So many wonderful attributes draw people from all over the world to Jerusalem. The beauty of the stones alone are remarkable…

Unfortunately over the years, tension in the Old City has escalated. It’s just not the same place it was a couple of decades ago when I was single and living on a kibbutz. I traveled as often as I could to the Holy City and never felt the air thick with tension like it is now.

I sat in a park yesterday for about thirty minutes waiting for my husband. I really enjoyed just watching the Israelis pass, living their lives… I enjoyed the flowers…

and birds…

And I noticed that about every other tree is an olive tree. There seemed to be olive branches all around me–the universal symbol for peace. And I kept pondering Jerusalem’s call to peace…

In Psalm 122:6, believers are admonished to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And the commandment comes with a promise–“they that love you will prosper.” Imagine that… prosperity is a reward for praying for peace? God’s ways are past finding out! They are unsearchable!

The battle is spiritual, but it is often expressed in the natural. It is painful to be here and witness the fragmentation and feel the tension, to see the shattered lives and hear the heartbreaking stories–to witness the outcome of two brothers at war for so long…

There is no easy answer to the problems that are centuries old and very complex. But praying for the peace of Jerusalem is easy and natural… it seems to bubble up from the deep of my heart. And even better, I know God will heed those prayers–not just mine–but believers all over the world. Many love the city and more importantly–the people.

I don’t know how the Prince of Peace will answer all those prayers, but He will…