praying for the peace of Jerusalem

I've been listening to some of Art Katz's sermons online, a jewish-atheist man who found the Messiah of Jesus. Last night I listened to one titled "Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem" (the phrase is taken from psalm 122). He said something really amazing that is fundamental to our walk in God: the idea of resurrection.

"To pray for the peace of Jerusalem in a way that will bring the peace of Jerusalem has got to be itself a resurrection prayer. Not just wishful thinking; wishful thinking is still at the level of humanism, and I don't think such prayers even get beyond the ceiling. But the kind of prayer that will actually affect the peace of Jerusalem will be God's own prayers, prayed in God's own power by a people who have welcomed His own devastation for themselves that they might be a people of the resurrection, praying resurrection prayers."

He talks about how the current state of Israel is far short of the glory God intended it to be. Therefore, the job of the Church (Jewish and Gentile) is to pray for it in God's way, because He has not forgotten his chosen people and his promise is never canceled. Ezekiel 37 is a famous passage of scripture which describes the valley of dry bones, referring to Israel being so destitute that the only way it can match the promise of God is to be resurrected.

"To pray for the peace of Jerusalem is to pray for the death of present Israel."

Gnarly gnarly.