Praying for Peace

It is biblical to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Psalm 122:6-9 says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you. ⁷ Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces." ⁸ For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, "Peace be within you." ⁹ Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good."  There may be some who pray for the peace of Jerusalem because they want prosperity, but Christians are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem because Jesus is our peace.  While no temple to God stands in Israel today, Christians stand by God's grace as His chosen habitation, the temple of the Holy Spirit by the Gospel.

The prayers of God's people ought not to be limited by the boundaries of the Old City of Jerusalem, but we can expand our range to include the cities of people who could be viewed as enemies of Israel.  Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."  Jesus came to the world with peace and goodwill for all men, and this includes the people of Gaza as well as Iran.  By faith in God who is righteous, just and gracious, God's people ought to pray for the leaders of Israel and well as Iran in the midst of conflict.  Both countries are filled with people God loves and Jesus died to save, and Jesus taught His disciples to love their enemies and to pray for them.  Having been commanded by our Saviour to turn the other cheek, even when a missile inflicts casualties on our land we can pray for the peace of those responsible for launching it.

When Jesus was crucified between two condemned criminals, He extended grace to those who scorned and killed Him in Luke 23:34:  "Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots."  In one sense, the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus knew very well what they were doing.  They had been given orders, and they carried them out efficiently and effectively.  They had learned the clothing of their victims was their spoil, and they had a system organised to ensure fair distribution amongst themselves.  On the other hand, these men did not realise who it was they stripped and nailed to the cross--even though they affixed the sign over His head that read, "King of the Jews" in three languages.  They did not comprehend Jesus was the Son of God and the atrocity they committed in complying with orders they were given.  It was just another day at the office for them, yet Jesus was no common criminal.

Jesus did not limit God's forgiveness to the ignorant but extended it to men like Saul of Tarsus who sought to incarcerate and execute Christians:  He offers grace, forgiveness and salvation to all people through the Gospel.  Since God is not willing any should perish but that all should come to repentance and be saved, we ought to pray for both the victim and the aggressor, the ones shooting and those who are shot.  We should look with compassion upon the Israelis and Persians caught up in awful violence, to seek God for their good that each one would experience peace within them by faith in Jesus Christ.  Because Jesus is our peace, we can pray for peace with genuine compassion and love without discrimination.  This kind of love is what sets Jesus apart from every other person, ruler and government.  Jesus is the almighty God, and He employs His strength and power to love.