A God-centered prayer for Israel
How do we pray for Israel without digressing into a political agenda or a hate-filled diatribe?
If we want to pray in a pure and compassionate way, let’s leave behind our political views about the Middle Eastern countries and its people groups. Let’s shed hatred for Islam.
Let’s just channel some Jesus.
He came to heal the brokenhearted,
preach the good news to the poor,
heal the sick,
raise the dead,
free the enslaved,
release the prisoners,
proclaim the Year of ultimate Jubilee.
Prayer is always about you. What you’re doing. What you want to do. How you want to do it. What I should be doing to prepare for it.
This is even true in a crisis.
Here’s an idea of how to pray for that over the horrific war in Israel right now.
Dear Lord God,
Hear me when I pray. You are a God of justice and love and mercy and redemption.
And you said wars would not cease until you return, but salvation is available right now.
Redeem this war. Bring a swift end to this conflict.
I pray for your miraculous intervention in Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and the rest of the Middle East.
I pray safety over the people all over that region.
I pray for angels to surround houses, to keep out marauding enemies.
I pray protection around the women and children from trauma and harm.
I pray for justice, for swift response to evil.
You are a God of love, but you are also a God of justice.
We call on you to perform your perfect will,
to draw individuals to yourself,
to prevent the enemies of Jesus from erasing the physical and spiritual evidence of your work in the Holy Land and from harming people you love.
You are the God of Abraham,
the Messiah for the Jews,
the Savior of the world.
You love us so much, you sent Jesus to save the world, to endure the full range of human emotions and suffering.
You understand what the people of Israel are going through, what the people of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and the Gaza Strip feel right now.
You know how much every single mother who wants to protect her children, because you gave her that bond. Lord, protect her heart and her children!
You know how frightened every young person is who’s been sent to war with weapons no one should have to shoulder.
You see every child who can’t go to school,
every father whose terrified for his family,
every doctor and nurse who cannot save a life, and you understand their pain.
Lord, comfort them!
You even understand the terrorists. Their hearts. Their mindset. Their fear.
You know the human condition, and it doesn’t scare you. It grieves you because you want us to know you.
I ask for you to reveal yourself to the world in a greater way.
I pray for the believers of this world to show strength, resolve, compassion, and love.
May we not again be seen as a people characterized by hatred.
Lord, help us to be faithful to the calling you have spoken over us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
