When American astronaut Neil Armstrong, a devout Christian, visited Israel after his trip to the moon, he was taken on a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem by Israeli archaeologist Meir Ben-Dov. When they got to the Hulda Gate, which is at the top of the stairs leading to the Temple Mount, Armstrong asked Ben-Dov whether Jesus had stepped anywhere around there.

“I told him, ‘Look, Jesus was a Jew,’” recalled Ben-Dov.
“These are the steps that lead to the Temple, so he must have walked here many times.”

Armstrong then asked if these were the original steps, and Ben-Dov confirmed that they were.

“So Jesus stepped right here?” asked Armstrong.
“That’s right,” answered Ben-Dov.
“I have to tell you,” Armstrong said to the Israeli archaeologist, “I am more excited stepping on these stones than I was stepping on the moon.”

Like Armstrong, we too recognise that there is no place on earth more special to God than Jerusalem. Whether we have set foot there, or not, the historical connection that the Jewish people have to the City of David cannot be denied, nor can the value of Jerusalem to the Bible-believing Christian be diminished. For it is the place that is so central to God’s plan for Israel, past, present and future as indeed it is to all mankind.

Let us set foot firmly on God’s promises, knowing that He who watches over Israel will also not allow our foot to be moved (Psalm 121:3-4).

The following prayer points are to assist you as you pray. For the stories behind these prayer points, please view the CUFI Weekly News Round-up, by clicking here.

May God bless you as you pray.

  • Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, may the Lord surround His people.
  • Praise the Lord that an attempted smuggling of tons of explosive material was recently foiled by Israeli authorities at the border with Gaza.
  • Pray that God’s protection will continue to be upon Israel.
  • Praise the Lord in the way that Israel is helping wounded Syrians. Praise the Lord for this example of “loving thy neighbour” and in another sense also loving their enemy.
  • Pray for the hospitals in northern Israel involved as well as the field hospital in the Golan Heights. Pray for the protection of IDF personnel involved in the secretive operation. And pray for the Syrian people, that this love will change lives as much as the medical care is also changing lives for the better.
  • Pray also for stability in Syria and for the restoring of normality for ordinary people affected by the on-going conflict.
  • Pray that Israel’s humanitarian help will contribute towards improving Syrians’ perception of Israel and recede the lies that have been fed them.
  • Pray for the family of Hodaya Asulin who died this week from injuries sustained in a 2011 terror attack in Jerusalem. Hodaya was 14 year old at the time of the attack and had been in a coma since. Pray for peace and comfort to surround her loved ones at this time.
  • Pray for the Jewish community in Marseille following the deliberate targeting of Jewish property with anti-Semitic graffiti.
  • Pray for the Jewish teenage girls targeted with anti-Semitic abuse and threatened with kidnap.this week in Stamford Hill, London. Pray for their protection.
  • Praise the Lord that CUFI’s Balfour Declaration lecture with Melanie Phillips this week in the Houses of Parliament was a successful event.
  • Pray especially that CUFI’s presence in Parliament will have a far-reaching and enduring impact and that further opportunities to stand for Israel in the corridors of power will be opened.

And “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”

To view these prayer points and other ideas for prayer online, click here