“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! ‘May they be secure who love you!'” Psalm 122:6
October 15, 2025
Peace in the Middle East. Is it possible? Many are voicing with great enthusiasm hopes that Jerusalem, the focal point of world history and current events, can rest from war. As Jewish pilgrims came to the city of Jerusalem they could be heard exclaiming the third of the “Songs of Ascents.” The special presence of God in Jerusalem was relished by worshipers in Israel (122:1-5). It was part of the celebration of God’s grace, remembering “This is Jerusalem; I have set her at the center of the nations with lands around her” Ezek. 5:5. Yet Jerusalem has been the occasion for agony and ecstasy through the centuries. What does the future hold for the city of peace (meaning of the word Jerusalem)? The special presence of God in Jerusalem will be revealed when the Messiah returns (122:6-9). True peace will come only when the Prince of Peace comes again at the very time when her total destruction seems imminent (Zech. 14:2). On the divine calendar Jerusalem exists in “the times of the Gentiles” (Lk. 21:24). Jerusalem is to endure escalating trouble until the Tribulation period (Rev. 11:1-2). As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem we are essentially praying as Jesus told us to, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).
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“O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I long for the day when the nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask that the evil designs of Satan will be held back while many come to place their faith in Jesus Christ alone.”