Magazine for October 2009
Pray for peace in Jerusalem
Conflict. War. Gaza strip. The West bank. The Partition Wall. Settlement. Religious tension. When the word ‘Israel‘ is mentioned, a flurry of associations come to mind, most of them negative.
 Jerusalem |
I recently got back from a trip to the ‘Holy Land’ in August, where we took a group of students from Germany to Tel Aviv, Lake Galilee and Jerusalem.
My general impression of Israel is that it is actually very peaceful. Yes there are soldiers, security checks and policemen, but we always felt safe.
The majority of the 7 million plus population are Jewish (75%) followed by Arabs (20%). |
Yet most Jews have immigrated from countries all over Europe, North America, North Africa – even Australia – resulting in great differences but also cultural problems. Then added to that are minorities such as Christians or the nomadic Bedouin people.
How should we as Christians react to the political situation? Now I understand it a little better, I realise that there’s no point trying to take sides. We should try to remain neutral and love the people on both sides.
There is also a great spiritual need for Jesus – it seemed ironic that the land where he lived rejects him most. Yet with God there is always hope. In Jerusalem we saw a simple plaque with the words “Pray for peace in Jerusalem”. Let us pray that God‘s will for Jerusalem and the whole of Israel is done.
Tim Hopcraft