Question: Why are we to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem"?
Tom: I must confess that I don't typically pray this prayer and I'm not sure that those who emphasize this verse are interpreting the Scripture properly.
The idea of praying for the peace of Jerusalem comes from the Old Testament (Psalm 122:6) and relates to a time when God's work and the worship of God was centered in the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Israelites were often under attack from their enemies and it was important to the work of God that the Temple and the city of Jerusalem could exist in peace.
Of course, today, God has a much bigger work that includes the worldwide church.
I tend to think that the application of this verse today is that God would protect His people (believers in Christ) who are NOW the TEMPLE (1 Cor 6:19-20) of the Lord from our enemies - both spiritual and physical. Paul instructs us to pray for our authorities so that we would be able to lead a PEACEABLE life as God's people (1 Tim 2:1-2). I think this instruction from New Testament should be a far greater priority in our prayer lives than that which related directly to the Jews of the Old Testament.
