Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
Dear Friends:I am writing my last "word" of 2007 in the wake of the assassination of the former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto which shocked the world just four days ago. In a timely manner, I have just finished reading the book "Epicenter - why the current rumblings in the Middle East will change your future" by Joel C. Rosenberg -- one of the first priorities I gave myself to do during the Christmas holidays. More then ever we have to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. What a message to end this year and begin the new! Let me ask you a question: When was the last time YOU prayed for the peace of Jerusalem? Is it on your daily prayer list? Not many Christians would say yes. That is sad, because the Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Many say, "Why pray if God's plan is already layed out." And many just simply do not know what or how to pray. As it says in the book "Epicenter" in response to the question of whether or not the US should "simply accept the inevitable and give up its attempts to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons"... the US should not just sit idly by and wait... stopping Iran from building or acquiring nuclear weapons is essential for the stability and security of the Middle East and the whole world. The book goes on to say: "... the Bible doesn't specifically say that Iran must acquire nuclear weapons for Ezekiel's prophecy to be fulfilled. And Iran could do a horrendous amount of damage and snuff out a horrific number of lives with a nuclear bomb before the War of Gog and Magog takes place." The author says: "US foreign policy cannot be expected to be based on biblical prophecy. It should, however, be based on US national interests." It is like the example Jesus gave us of the man of the house vigilantly watching his household and family before the thief comes in to steal and destroy. Now, with this new threat of the instability of Pakistan heightened, there is really much for Christians around the world to pray about... because this latest assassination brings the country another step closer to radicals taking over a country with nuclear capacity. What do we pray about in answer to our Lord's command to pray for the peace of Jerusalem? Well God knows best. The fact that we are faithful in lifting up the situation in the Middle East and asking Him for peace in His holy city avails much by itself. We pray for the peace to be in Jerusalem, because when there is peace there, there is peace everywhere. We pray for strength and wisdom for the people and leadership of Israel. We pray that the leaders of the world and especially of the United States of America will be sensitive to God's Spirit speaking to them and leading them in the right direction and giving them strength and wisdom and courage, as He told Joshua of old so many times to be courageous. In "Epicenter", Rosenberg writes: "President Bush has done an excellent job defending the US and I have strongly supported the US war effort in Afghanistan and Iraq in light of the 9/11 attacks." He is clear to say that "if Iran goes nuclear on President Bush's watch, all the gains that have been made thus far in the war on terror will be wiped out virtually overnight." Rosenberg says that letting Iran go nuclear would be putting "Americans and all freedom-loving people in existential danger." Praying knowledgeably is important. God said that His people are perishing because of the lack of knowledge. Christians must be vigilant... and that means doing our research and reading in order to know what to pray for and how. Let us make a resolution for the new year to begin to Pray for the peace of Jerusalem every day. Dr Diane, To obtain a copy of the book "Epicenter - why the current rumblings in the middle east will change your future" by Joel C. Rosenberg (enter the name of the book into the christianbook.com search box at the bottom of the page)click here
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