How should we pray for Israel?

While this might seem like an odd question, there are plenty of things we need to pray for in terms of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

First and foremost, we need to pray for peace. I’ve heard several hot takes recently that claim we shouldn’t pray for peace because it ‘isn’t God’s will’ which — is very odd to me. First of all, do you know his mind? Do you know his will? Don’t think so. He also tells us very explicitly in James “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” The prayers of a righteous person have great power. God listens to our prayers, and it’s absolutely not pointless to pray for peace in a time of turmoil. The book of Matthew also records “He [Jesus] said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.’” Nothing is impossible with God, and that’s something we need to be reminded of again and again.

Secondly, we need to pray for God’s will to be done. While this seems obvious, oftentimes we get so caught up in praying for specific outcomes that we forget that the Lord works all things together for the good of those who have been called according to his purpose. Pray that His will is accomplished and that our fellow Christians find peace in the fact that He is fighting for us. Pray that His will gets accomplished, then find peace in the fact that it will get accomplished. That prayer is already answered, all that’s left is to ask the question.

Lastly, pray for the believers in Israel and Palestine. Regardless of political affiliation or geographical location, the body of Christ needs prayer. Pray that the Gospel gets shared through this. Pray that the believers there are strengthened and draw nearer to Christ. Pray that their hope is not found in politics or armies, pray that their hope will be found in Jesus. Pray for the Kingdom and their faith.

~ Phoenix