The prayer plea is needed more today than ever before in the ancient city’s existence, even more than when David’s words were written and recorded. Today the city on a hill is Holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians alike.

I began praying many years before I, almost unexpectedly, found myself walking through the old city streets, meeting and making friends with Jews and Arabs. I believe with all of my heart that the trip was wonderful birthday surprise treat from our heavenly Father, the Lord God of Israel, to commemorate my 14th Christian birthday.

It was May 11th 1998 when I found myself sitting on the Mount of Olives in an olive grove over looking the old city of Jerusalem. I was in awe of seeing the city and was filled with praise to God. A friend Julian, asked me to bring him back a rock from the mount and I was photographed to assure him it was genuine. Today Julian is a rabbi who teaches Yeshua, Christ Crucified.

As I looked out over the view, I remembered how the Lord had forgiven my sins and made me a new creation while praying a feeble prayer of repentance, in a « punishment cell » in one of the UK’s maximum security prisons. Sitting on the mount filled my soul with praise, prayer and thanksgiving for our Lord, who came to set the prisoners free.

If anyone had told me that in less than two weeks I would be in Jerusalem, I would never have imagined it. I didn’t even hold a passport at the time ! With God all things are possible for those who believe, a precious promise I have experienced so often since I was baptized in the Holy Spirit while still serving my prison sentence a few weeks after my conversion.

My idea was to tour Israel and that’s what I did with my traveling companion, David. But the Lord had his plans and purpose for the visit and we were blessed as we shared the love of God with the Children of God’s friend, Abraham.

Both Jews and Arabs every night would sit and talk with us as we spoke of God’s love and his power to heal, forgive and give eternal life to those that believed in him.

We also talked of the crisis in the area between the Muslims and Jews and they all agreed that to find peace, there needs to be reconciliation with forgiveness.

One night David and I met a group of young Arab students in a street café. They kept us talking half the night about the things of God and before we had to retire for the night, they made us promise to meet with them again before we returned to the UK.

Two nights later we met with them in a café just off Jaffa Street, their number had doubled as they had brought along a few more friends to listen. David had bought three Bibles from the Christ Church bookshop in the old city for the original three students we had met.

As I handed one of the Bibles over, one of the students looked into my eyes and told me that two nights before, after we had met that when he got back to his room he prayed asking Jesus into his heart. What a hug I gave in front of his friends and the world.

Moving up to Galilee was a time of blessing in a way that again I could never possibly ever dreamed of or imagined.

We were walking along the banks of the Jordan River at the supposed site where John had baptized Jesus, when without warning, like a “bolt out of the blue,” David declared that he wanted to be baptized !

As hard as I looked there was no vicar, priest or pastor to be found to perform such a sacred act of commitment. Praying : “Lord what do we do” I recalled the Ethiopian’s words to Phillip in the book of acts “Here is water so why should I not be baptized ?« 

With that in mind and at peace, we waded into the river where I had the joy of baptizing my brother in Christ in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit.

As we came up out of the water we realized that people were staring at us in astonishment. We thought nothing of it until we saw a sign, a very large sign asking visitors who wished to be baptized to purchase a gown from the shop located conveniently near by. The big sign went on to inform us of the sanctity of the holy site and visitors must dress modestly. We quickly grabbed our towels and wrapped them around our waists to cover up our swimming trunks. We dressed in a hurry blushing but knowing we were blessed !

As the trip came to an end, I sat aboard the plane that would take us home and again prayed and praised God for his goodness. My plan for the trip never even took into consideration God’s purpose and reasoning and I thanked him for blessing us by using even me a sinner - and a gentile one at that - to bless his children. »Lord will I ever witness to Israel again ?" I asked silently before take off.

25 minutes later and cruising towards 35,000ft things began to happen again. Almost as soon as the seat belt light went off, an angry looking, elderly Jewish gentleman rose from his seat at the back of the plane and stormed some distance up the aisle to where we were seated.

Glaring at us, he demanded to know what we were doing in these seats. Looking confused at David, I wasn’t quite sure what he had said, so I politely asked him to repeat his question. “How did you get these seats ?” he angrily repeated.

As I tried to protest our innocence, telling him the airline staff had allocated them and agreed with him that they were the best seats on the plane because of the legroom, he interrupted me. My heart and mind were racing.

“These seats aren’t for skinny little runts like you, there meant for big fatties like me”. Seeing the confusion on my face caused him to burst out with a bellyful of laughter and as his cheeks went red, we got the joke !

“Why have you come to Israel ?”, he asked still happily, quietly chuckling to himself.

When I told him confidently : “I know that God is there, who has made the Heavens and the earth.” His smiling face became serious and had a look of confusion. When I continued saying, “He calls himself the God of Israel” the color visibly drained from him. He looked to David who assured him “it’s true” as he offered the gentleman his seat.

For the next hour and twenty minutes we talked of Israel and of his reasons for visiting and his life.

He was a survivor of the Holocaust and had found sanctuary in London during the war. Like so many survivors he remembered his many relatives and friends who had perished in the ghettos and concentration camps at the hands of evil people.

Since the Jews had returned to Jerusalem to pray and worship at the Western Wall, for the first time in almost two thousand years, following the 6 day war in 1967, my new found friend told me that he made an annual pilgrimage to the Western Wall.

Every year he would sit with the rabbis and every year he asked the same question, “Why because I’m Jewish, would somebody want to turn me into a bar of soap ?” They could never give him an answer he was searching for.

Beginning with Moses I let him read from my Bible for himself what the prophets had prophesied for the Children of Israel. David stood faithfully in the aisle and reassured him that what he was reading was the word of God and true.

He eventually had to return to his seat and his friend and with tears in his eyes ; gripping my shoulder he said “I wish I had met you both many years ago”.

“Tell me your name and I will pray for you.” I asked and his wonderful smile beamed at me again, then with a thicker than usual Jewish accent he muttered “Oi, Oi Oi ; you won’t believe my name.”

“Don’t be daft of course I’m going to believe your name,” I said in disbelief.

With a twinkle in his eye he nodded and said, “My name is ISRAEL”. I couldn’t believe it !

So I have prayed for the “peace of Jerusalem” for many years and my prayers for the peace of Israel have increased in the last few months and more so in the last few weeks following an invitation to the city.

Again it was almost unexpected and a very uncertain trip that was made in haste as so often happens in my life.

Anyone who knows and loves me knows that my life can be hectic and hence I have the nickname of “lastminutereilly.com”. My defense is always the same ; “I believe in God’s timing, it’s much more precious and reliable than any Rolex”.

I arrived in Jerusalem 5th June the anniversary of the 6 day war when Jerusalem was returned to the Jewish people after almost two thousand years of exile.

I took the opportunity to spend time in the Garden tomb and to pray. It is one the most peaceful places in all of Jerusalem considering that on the other side of the garden wall is the busy Nablus Road, with its extremely noisy bus station and crowds making their way through the market stalls.

The garden is a haven of peace, I listened and heard birds singing their praises to God who created them and when I don’t hear them it was because of the groups of pilgrims from all over the world, holding a service to sings God’s praise in the garden, after seeing Golgotha the place of the skull, the empty tomb and the wonderful words on the door of the tomb “He is not here for he has risen”. I loved hearing the birds and the pilgrims praise the Lord.

As I walked through the garden a stone tablet reminded me why I was in Jerusalem. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” so again I prayed remembering family and friends thanking God for their love.

As I prayed for the “peace of Jerusalem” I found that as I walked the streets of the city day or night a peace that passes understanding surrounded me, I had no fear. Today in Jerusalem people are traveling on the buses again, family & friends greet each other with love in the street cafés, bars and restaurants.

The last suicide attack in Jerusalem was on board the number 14 bus at 8-30 a.m. on Sunday 22nd February 2004. More than fifty were injured, suffering horrific life threatening wounds. Eight souls perished including the bomber himself.

The brain washed driven aim of the bomber is to target Israel’s young people, so bars and cafés are considered highly desired destinations of death and destruction.

Suicide attacks in Jerusalem may have ceased but not for the lack of demonic desires. Dozens are stopped at Israel’s tight security borders daily. Reuter’s news agency reported yesterday of a pregnant Palestinian mother of eight children with her 16 year old niece prepared to unleash their instruments of death in Jerusalem in a double suicide attack.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

IDF members Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Feldman and Tzvi Katz

The Children of Israel know what it is to suffer loss and the heartache of mourning is a national shared experience.

This week three Israeli families woke up on Monday morning to face the anniversary of when their normal daily routine of life ceased and their world changed forever.

The day was June 11th 1982 Zachary Baumel, Tzvi Feldman and Yehuda Katz, members of the Israeli defense force (IDF) were captured and taken hostage when their tanks came under fierce fighting that claimed the lives of other soldiers in the battle field. It happened just hours before a cease-fire took hold between Lebanon and Israel. Zachary, Tzvi and Yehuda are numbered among Israel’s missing children and there are others.

The families and friends have endured 25 long years of suffering which has caused painful, sorrowful consequences for them physically and physiologically. For some of the families it is the Holocaust remembered and relived and still for other Israeli families a vivid reminder of their own loved ones held captive with no communication or knowledge of their health and well-being. But with a strong faith that Zachary Tzvi and Yehuda are still alive. They pray for them everyday, many times a day.

If you pray for the “peace of Jerusalem” would you also pray for these missing sons of Israel and their families who deeply appreciate all the prayers, love and support they receive. Their story must be told.

Patrick Reilly is a freelance Christian journalist based in the UK. I you would like to comment on this story, you can contact him by e-mail address at patrickr fish.co.uk. He said he would like to thank « Sister Sue Bourne » for proofing his story.