Good question…but let’s get to the very obvious reason right away:  the Bible commands us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
May peace be within your walls,
And prosperity within your palaces.”
For the sake of my brothers and my friends,
I will now say, “May peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
~Psalm 122:6-9

Beyond that, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem for at least two other reasons as well.

First, Jerusalem is squarely in the bullseye of the Muslim world.  Islamic-dominated nations, comprised of over 20 separate countries, combine to be over 650 times larger and have over 50 times the population (approximately 3-400,000,000 Muslims vs 6-7 million Jews) of Israel.  Yet Israel is continually accused of occupying Arab land.  Here is a visual (Israel in red):

Far from occupying Arab land, Israel (the only democracy in the Middle East) grants freedom to Arabs, Palestinians, Bedouins, Druze and others within her borders, and grants them representation in Israel’s Knesset (parliament).  Meanwhile, enemy regimes such as Iran routinely vow to “wipe Israel off the map,” and terrorist groups such as Hamas routinely attack Israel.  Currently, Palestinian leadership is inciting violence in and around Jerusalem, and news reports have been ripe with reports of terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens.

I think Israel could use the prayers of the saints.  What do you think?

Secondly, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem because only the Prince of Peace is truly able to bring peace to the land and the people!  Prophetic scripture tells us that all will NOT be peaceful in the land of Israel!  (Ezekiel 38, for example!)  However, ultimately peace will come!  One day, when the enemy is banished forever and we live in the New Jerusalem, there WILL be peace.  But before that, Scripture tells us that the Prince of Peace, Jesus our Lord, dwells in our hearts (Ephesians 3:17).  Having missed the day of their Messiah (Luke 19:41-42), the hearts of God’s chosen people (with the exception of Messianic Jews) are void of the presence of the Prince of Peace.

Therefore, when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are, in essence, praying for the eyes of our dear Jewish friends to be opened to see their Messiah!

There are many reasons for us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and we’re going to do just that during our “Shake it Up” Prayer Event next week.  Will you join with hundreds around the world as we enter the throne room of our Lord and ask Him to shake things up for His glory?

Blessings, friends!

PS: Another terrorist attack on Israeli citizens has occurred.  While funerals of the victims take place, celebrations of the terror take place in Gaza.  Details here.  Indeed, prayer for the peace of Jerusalem is crucial.