray for God’s ordained inheritance of the land. In Genesis 17:8 God told Abraham “And I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land where you live as a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” It is a historical fact that they have never possessed all of the land”. Ezekiel 48:1 lists the clear boundaries of the land Israel is to possess. Dr. David Jeremiah states that “If Israelis were currently occupying all the land that God gave to them, they would control all the holdings of present-day Israel, Lebanon, and the West Bank of Jordan, plus substantial portions of Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Israel has never possessed anywhere near this amount of land.”

Bless Israel. In Numbers, Balaam was told to curse Israel but found he could not. Instead he proclaimed “Blessed is everyone who blesses you [Israel], And cursed is everyone who curses you.” We need to bless Israel in our prayers.

The overriding fact to remember is that God made promises to the Jewish people. God keeps His promises – all of them. And we should mention one more promise. In Genesis 12:3, God promised Abraham “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” I want God’s blessing. Do you?

_________________

To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here. 

All scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Photo credit to Jorono and VilmaAndreade on Pixabay.