"Who Am I Supposed to Pray for?”: Intercession, Israelis, and Palestinians

Naturally, I gravitate towards the underdog in any situation and after I saw so many people vocalizing their support for Israel, I was inclined to see why no one spoke up for the Palestinians. I can’t say I know much about the political context of the current conflict…even though a few days ago I watched a documentary about the history of the conflict, in part, because I had a sneaky suspicion that European Imperialism had something to do with it (as it does with most of the world’s conflicts…but that’s not what we’re talking about today). 

I know the biblical significance of Israel and how they were deemed God’s chosen people. Throughout my life I've heard Christians relegate this type of conflict as some sort of "Ishmael vs Isaac" beef (you know…the bastards vs the legitimates)…and so I can understand why a lot of believers would immediately want to say pray for Israel. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong but like I said I just naturally gravitate to the "underdogs," the forgotten the ones.

…but because of Israel’s significance, it almost felt weird to want to pray for Israel’s “enemies” so to speak. To be clear, nobody told me you SHOULDN’T pray for the Palestinians, but it just felt weird, considering by and large…no one was saying pray for the Palestinians.

I was scrolling through Instagram, and I found a post of this Palestinian man holding his dead daughter’s corpse. He, of course, looked distraught, as I’m sure any parent in that situation would. My heart just broke for this man and in my mind I’m like, "how could you not have empathy for this man regardless of whether he’s considered to be a part of God’s "chosen" people? 

Why should I feel bad for wanting to pray for this Palestinian man?

Prior to the Hamas attacks my Pastor began preaching what is becoming a series on intercession. So, in my effort to try and figure out what I’m supposed to be doing right now I was brought back to 1 Timothy 2:1-4. The NLT version says “I urge you first of all to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior who wants everyone to be saved, and to understand the truth.”

Based on that scripture alone it seems to me…the safest thing right now…is to pray for all people…not just the ones that claim to be God’s “chosen." 

….and besides if a Palestinian and a Israeli stood next to each other, among the debris and damage, could you even tell them apart?

Now, the man I saw on Instagram…I only knew he was a Palestinian because someone said it in the caption. Truth be told, if I were to go to Gaza or Tel Aviv right now…I couldn’t identify who was an Israeli and who was a Palestinian. From my perspective, all I would see was hurting people…and when I see hurting people….people that I can’t help with my natural resources….all I can offer is space in my prayers.

I think one of the great things about Jesus is that he could've identify who was Palestinian…who was Israeli…who was right, who was wrong, who was a Jew, who was a Gentile….who was in the family, who was an outsider…but in the end, he decided to die for them all. The Israelis, the Palestinians, the Greeks, the Egyptians….He died for the world. For God, so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son—who, yes, happened to be Jewish—but whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life and THAT is the truth that 1 Timothy 2 says that God wants everybody to understand. 

So, if you’re confused but concerned like me…I think this is a perfect opportunity for us to be the type of intercessors that God needs in the world right now…

The ones that pray for all people. The ones that intercede for all people…

I think one of the MOST freeing aspects of belief in Jesus is that he liberates us to support the underdogs…to leave the pact and go get the forgotten. He liberated us to, at the very least, pray for the disenfranchised…the ones that fall between the cracks…because at some point…that was us. 

Verses 5 & 6 of 1 Timothy 2 says “There is ONE God and ONE mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for EVERYONE. This is the message God gave to the world at JUST the right time."

All things considered, it seems so trivial to argue about whose hurting the most right now or who should get our spiritual support and who shouldn’t.

In my limited perspective of the situation, I see it like this: 

If Jesus gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone…the least we can do is send up a prayer for everyone…Palestinians and Israelis alike.