Prayer points with Scriptures · 17 points
Prayer Points for Israel
These prayer points are for Christians who want to pray for Israel the way Scripture teaches: for the peace of Jerusalem, for the safety of its people, for comfort for those who grieve, for wisdom for leaders, and, with the apostle Paul, for Israel’s salvation. They also pray for the Palestinians and other neighbors who share the land and the region, because God’s compassion reaches every family there.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper. May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”
Psalm 122:6-7 (BSB)
Use one section at a time at a prayer meeting, in a small group or on your own. Read the verse aloud, pray the short prayer, then add your own words about what is in the news this week. These points do not take political positions or predict end-times events; they ask God for peace, mercy and salvation. Verses are from the Berean Standard Bible.
Thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness
1Thanks for the gift that came through Israel
Father, thank You for the patriarchs, the covenants and the Scriptures, and above all for Jesus the Messiah, who was born a son of Israel. We owe the Jewish people a debt of gratitude, and we thank You for them today.
Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.
Romans 9:5 (BSB)2God keeps His promises
Lord, Your gifts and Your call are irrevocable. Thank You that You keep Your word and do not abandon what You have begun. Teach us to trust Your faithfulness, to Israel and to us.
For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.
Romans 11:29 (BSB)3A humble heart toward the Jewish people
Lord Jesus, keep us from pride. We were grafted in by grace to share in the nourishment of the olive root; we do not support the root, the root supports us. Remove every trace of contempt for the Jewish people from our hearts and our churches.
Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
Romans 11:17-18 (BSB)
The peace of Jerusalem and Israel’s safety
4Peace within Jerusalem
Lord our God, for the sake of our brothers and friends we say, peace be within you. We pray for Jerusalem: for quiet streets and safe homes, and for every person in the city to live and worship without fear.
For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
Psalm 122:8-9 (BSB)5Protection from terror and war
Lord, Protector of Israel, You never slumber or sleep. Guard Israeli families from rockets, terror and attack. Watch over children in schools and shelters, soldiers on duty and travelers on the roads, and frustrate every plan to shed innocent blood.
Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 121:4 (BSB)6Jewish communities facing hatred
Lord, as the mountains surround Jerusalem, surround Jewish people everywhere. Protect synagogues, schools and families in our own country who face antisemitism, and make Your church quick to stand beside them.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.
Psalm 125:2 (BSB)
Comfort for those who grieve
7Families who have lost loved ones
Lord, You are near to the brokenhearted. Draw near to every family that has buried a son or daughter, a parent or a friend. Hold them in their grief, and do not let them grieve alone.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
Psalm 34:18 (BSB)8Healing for the wounded and traumatized
God who heals the brokenhearted, bind up the wounds of the injured, of former captives, of soldiers who came home changed, and of children who wake in fear. Give doctors and counselors skill, and give each one rest.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3 (BSB)9Comfort for every mourning family
Lord Jesus, You said those who mourn will be comforted. Comfort Israeli and Palestinian mothers and fathers alike, and every family in the region who weeps tonight. Let them find in You a comfort no one else can give.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4 (BSB)
Peace for all the peoples of the region
10Wisdom for leaders
Lord, You give wisdom, and from Your mouth come knowledge and understanding. Grant them to Israel’s prime minister, cabinet and Knesset, and to the leaders of neighboring nations. Give them courage to pursue a just and lasting peace.
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6 (BSB)11An end to war
God, You make wars to cease throughout the earth. We pray for Israelis and Palestinians and all their neighbors, for every family who longs to live without fear. Bring an end to the fighting, and let ordinary people rebuild in safety.
He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
Psalm 46:9 (BSB)12Compassion for all who suffer
Lord Jesus, You were moved with compassion for crowds who were harassed and helpless. Give us Your eyes for the hungry, the displaced and the bereaved on every side, and move us to give and pray without deciding whose suffering counts.
When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 9:36 (BSB)13Believers in the land
Lord Jesus, You Yourself are our peace. Through the cross You tore down the dividing wall of hostility and made one new people out of two. Strengthen Messianic Jewish and Arab Christian congregations in the land, and let their love show what only You can do.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.
Ephesians 2:14-16 (BSB)
Israel’s salvation
14Paul’s prayer for Israel
Father, we make Paul’s prayer our own: our heart’s desire and prayer to You for the Israelites is for their salvation. Open eyes to see Jesus as the Messiah, and let many hear the good news with joy.
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is for their salvation.
Romans 10:1 (BSB)15Jesus’ tears over Jerusalem
Lord Jesus, You wept over Jerusalem because it did not know what would bring it peace. Give us that same love, without pride or pressure, and reveal Yourself as the true peace its people are longing for.
As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.
Luke 19:41-42 (BSB)16Eyes opened to the Messiah
Holy Spirit, whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. As Jewish people read the Law and the Prophets, open their eyes to see Jesus there, and draw many to turn to Him.
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
2 Corinthians 3:16 (BSB)17Courage to share the gospel
God of Abraham, the gospel is Your power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. Give Christians courage and kindness to share it with Jewish friends and neighbors, and bless those who serve in Jewish ministry.
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
Romans 1:16 (BSB)
A closing prayer
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Protect the people of Israel, comfort all who grieve on every side, and give wisdom to every leader in the region. Bring an end to war and hatred. Strengthen Your people in the land, and as Paul prayed, we pray that Israel will be saved and come to know Jesus, the Prince of Peace. In His name we pray. Amen.
Pray with a voice
Short prayers with a voice to pray along with, each drawn from one passage.
Questions
What does “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” mean?
The words come from Psalm 122:6, a psalm of David and one of the Songs of Ascents, which pilgrims traditionally sang on the way up to Jerusalem for the feasts. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, means more than the absence of war: wholeness, safety and well-being. Praying it today means asking God for the safety and flourishing of the city and its people, and for the deeper peace Jesus wept over in Luke 19:41-42.
Should Christians pray for Palestinians too?
Yes. Jesus taught through the parable of the Good Samaritan that every person is our neighbor (Luke 10:29-37), and Scripture says God “wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). There are Arab Christians in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza who belong to the same body of Christ. These points pray for Israelis and their neighbors alike.
Does praying for Israel mean taking a political side?
Not on this page. Scripture calls believers to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), for Israel’s salvation (Romans 10:1) and for all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2). These points ask God for safety, comfort, wisdom and salvation. They do not take positions on borders, policies or prophetic timelines, which sincere Christians weigh differently.
More prayer points
Every verse on this page is quoted word for word from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which its publishers dedicated to the public domain. Copy, print and share these prayer points freely with your church.