D. Michael Paxton Business Systems Manager at Moody Publishers

Whenever we raise prayers to our Father, we need to keep several things in mind:

* Are we praying in accordance with God's will as we know it?
* Are we praying in accordance with what Scripture teaches?
* Are we praying for true good for others and/or ourselves, and not just for our worldly gain?
* Are we praying for God to be honoured and glorified, and not just to advance a worldly cause?

With this basic framework in mind, how can we view the situation in Israel and pray accordingly? We know that God sent His Son to reconcile all men, both Jews and non-Jews, to Himself through the cross, eliminating hostility and making peace (Eph 2:11-17; Col 1:19-22; Gal 3:28). 

We know that all mankind is made in the image of God and that for that reason God considers harm to mankind to be a serious offence (Gen 9:5-6). We know that we are to love and pray for (the good) of our enemies (Matt 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35). We are to care for them in their need (Rom 12:14, 20; cf Luke 10:29-37, Prov 25:21). And we are not to gloat over them when they fall (Prov 24:17).

But what about the imprecatory Psalms? Did not David and other psalmists pray for God to bring retribution on their enemies (e.g. Ps 137:8-9)? Yes, we also know that God is just and His justice is perfect. But the key is that it is God's justice, not our own, and often His justice is saving our enemies and placing the punishment for their sins on Christ. We are to love justice, not vengeance (Mic 6:8) Our prayer is for God's justice, in whatever form that may take, so that He receives the greatest glory.

So considering all we have reviewed so far, how thus should we pray? Here are a few suggestions:

1) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps 122:6-9) and of Gaza and the West Bank.
2) Pray for God to comfort those who have lost loved ones (Ps 34:18; 2 Cor 1:3-4; Is 53:4, Lam 3:31-32), both Israelis and Palestinians.
3) Pray for true peace and reconciliation (Eph 2:11-17).
4) Since true peace and reconciliation are found only in Christ, pray for the salvation of the Jewish people (Rom 9:1-3, 10:1) and the Palestinians (1 Tim 2:1-4; 2 Pet 3:9), even and especially those in Hamas.
5) Pray for the Holy Spirit to show us what we can do in this situation "to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Mic 6:8).
6) Pray for God's justice to come swiftly, in whatever form glorifies Him most (Deut 32:35; Rom 12:19).
7) Pray for the final culmination of the Kingdom of God, in which all that is wrong will be made right (Rev 21:4).

Praying for justice is good, but it must be for God's justice, not our vengeance, and we should never pray for one people over and above another, because we all are created in God's own image.

Grace and peace to you.

December 13 2023 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Dave Mohler Preacher's kid.

Psalm 122:6,7a says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls." Notice that the biblical writer includes the condition that they who will receive this peace also love Jerusalem. Love for Jerusalem is due to a love for the Lord. Peace comes to those who trust the Lord's promises that in the outcome of all the hatred, wars, persecutions, and misery, as shown in Daniel 9:24, God will bring an end to sin and bring in everlasting righteousness. 

Our prayer should therefore include that those in Israel would hear, recognize, and believe the promises given in the Bible. It would be like the relief found by a new believer in Christ when he discovers that, in the end, everything is going to be alright after all. Meanwhile, Jesus knows our plight having warned that, "In this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." The Bible has much to say about true peace of the heart; pray that they find it.

December 14 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report