Dear Roger,
Why does God Tell us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem?
With everything that is taking place in the Mid-East, it is easy to see Bible prophecy playing out right before our eyes. The Bible is clear about what will happen to Jerusalem before God intervenes, and it isn’t pretty. Yet, we are continually encouraged to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Are our prayers just an exercise in futility or can they actually affect the outcome in that region.
Gary
Dear Gary
The prayer for the peace for Jerusalem is a sweet prayer of Blessing and peace for the beloved city. The prayer is found in Psalm 122:6-9 and is worth repeating:
“6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”
8 For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your prosperity.”
Many enslaved Jews have returned home to Jerusalem after 70 years in captivity in Babylon. Nehemiah has rebuilt the wall to bring some sort of security to their ancestral home. Ezra and others soon commenced rebuilding the Temple. Many years will pass before the ultimate destruction of Jerusalem you referenced in the end-time prophecies in the Books of Daniel, Zechariah, Matthew and Revelation.
Unfortunately, Jerusalem has been a battle ground ever since the Jewish Return from captivity. The number of battles in the history of Jerusalem is staggering: decimation by Antiochus Epiphanies (200-175 B.C.); total annihilation by the Romans (70 A.D.);multiple Moslem invasions (700-1000 A.D.); the three-fold-European Crusader waves of invasion (1000-1200 A.D.) and the current, ongoing wars between the Arab nations and Israel which began in 1948 A.D. with the War for Independence and continuing with the 1967 Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War and the present-day battles with Hezbollah—just to mention a few! Jerusalem, perhaps the holiest city of all time is a battle ground and will be until the last times! How sad!
So why pray—because prayer can change things! Prayer often works like a safety deposit box at the bank which requires two keys to open. The bank has a key and the bank depositor has a key. When both keys are turned simultaneously the box will open. Answered prayer often occurs when God’s key (His will for a particular situation) combines with the bank depositor’s key (his/her prayers). Our prayers plus His will blend powerfully. So we pray.
Who knows how much more destruction and how many more battles might have occurred there if not for the prayers of the concerned.
Therefore, praying for Jerusalem is not futile. According to the Biblical-world view we live in a fallen world (Genesis 3:17-19). In fact Jesus recognized that the whole world is currently under the domination of Satan (Matthew 4:9-10). The Book of Revelation is all about God retaking a cursed world back from Satan. In the last chapters of the Book God reveals to us the beauty of what the world will be like for 1000 years during the earthly reign of Jesus Christ!
So, we pray for the present peace of Jerusalem—knowing that our prayers can make a difference today—even though we know that as prophecy is fulfilled Jerusalem will become the final-battle ground.
Well, Gary, I hope this helps in some ways to answer your question.
Love, Roger