Jerusalem is called the City of Peace. However, peace seems hard to come by in Israel. With the Hamas terrorist attack from Gaza on October 7, the nation was once again plunged into war. Thousands have been killed or injured. A hundred
or more are held hostage. And the world waits anxiously to see if the violence spreads to other parts of the Middle East. I hope it doesn’t. I hope that by the time you receive this message peace will have come. But I rather doubt it. I have to confess that it seems like the violence there is never-ending, and so I grow weary of the conflict and just want to tune it out.
But, as Christians, we don’t have the luxury of turning away when people are hurting. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? He cared when others didn’t. He cared even though Samaritans and Jews didn’t get along. Perhaps it was easy for him because the need was right in front of him. For us, the needs of the people in the Holy Land seem so far away, and we are at a loss to know what to do to bring peace. But there is at least one thing we all can and must do. We can pray.
Psalm 122:6 tells us “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”. Have you done so lately? And I would expand it. Pray for Israel, and Gaza. Pray for the injured and the grieving. Pray for the children and the elderly. Pray for peace in the Middle East, and in the east of Ukraine, and in every place of conflict. Pray even for peace in our hearts as we struggle with how to respond to unspeakable evils. Pray for peace, and may we never stop until the Prince of Peace comes again.
Shalom,
Pastor Mark