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Praying for the peace of Jerusalem
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Anonymous user Tue Aug 8, 2006 12:22:48 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments We have all heard the news and it’s not new news. It has not been new news for almost 4,000 years.
You can’t turn on the television or read the newspaper without hearing or reading about war in the Middle East.
There seems to be conflict continually in the Middle East, specifically between the nation of Israel, a Jewish state, and her neighboring Arab countries of Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
The conflict in the Middle East comes down to one issue: land. All wars come down to one thing: land.
One group wants something that the other group has and a fight breaks out and a war takes place to possess it. This has been going on since the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to whom the land was given by the Lord, according to the scriptures.
 When a war breaks out in the world today, the United Nations’ desire is to step in and seek peace if at all possible, or to at least make sure the fight is fair, if that is even remotely possible.
Obviously, it is easier said than done, as history shows. Throughout human history peace treaties are reached by nations making agreements: peace for peace.
At times, a mediator steps in and assists the two or more warring countries in coming to a “peace agreement.”
War ends and peace is reached when all the parties involved agree to no longer fight.  A “peace for peace” agreement basically says, “If you don’t fight us, we won’t fight you.”
The interesting thing with regard to the nation of Israel is that the world is telling Israel that in order for this tiny little nation to experience peace, Israel must give up her land.  So, it’s no longer “peace for peace,” but now it’s “land for peace.”
Israel has been giving up land, but Israel has not been experiencing peace with her neighboring countries.
To understand the situation, you would have to consider the total amount of land Israel possesses in relation to her Arab neighbors. Israel only possesses about 1/10 of 1 percent of the land that exists between the Arab countries and the Jewish people. That’s right, friend, 1/10 of 1 percent of the land is in the hands of the Jewish people and the world keeps telling this tiny and getting-smaller-by-the-day country that if Israel wants peace, she must give up land, “land for peace,” a land that the Bible says belongs to her by decree of God.
Unfortunately, even when Israel has given up land, there has not been any peace for this country.
In recent weeks, we have Gaza as another perfect example.
Israel has pulled completely out of the Gaza Strip area in an attempt to exchange “land for peace” with the Arabs who desire to live in Israel, and there still is no peace.
The Gaza Strip, this 100 percent Arab-controlled area within Israel, became the center of turmoil a couple of weeks ago when the Arabs tunneled out of Gaza and fought against the Israeli soldiers in Israel territory, destroyed military equipment and killed innocent soldiers and took Israeli soldiers as hostages.
Israel responded with force and is determined by the media as the aggressor. In the north just a week or so later, Israel soldiers were killed, two captured, military equipment destroyed and again, Israel responds with force and is deemed the aggressor.
“Land for peace” will never bring about the desired end to war in the Middle East. The land that was given to the nation of Israel, the Jewish people whom He chose as His own people and the city, Jerusalem, the only city God has called His own rightly, belongs to the Jewish people, according to the Bible.
The Bible does teach that peace will one day occur in Israel and the Scriptures call for those who love God to cry out to Him continually for the peace of Jerusalem and witness the fulfillment of God’s promise to His covenant people.
Peace will come to the Middle East, and it will come through prayer when those of us who love God commit to do what His word calls for us to do.
Join me and those around the world, and let’s pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6
Mike Osthimer is the pastor at Calvary Chapel Westbrook.

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