Many people are aware of the instruction in Psalm 122 to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”. If the Bible tells us to do something, it’s a good idea to do it! But more than that, the Psalm is bursting with blessings for those who care about God’s land, God’s city and God’s people. Often when there is a command in the Bible there is an accompanying promise. In this case, we are promised “shalom”. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem—May those who love you be at peace!” (Psalm 122:6). We also see the example of the Apostle Paul who prayed for his people, but what was the focus of his prayers? Salvation! “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation” (Romans 10:1). So not only does the Bible command us to pray but we are also given a good example to follow and a promise to believe as we do so.

Since Gentile believers are not only linked with Israel but are actually grafted into the root, it makes sense to pray for the tree you’re grafted into! The Apostle Paul explains: “If the firstfruit is holy, so is the whole batch of dough; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off and you—being a wild olive—were grafted in among them and became a partaker of the root of the olive tree with its richness, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, it is not you who support the root but the root supports you” (Romans 11:16-18). Far from the arrogance or superiority which some exhibit towards Israel, Paul instructs Gentile disciples to recognize this picture of the olive tree. Love and prayer for God’s chosen nation is a way of expressing appreciation for the root which supports you.

God has made Israel the center of the world: Thus says Adonai Elohim: “This is Jerusalem! I have set her in the midst of the nations, with countries all around her” (Ezekiel 5:5). In fact, in Ezekiel 38:12, God refers to Israel as “Tabor haAretz” the bellybutton of the world! God’s concern is for all the nations of the earth, but He uses Israel as a vessel through which to work. It is through Israel that the Bible was delivered to the nations, and also the Messiah. God also uses Israel as an illustration to the world about His dealings with mankind, and the unfolding story has not finished. Israel continues to be a spiritual center of significance, and God’s dealings with Israel flow out to the whole earth. Your prayers for Israel consequently affect the whole earth.

God has laid out His plan of redemption spanning from Genesis to Revelation. Keeping an eye on prophecies coming to pass in the Middle East also helps orient us as to where we are in God’s unveiling story. Praying into God’s stated purposes for Israel is to keep in step with His program. We have seen tremendous strides forward last century as Israel was re-formed after 2000 years of exile and Jerusalem was miraculously back in the hands of the Jewish people. Jesus said “Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:23-25) and Paul reiterates this in Romans 11, saying that a partial hardening has come upon Israel but only until the end of the time of the Gentiles. We are promised that ultimately “All Israel will be saved” and the prophet Zechariah paints the extraordinary picture for us of what that will look like in the last few chapters of his book. Similarly, the last few chapters of Isaiah also speak of a remarkable future for Israel and the world when the Messiah comes to rule and reign, giving us a glorious hope and a vision to pray into. To pray for Israel in the light of prophetic scripture is to align with God’s purposes on the earth.