Dwaas, wilt u het bewijs dat geloof zonder daden nutteloos is?
Zoals het lichaam dood is zonder de ziel, zo is ook geloof zonder daden dood.
Jacobus 2:20 en 26

Er zijn veel naam christenen in Nederland!

We leven in een individualistische maatschappij. We zien dat in alle geledingen van de maatschappij en het begint al bij de overheid.
We zien in deze tijd, zo vlak voor de verkiezingen, dat de leiders van de politieke partijen om het hardst roepen dat we meer moeten luisteren naar het volk en dat we anders politiek moeten bedrijven. Maar we zien ook dat na de verkiezingen, ministers van diezelfde partijen gewoon weg niet luisteren naar wat de kiezer nu eigenlijk wil.

Neem nu Geert Wilders: hij roept het hardst wat de kiezer denkt en wat hem beweegt, maar de oplossing van de problematiek heeft hij niet. Ook zijn aanhangers hebben geen oplossing en als ze dan ook met iets aankomen, dan is het wartaal die uitgekraamd wordt en totaal niet toepasbaar of haalbaar.
Wat te denken van de zogenoemde hoofddoekentaks?
Wat een waan idee!

Natuurlijk ben ik met Wilders eens dat iedere praktiserende Moslim er 1 te veel is!
Niet dat ik tegen de Moslim medemens ben, begrijp me niet verkeerd, maar het is een idealisme van mij als ik zeg dat ik wil dat ieder mens behouden blijft. En volgens mijn ideaal, welke is de Bijbel waar ik mijn inspiratie vandaan haal, is dat Jezus Christus.
Hij zegt van zichzelf: Ik ben de weg, de waarheid en het leven, wie in Mij geloofd zal niet verloren gaan, ook al sterft hij, maar zal eeuwig leven hebben (Johannes 11:25).

Ook christenen zijn individualistische mensen: we kunnen het wel alleen!
Ik heb er recentelijk een aantal blogs aan geweid en zal hier niet in herhaling vallen wat dat betreft. Het enige waar ik op wil wijzen is nogmaals die tekst uit Hebreeën 10:25: we mogen onze onderlinge samenkomsten niet verzuimen!
Uit die tekst blijkt al dat we het niet alleen kunnen. We moeten samenkomen als broeders en zusters onder elkaar. We moeten elkaar ontmoeten, van elkaar leren en elkaar bemoedigen in de naam van Jezus, onze Heer en Heiland.
Ik durf zelfs zover te gaan dat een ieder die zegt christen te zijn, maar zich niet houdt aan dit eenvoudige Woord van God, hij of zij GEEN christen is, zoals God dat bedoeld heeft!

Nee, we moeten gaan beseffen wat Ghandi al besefte:

Ghandi, geen christen maar hindoe, zegt over de Bijbel:

Jullie hebben een geschrift onder jullie hoede, dat genoeg dynamiek bevat om de hele beschaving op te blazen, de wereld op z'n kop te zetten en vrede te brengen aan een door oorlog verscheurde planeet. Maar jullie gaan ermee om alsof het slechts een stuk literatuur is.

Wat zou er gebeuren als wij beseffen wat Ghandi beseft? Dan zouden we in een andere wereld leven! Wat een kracht er in Gods Woord zit, dat moet een hindoe ons vertellen... De Bijbel is het geopenbaarde Woord van God, geen romannetje!

Hoe meer ik dit tot mij door laat dringen, des te meer versta ik de woorden die Paulus ons na laat in Romeinen 8:22 (Statenvertaling):

Want wij weten, dat het ganse schepsel te zamen zucht, en te zamen als in barensnood is tot nu toe.

Wanneer we nadenken over wat Ghandi zegt en we lezen dan dat de wereld in Barensweeën is, hoe veel te meer zouden we dan moeten bidden om de kracht van Gods Geest om deze wereld in te gaan en Zijn Woord te verkondigen?

Niet alleen die enkele christen die zijn samenkomst verzuimd is een individualist: ook de kerk/gemeente is in zichzelf een individualistische organisatie geworden!
De dynamiek van de Bijbel is over boord gezet! De kracht van Gods gedachten, die Hij voor ons op papier heeft doen zetten is met het badwater weggegooid, zoals het gezegde luidt: gooi niet het kind met badwater weg!

Wij hebben Jezus uit de kerk gegooid!

Onze individualistische houding heeft vat gekregen op de kerk en we kunnen het tij zelf niet meer keren!
We hebben nodig om de ogen opnieuw te doen openen en de weg van Jezus te volgen:

En vandaar verder gaande zag Jezus iemand bij het tolhuis zitten, Matteüs genaamd, en Hij zeide tot hem: Volg Mij. En hij stond op en volgde Hem.
Mattheus 9:9

Dit betekend dat wij anders moeten omgaan met onze levenshouding. Het betekend dat wij ons eigen ik, ons eigen individu de deur uit moeten gooien en moeten gaan beseffen dat wij genoeg dynamiek in bezit hebben om deze wereld te veranderen!
Wij hebben het Woord dat levend geworden is en we doen er niets mee!
We hebben voldoende dynamiek om deze wereld te veranderen en we lezen het als een romannetje!

In Mattheus 28:18-20 zegt Jezus niet voor niets:

Jezus kwam op hen toe en zei: ‘Mij is alle macht gegeven in de hemel en op de aarde. Ga dus op weg en maak alle volken tot mijn leerlingen, door hen te dopen in de naam van de Vader en de Zoon en de heilige Geest, en hun te leren dat ze zich moeten houden aan alles wat ik jullie opgedragen heb. En houd dit voor ogen: ik ben met jullie, alle dagen, tot aan de voltooiing van deze wereld.’

Ga dus op weg!
We zijn vastgeroest met de gedachte dat wij als kerk wel behouden zullen worden door simpelweg te geloven in God en aan onze plicht als trouwe kerkganger te voldoen.
Maar:

Zijn wij wel gered? Zijn wij wel behouden?

Ik heb een nieuwe baan, hoorde ik laatst nog iemand zeggen. Dolblij dat hij was aangenomen bij een andere werkgever en hij had het voor elkaar. Een goede job, leiding gevend en een riant salaris.
Nou we hebben het binnen hoor! Maar is dat ook zo? Is het werkelijk zo datje “het binnen hebt”?
Hoeft er dan werkelijk niets meer te gebeuren? Of zouden we ook nog arbeid moeten leveren? Zouden we er misschien iets meer voor moeten doen, zodat het geld wat beloofd is daadwerkelijk op de bankrekening gaat binnen stromen?

Ik denk van wel!
Wij moeten er wel iets voor doen willen wij ook daadwerkelijk zien dat het geld binnen gaat komen.
Wij moeten Jezus volgen op de weg die Hij ons wijst!
Allereerst mogen wij onze samenkomsten niet verzuimen, we lezen in het zendingsbevel uit Mattheus namelijk ook:

en hun te leren dat ze zich moeten houden aan alles wat ik jullie opgedragen heb.

We moeten er op uit gaan:

En zoals we eerder lazen in Mattheus 9:9: Volg Mij. En hij stond op en volgde Hem.

Jezus ging rond in deze wereld:

En Jezus ging geheel Galiléa rond, lerende in hun synagogen en predikende het Evangelie van het Koninkrijk, en genezende alle ziekte en alle kwaal onder het volk.
Mattheus 4:23

Jezus bleef niet zitten in een roestig kerkbankje, maar Hij trok van plaats naar plaats om het Evangelie te prediken. Zo moeten wij ook zijn en worden!
Wij moeten, willen wij ten volle de zegen ontvangen van onze behoudenis, rond gaan in deze wereld en het Evangelie verkondigen.
We kunnen, wanneer we ten volle beseffen het geen God ons heeft gegeven en zoals Gandhi al bekend was, niet de dynamiek van de Bijbel blijven lezen als een romannetje, maar we moeten getuigen van Hem, door Zijn Woord te verspreiden.

Paulus zegt hierover tegen Timotheus:

verkondig het woord, dring erop aan, gelegen of ongelegen, wederleg, bestraf en bemoedig met alle lankmoedigheid en onderrichting.
2 Timotheus 4:2

Zo is dan het geloof uit het horen, en het horen door het woord van Christus.
Romeinen 10:17

Zo, broeders en zusters, hoe kunnen wij de samenleving veranderen?
Door te luisteren naar het Woord van Christus en te doen al wat Hij ons heeft opgedragen!

Ga daarom dus in Zijn naam en verkondig het Woord gelegen of ongelegen en laat u opbouwen in uw geloof door samen te komen met uw broeders en zusters, opdat de wereld ziet en zal erkennen dat Hij, Jezus de Heer is over alles wat leeft en in Hem behoudenis is als we Zijn opdracht volbrengen.

Ik zegen een ieder die hoort de stem van Gods Geest en er naar handelt, totdat Hij komt.

Peter
www.gnj.pdh-ministries.org

www.christelijkewinkel.nl

Het IPC (Israël Producten Centrum Nijkerk) is een Christelijke organisatie. Deze organisatie is ooit begonnen vanuit een groepje die zich verbonden voelden met Israël. Naast geven van lezingen verkochten zij hier ook wat spulletjes uit Israël. Inmiddels is dit uitgegroeid tot een organisatie met zo'n 200 Consulentes. (vrijwilligers) Zij geven voorlichting over Israël en verkopen een zeer gevarieerd assortiment aan artikelen (zie foto's) Hiermee worden de economie en de werkgelegenheid onder met name immigranten families in Israël gesteund.

Dit willen we doen om achter Israel te staan, mijn oudste broeder. Gods oogappel!
Daar is onze Verlosser geboren,en komt Gods woord vandaan.
Het profetisch Woord waarin we kunnen lezen wat de plaats van Israel is, en waar hun en ons heil vandaan komt.

Men kan bij ons artikelen kopen, die uit Israel vandaan komen. Iets voor u? Zoals de avondmaalswijn Kinor Sacramental,sweet red wine, shofars,kaarsen, zalfolie,enz

gr. en sjaloom,Ronald & Bob

Dear friends, partners and family,

The mission trips we recently made have been a great blessing, and it is clear that those trips are increasing in frequency- but tickets are expensive! However, there is a way that you can help us, without extra costs.

Those who will fly next time can help us collect extra Air miles. When you book your ticket, all you have to do is to ad (give this nr to you agent) this number: (UCC) NL 328510. This way you will help us, and get your own Miles as well! The more people participate, the quicker we collect the necessary Miles! An ideal way to not only bless us, but also the widows, orphans, brothers and sisters in other countries.

We wish you a pleasant journey!

The Holy Passion Church team.

Presbyterian Church USA Ready to Declare War Against Israel

A group of activists hostile to Israel, including theologians and others in some prominent Protestant churches have launched a dangerous campaign to use theology to delegitimize the Jewish State and her supporters. They may be only days away from putting the policy of a large Protestant denomination on a collision course with Israel’s survival — unless we raise our voices in protest.

This comes just as Israel’s right to defend her citizens is denounced as ‘war crimes and crimes against humanity’ by the UN’s Goldstone Report; when Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon was verbally attacked at Oxford University with chants of “Slaughter the Jews”; and when screaming Muslim “activists” tried to silence or censor the speech by Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, at the University of California, Irvine.

In 2004, The Presbyterian Church in the US (PCUSA) became the first mainline
Protestant denomination to approve a policy of divestment from Israel. Unpopular with church members, it was later rescinded.

But in 2008, church leaders supposedly seeking to balance PCUSA'a Middle East policies, instead, created a committee dominated by seven activists holding strong anti-Israel beliefs. The lone member sympathetic to Israel, quit in protest when he saw their radical agenda.
Here’s what we know about their report from a press release leaked by the committee last month:

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•the report calls for the US to withhold financial and military aid to Israel

•it apologizes to Palestinians for even conceding that Israel has a right to exist

•it declares that Israel, if defined as a Jewish State, must be inherently racist

•it embraces the Kairos Palestine Document, produced by Palestinian Christians, calling for boycott and sanctions against Israel and endorses full Palestinian ‘right of return‘ to Israel which would lead to the demise of the Jewish democratic state

•it denies any connection between biblical covenants and the Jewish people. Israel’s history, it claims, begins only with the Holocaust, a nation mistakenly created by Western powers at the expense of the Palestinian people to solve the ‘Jewish problem’

Adoption of this poisonous document by the Presbyterian Church will be nothing short of a declaration of war on Israel and her supporters.

It will be negatively impact interfaith relations, and could have significant repercussions in the political domain, with 46 Members of the US Congress and Senate who are Presbyterians.

And these initiatives, encouraged by the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, will cause a ripple effect on other denominations.

Which is why we urgently ask you to do two things:

1) Protest directly to the top leadership of the PCUSA urging them to stop this dangerous campaign which denies the legitimacy and security of Israel.

2) Reach out to your Presbyterian friends and ask them to speak out against this potential rewriting of PCUSA's policy towards Israel that will destroy the era of good will that has been fostered with the Jewish community for decades.

There are many staunch friends of Israel in PCUSA whose voices are being drowned out by a few determined activists, who are relentlessly pursuing a radical political anti-Israel agenda.

Act now: It is not too late for you to make a difference.

BURMA: A wave of relief washed over Elizabeth as the Burmese government official handed her her passport - with the hoped for Thai visa nestled inside.  Months, indeed years, of praying had brought Elizabeth to this point; now it was time to leave her old life in Burma behind.

Only nine years earlier, Elizabeth had caught a bug--the acting bug.  The young woman was raised in a Christian family and had been taught from childhood to seek God for her life's direction.  At age 17, Elizabeth was in a local play and loved it.  At once she decided to pursue acting as a career, knowing that her faith in Christ could benefit people in whatever situation she was in.  The acting world in Burma, however, was a small community of the nation's elite; Elizabeth realized she needed to break into modeling if she ever hoped to become an actress.

Elizabeth's mother, wary of the corruption that held Burma's film industry together, could not persuade her daughter to take another road, so she insisted on traveling with her to her modeling sessions.  Before long, Elizabeth won a modeling contract, and began traveling the country.

The favor of God was on her life and she landed several high-profile movie roles in a short period of time.  A production company soon hired Elizabeth and the roles came pouring in for both TV and movies, including a movie role as supporting actress to the most famous actor in Burma, nicknamed the Burmese Tom Cruise.

Elizabeth's star was rising, yet she never forgot God's call on her life to minister. As she traveled from set to set, Elizabeth would speak boldly of Christ to anyone--cast or crew-- who would listen. One famous actor got saved because his father had been a Christian; but as a rule, the movie industry was largely unresponsive to the message of the gospel. 

It is popular for an entire movie crew to burn incense before production begins, and make a show of Buddhism; there seemed to be no room for a new message.  Elizabeth was frequently forbidden even to pray in her own way. She continued to preach the gospel in the face of great hostility; people argued with her many times on TV and movie sets. Though Elizabeth and her family fasted and prayed for people, her words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

After several years of this disappointing cycle, God spoke to Elizabeth, saying He wanted her to go to bible school to be better equipped to minister. Elizabeth, disillusioned with the movie industry, lay down her career and moved back home in 2006.  But stepping out of the limelight proved more difficult than Elizabeth had anticipated: she had become a high profile figure in Burma, something she did not fully realize while working on movie sets.  As she prayed about bible college it became apparent that she would need to go to another country to study.

God began to orchestrate Elizabeth's life in wonderful ways in the months following her return home.  She met her husband, Tom, an American, when he came to Rangoon to preach in her church.  He introduced her to Victory Bible College in Thailand and she began to take steps toward studying there.

Those steps have led her to this moment in time.  Until today, the Burmese government refused to issue Elizabeth a visa because they knew she was famous and did not want her to leave the country.  But God has a plan for Burma, and Elizabeth has a part to play in its future.  She knows her call is to minister the gospel in her nation, and will return with her husband with a better foundation and vision for her nation.

CAMBODIA: I'm tired, hot and sweaty, and covered in dust. My team and I left our home base in Sriracha, Thailand, and traveled all day to get to the poverty-stricken border town of Poi Pet, Cambodia. I want to have a cold shower and put my feet up, but instead my teammates and I hop into the back of a pick up truck and head deep into the Cambodian countryside.

We turn off the one and only paved road in Poi Pet and continue down a deeply rutted road that is really only suitable for ATV's and dirt bikes. It's a blast; we hang onto the truck for dear life as we laugh out loud and snap crooked pictures. For a moment I had forgotten, but this is missions and I love it!

A trail pops up out of nowhere, two tire tracks wide and veering to the right; this is our turnoff. We only travel a hundred yards before the trail disintegrates into a foot path, and we are instantly greeted by children living in this tiny, hideaway community.

It has been a while since I have experienced ministry in this capacity, but I fall in like a soldier who never left the front lines. My team and I gather together on the woven grass mat laid out for us, and wink at the curious little onlookers, making them giggle. After songs are sung we begin teaching the kids all about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego -- they laugh as we act the classic bible story out for them.

We give the kids an activity, and I take in my surroundings. What I see saddens me. These beautiful people, struggling for each meal, living in shanties consisting of three walls and a roof, deserve better. Chickens, geese and pigs root around where children live and play. And what jumps out at me is the incredibly misdirected priorities: each home I look in has a TV and stereo equipment.

How can villagers afford such luxuries when they can't buy a kilo of rice and a few small fish to sustain themselves? The answer is horrifyingly clear: predators of the worst sort have come to exploit the villagers' poverty.

Parents struggling to survive the day are offered a solution for the moment; unable to see past their needs and wants, they jump at the chance to lighten the burden and earn six months of income instantly - selling their own child for the amount of a small colour TV.

The stories are shocking and all too frequent. The missionaries working in this area regularly discover that children go missing.

I lift a toddler into my arms as I wonder, was some small child's innocence sold in exchange for these things? Are they now, at this very moment, crying and trapped in a room with grown men they don't know and can't trust?

The work being done by our missionaries and national contacts in Cambodia is relevant and necessary. These Christian leaders live with the bare necessities and step up to shepherd and teach the Cambodian people the saving knowledge of Christ. Without the love, hope and forgiveness of Christ how can these trends be brought to an end?

I leave the village exhausted but grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a far-reaching ministry. So much so, that during the rutted ride back to Poi Pet, it is decided that our trip will be extended and we will stay in Cambodia longer than planned. We want to return to the village.

John 17:1 says, “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:”  This particular Scripture hit me at a time when I was struggling with praying for two particular people in my life.  Yes, you heard me…. I WAS STRUGGLING WITH PRAYING.  I usually had no problem with praying for them as they called on me to do so on a regular basis.  But this particular time in my life, in my walk, I just found myself tired.  I found myself not wanting to answer the phone when they called (and had actually did it to one of them, the day before).  Nevertheless, I did not “feel” like talking to them, I just did not want to listen to the same complaint, putting myself aside, as they always seemed to have a total disregard of what I was doing at the moment or even how I was doing.

Earlier this day, as I purpose to do every day even still, I prayed, “Lord, use me for Your glory.  Let me be a vessel of Your goodness.  Your mercy.  Give me the words of wisdom I need, words that will comfort, encourage and strengthen someone who needs to hear You. Who needs to know that You love them.”

Now of course, God being the faithful God that He is, began a work.  And what is so funny about it is I had not planned on reading this Scripture that morning.  I was actually doing my Sunday School lesson, reading the assigned Scriptures for the day and mistakenly (to me… God of course, meant it to happen), my eyes were redirected to John 17 and the Scriptures jumped off the page and caught my attention.  God has a way of making you see things.

So God continued His work.  The Scripture says that Jesus was praying for Himself first (v.1-5), then He went on to pray for His disciples (v.6-19), concluding with praying for all believers elsewhere (v. 20-26).  Note, that even in praying, there is an order for how we ought to pray.  Get this though, GOD hears us no matter what because He is an ever present God.  But when we pray according to His will and according to His word, He not only HEARS us, He ANSWERS us.  So just make a mental note of the order that Jesus prayed.  For Himself, for His disciples (those that He has been given charge over) and then for believers elsewhere.  Anyway, then the Holy Spirit went to work on me, as I received fresh revelation from God’s Word, and immediately I was convicted.  TOTALLY.  Caught in the act, red-handed!

I heard God tell me, “You asked Me to be glorified in you, just today.  You prayed that I would use you so that someone would be encouraged.”    I didn’t see how that was happening though, because I was too concerned with how I was feeling.  We cannot let our feelings stand in the way of what we know to do.  Our faith is not based on our feelings.  Our love is not based on our feelings.  Feelings will trip us up every single time.  They will cause us to take offense, when there ought to be none.  They will cause us to do some things that we know better.  Don’t do something based on whether or not how it makes you feel, good or bad.  Sometimes that good feeling is SIN.  Anyway, but God said, “Yes you pray for yourself, you pray for your charge (those that I have put in your circle), and you even pray for believers elsewhere.  But Jesus prayed aloud.  Jesus prayed out loud so that His disciples would hear Him and be comforted.”

Then I understood.  Sometimes and it may seem too often to us at times, but if we really want to do the will of the Lord, we must set ourselves aside and love.  Love as Jesus would love.  It is God’s will for us to care about others.  To tend to the needs of others.  This is how the world will know that we belong to God, because of the love that we have for each other.  But the love has to be demonstrated.  We cannot just simply say we love someone.  God said if you love me keep my commandments.  Even that is demonstration.  Love is an action word.  Continually demonstrated.  It may not be enough to say I’m praying for you.  Show them.  DO it.  If you don’t feel like it, even the more so, because then you are sacrificing.  And love is a sacrificial demonstration.  It is putting your needs and desires to the side to fulfill the needs and desire of someone else.  God demonstrated His love by sacrificing His only Son.

In this Scripture and through this experience, along with some things of late, God is yet teaching me about love.  That it has nothing to do with emotion.  It is active.  That sometimes people need to see you look up to heaven and bow your head on their behalf.  It may not be enough to tell them that you are praying, pray with them.  Aloud.  They need to hear you go to God and make a petition for them.  Sometimes love means so much more when it is demonstrated. It is nice to tell me that you love me but when you show me, that is a whole other story.    And God is saying the same thing.  “Don’t just tell Me you love Me, show Me.”

God could have just told us He would die for us.  But He showed us instead.  He demonstrated His love.  He put His love into action.  Love is an action word.  Demonstrate it.

God is real, and He really, really, really loves us.

Be blessed.

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E

http://sis.e.home.comcast.net

http://www.ongoodground.org

Okay what is this? A blog? Where am I? The weirdest place yet so familiar? What does my destiny behold? I trust Gods plan for me. Am I where I am at this moment because I didnt pass some test? Or did I pass the test and thats the reason I am at this place? I sooo dont get it. Patience. Develop and deepen the relationship. Dont lose what has been gained. Sometimes whats so familiar is not healthy for further development. Am I lazy at times? Or is it fear that paralizes me? I dunno. Lol. Sometimes its a little of both. Sometimes when one is not sure what the next step may be an individual can just over analyze to the point of getting lost. And then sometimes we are exactly where Daddy wants us to be. But I dont want to hang around 40 years complaining thats for sure. So I have to BE active in the process of this stage to go to whatever the next stage is. Have I aborted the promise? Only God has the blue print. Sometimes I hear the plan changes. Its all for His glory so He uses all that are willing and wise. Sometimes I am not so wise. Playing it safe can take you to the edge of oblivion. Thats usually when we start trying to do our own thing instead of yeilding. So this process of purification has been sooooooooooome journey that I never expected and here I am not really blogging. Just letting a stream of thougth take its course cause I really want to just get back to that place where I am close in His arms and resting in the heavy presence of His awesome power in full Worship mode. I have a journey... Lord help... I love You with everything in me... Even when I know I dont deserve You... You are always there...

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."

Mary Stevenson

Israel as a nation and a people are God's chosen people. In Deuteronomy 32:10 and Zechariah 2:8, the Lord God calls Israel "the apple of his eye." And to Abraham, God said in Genesis 12:2-3, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (NIV) Psalm 122:6 also encourages us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Pray a Christian Prayer for Israel

Dear Heavenly Father,

We pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We are sad to see the violence and suffering as men, women and children are injured and killed on both sides of the conflict. We don't understand why it has to be this way, nor do we truly know if war is right or wrong. But we pray for justice, your sovereign righteousness, Lord. And at the same time we pray for mercy. For everyone involved we pray, for governments and peoples, militants and terrorists, we ask for your kingdom to come and rule over the land. Protect the soldiers and civilians from bloodshed. May your truth and light shine in the darkness. Where there is only hatred, may your love prevail. Help me as a Christian to support those who you support, Lord, and to bless those who you bless, my God. Bring your salvation to Israel, dear God. Bring your salvation to the whole earth.