Pray for Peace in Jerusalem
By: David McFadden
“Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, ‘May you have peace.’ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.” (Psalms 122:6-9)
(God, speaking of the Jewish Nation, His chosen people) “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
God chose the nation of Israel as His instrument for blessing all nations. God’s covenants with the nation of Israel are everlasting. He is restoring Israel in the last days as part of His greater plan of creation and redemption. Most theologians believe that God will fulfill all His promises to Israel and all His promises to the Church. (Romans 11) God wants us to seek peace among all people, and that would include praying for peace in Jerusalem, especially because of its special place in His heart.
Israel has a special place in history and is considered the crossroads of the world. The four major religions are centered there. God chose the people of Israel to be “His” people. Jesus came through the Jewish race to save mankind. God “wed” Himself to the Jewish people through an everlasting covenant.
God uses terms of endearment when speaking of the Israelites, calling them the “apple of His eye.” When God asks us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, He is by extension asking us to pray for His bride. The Apostle Paul admonishes us in Romans 10:1-4, “Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don't understand God's way of making people right with Himself. Refusing to accept God's way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.”
There are many Scriptures references where God says that we should honor His chosen people and in doing so, honor Him. Psalm 122:6 says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! ‘May those who love you be secure!’” 2 Chronicles 6:6 tells us, “…I have chosen Jerusalem as the place for My name to be honored…” Numbers 24:9 repeats the Genesis promises, “Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.”
Therein secures the promise of blessing for those who uphold and honor God’s bride. He promises a blessing to those nations and people who bless Israel. Unfortunately, He also promises a curse on those who curse Israel. It is widely believed that the United States has benefited from this promised blessing because of its historical resolve to uphold Israel as a friend and important ally.
As with any blessing, God is most concerned with growing us spiritually. He gave His Son to secure our eternal destiny, but we also enjoy His peace while still here. Praying for the peace of Jerusalem would certainly include an end to military conflict, as well as economic success, but most definitely includes personal salvation for the people living in the nation of Israel.
God promised Abraham that through him, God would bless the nations. In other words, Israel has in its national DNA to be a blessing to the whole world. That is one reason Satan has tried so hard to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Since the Jewish people carry Abraham's promise to be a blessing, Satan has tried to use ethnic genocide to end the Jewish race and eliminate the promise they carry.
As with any principality, Jerusalem is involved in a spiritual battle in the heavenly realm. (Romans 8:38, Ephesians 3:10-11, Colossians 1:16, Colossians 2:14-15) But because of Israel’s relevance to God’s kingdom, the principalities over Jerusalem are highly contended for. This is why Jerusalem is the most contested and sought-after city in all of history. As Christians, praying for the peace of Jerusalem means engaging the Satanic influence and oppression trying to destroy a people near and dear to God’s heart. If there was ever a spiritual battle that we are compelled to engage in, it would be to fight in prayer for God’s people. Ephesians 6:12 says it this way, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
So, when the Bible says that we should “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” it is because what happens in Jerusalem radiates across the whole world. This was true when Jesus was crucified, and it is true as the prophetic events of the Last Days play out in Israel. In Isaiah 62, we are called to continually intercede for Zion and give God no rest until He makes Jerusalem a praise in the whole earth.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, Your reign never ends—You are the beginning and the end, the first and the last, Creator of the heavens and the earth. You are to be exalted above all else.
LORD, I bow my heart and my knee to worship You. I count it a privilege to obey Your Word and pray for Your Bride, Your chosen people. I ask You to give me a deeper revelation of Your love for Your people. Give me Your eyes to see the Jewish people as You see them. Change my heart so that I can more readily agree with the Apostle Paul, who said, “…the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.”
LORD, Your Word tells me that You “…have chosen Jerusalem as the place for My name to be honored…” Therefore, I lift up and bless Your people and Your Holy city of Jerusalem. I ask for peace that can only come from transformed hearts. I ask You, in Jesus’ name, to draw the men and women of Jerusalem, and Jewish people worldwide, into a relationship with You through Your Son Jesus. I ask You to remove the “veil” of blindness that prevents the Jewish people from seeing the truth of Your Word, concerning Jesus as their Messiah.
LORD, Your Word tells me that my warfare is not against people but against “… evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” It would be easy to rail against people and nations who hate Israel, and those determined to extinguish the Jewish race, Your people, Your Bride. But railing against people is not Your way. Therefore, in Jesus’ name, I come against the spirit of antichrist and the spiritual forces that rule and reign in the hearts of people who are opposed to You and Your people. I ask You to give these people divine revelation through visions and dreams and to provide undeniable manifestations of Your glory, so that they will discover Your unfathomable love and that many people will repent and turn to Jesus and worship You.
LORD, from the sincerity of my heart, I “Pray for peace in Jerusalem.” I express my love for this city, and, yes, I receive Your promise that says that I may prosper and be at peace in my home and in my sphere of influence. For the sake of my family and friends, I say, “Jerusalem, may you have peace. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.” I proclaim Your Word and sing Your praises as I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Excerpted and adapted from, “Prayer by the Book”
Available on Amazon.com by clicking here: Prayer by the Book
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