Prayer for the Holy Land

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
 

With the hosts of Heaven we declare,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,

Who was and is and is to come.”

As saints from every tribe, people, and language, reconciled to God and one another, by the cross of Jesus Christ, we declare,

“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

As the body of Christ, fellow citizens, and members of the household of God, we cry by the Spirit of God,

“Abba! Father! Hallowed be your name!”

With the church through the ages, we cry out,

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

We rejoice that the earth and all who dwell therein belong to you!

We rejoice in You, Creator God, giver of breath, beauty, and every good and perfect gift.

We receive with awe Your love, kindness, compassion, friendship, and leading.

We receive with wonder that you have entrusted to us the stewardship of Your world.

We receive with thanksgiving Your promised blessing of the nations that comes to us through the faith of Abraham.

We receive with humility the mandate to carry forward that blessing as we disciple all peoples in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We recommit ourselves, in a world overcome with hate, to love You with all our heart, mind, body, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
 

With the church through the ages, we kneel and confess,

“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

Though Your great command is to love, Your world and we Your household have been selfish, divided, warring, sexually perverse, greedy, proud, unjust, and all too often loved only those who love us.

We, who are to eagerly maintain the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, have not walked with humility or patience, and all too often sought the methods and things of this world.

We, who are the dwelling place of Your Spirit who gives true sight and judges rightly, have covered our eyes, hardened our hearts, and all too often have been silent about righteousness and justice.

We, who are to put on Your full armour recognizing our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the ruler of darkness, have demonized others, forgotten to pray, and all too often sought favour and wisdom that does not come from above.

We pray for forgiveness. We call upon your mercy.

We thank you for the blood of Christ that takes away our sins and the sins of the world.
 

With the church through the ages, we see troubles and evil and cry,

“Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?”

With lament we look upon the bloodshed, terrorizing, and willful and systemic destruction caused by those made in your image. This is not your will.

With mourning we look upon the anguish of children, women, and men surrounded by war and violence. This is not your will.

With frustration we look upon the destruction of the beauty of earth, groaning as it longs to offer its bounty for the good of all. This is not your will.

With obedience, we intercede for those in positions of power who have been placed by You to bring order and goodness. What we see now is agreement with warring and terrorism, death and chaos, and this King of Glory, is not your will.

With hope we look upon you, Lord God Almighty, Prince of Peace, and ask you to come quickly, judge righteously, break the rod of iron, call rulers to wisdom, teach us to beat swords into plowshares, and give all a space to rest and not be afraid. This is your will.

With the church through the ages, we look upon the Holy Land and pray for the peace of Jerusalem and salvation on the road to Gaza.

With thanksgiving we recognize that the Good News of Jesus Christ for all came first to the Jews, chosen from all the peoples of world to reveal Your will and ways.

We pray now, as a global household of faith, for Your ways to be revealed in the land yet again.

We ask for forgiveness for the ways the Jewish people have been hated and dehumanized in the land and worldwide.

We ask for forgiveness for the ways other peoples in the land have been hated and likewise dehumanized.

We pray now, as those who declare that in Christ there is neither Jew or Gentile, for an end to hostility, freedom for the captives, judgment upon evil and those who do evil, the crumbling of ideologies founded in trauma and hatred, a new mind to discern a way for the peoples of the land to live securely together, and for all to come to repentance and a knowledge of the grace and truth for all in Jesus the Messiah, our risen Lord.
 

With the church through the ages, we rejoice that Your eye is on the sparrow, Your concern extends to even the most wayward, and You identify with the suffering to the extent that what we do to the least, we do unto You.

We beseech you, O Merciful God, that you comfort and intervene for the children, the mothers and fathers, the disabled, the captives, the grieving, the starving, the terrorized, the displaced, and those with none to speak on their behalf.

We beseech you, O Mighty God to whom alone belongs vengeance, bring peace and restoration to the land upon which you look for justice but now see bloodshed and hear outcry.

We intercede, O Strong Shepherd, for Israelis and Palestinians, Jews, Muslims and Christians, that your rod and staff would protect and comfort in the valley of the shadow of death, and that your glory in Jesus Christ would fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

With the church through the ages, we believe Your promise,

“Behold, I am making all things new.”

We yearn for the day when You will wipe away tears, death and pain will be no more, spears will be pruning hooks, the lion will lay with the lamb, and the old order of things will pass away.

Despite what we see with our eyes in this unreconciled world, we ask You to keep us in step with the Spirit that we may walk by faith as peacemakers, acting now as Your children.

Despite what we hear with our ears in this unreconciled world, we ask You to give us beautiful feet, shod with the gospel of peace, with boldness to declare the good news that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

We confess, Jesus, that Yours is the name above every other name.

You are the resurrection and the life.

You are the way, the truth, and the life.

In you there is hope for Jerusalem, Gaza, Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, India, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and all the places we call home, for before you every knee will bow and every tongue confess that You are Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, we will not lose hope.

Therefore, we will persevere.

Therefore, the Spirit and the Bride say,

“Amen. Come Lord Jesus.”

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