Pray for Israel?
Israel, Israel, Israel, or Israel?
“Pray for Israel.”
That phrase shows up in church prayer lists all the time. I have heard it my entire life. But for how often we say it, we rarely stop to ask what we actually mean.
What are we praying for?
Peace?
Victory?
Protection?
Salvation?
And beyond prayer, what are Christians actually obligated to believe or support when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people?
Those questions have come up more in recent months than at any other point I can remember. And that is not accidental. We are living at a moment where history, theology, politics, and generational memory are all colliding at once.
To understand the confusion we feel now, we need to understand how different generations learned to think about Israel in the first place.
How Generations Learned to See Israel Differently
Before World War II, Jewish people in Europe could see what was coming. They tried to leave. They asked for help. And the world, including the United States, largely said no.
America had its own problems. The Great Depression was still shaping everything. Very few people believed Hitler would actually be as brutal as he became. We assumed the situation would resolve itself.
It did not.
When American soldiers finally saw the concentration camps, the guilt was overwhelming. To be fair, no one fully understood the scope of what was happening until it was too late. But once it was seen, it could not be undone.
Those soldiers came home carrying two things at the same time: memories of the camps and Sunday School lessons about God’s promises to Abraham. They taught their children a simple conviction.
Never again.
Some of those men became pastors. Some became lawmakers. Some became presidents. Together, they shaped an American instinct to stand with Israel at all costs. The Jewish people needed a state. They needed the ability to defend themselves. And America would make sure that happened.
For many Baby Boomers, this was not just political. It felt theological. Supporting Israel felt like obedience to God.
Then came Gen X and Millennials.
We inherited the same history, but not the same circumstances. Israel was no longer defenseless. It was powerful. It had survived wars. It had allies. It had nuclear capability. Supporting Israel’s right to exist made sense, but supporting everything Israel did began to feel harder to justify.
Then came Gen Z.
They see a powerful Israel backed by the United States in conflict with a much weaker Palestinian population. Through social media, the entire situation is framed in terms of oppressor and oppressed. From that perspective, supporting Israel at all can feel morally wrong.
Now generations sit in the same churches, look at the same situation, and arrive at wildly different conclusions.
It feels theological. But at its core, it is cultural and generational.
To move forward, we have to slow down and ask a better question.
What does the Bible actually say?
What Do We Mean When We Say “Israel”?
A huge amount of confusion exists because the word “Israel” does not mean one thing. It can mean several very different things, and people often talk past each other without realizing it.
At minimum, “Israel” can refer to four distinct ideas.
The Government of Israel
This is the leadership. In biblical terms, it would parallel kings, judges, or priests. Today, it means prime ministers, cabinets, and elected officials.
The Nation of Israel
This is the state itself, distinct from whoever happens to be in power. Just as allegiance to the United States is not allegiance to a particular president, the nation and its government are not the same thing.
The People of Israel
These are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Some live in Israel. Some live in the United States. Some live in places like Bentonville.
The Land of Israel
The Promised Land, boundaries, expansion, reduction. For this discussion, the land itself is not the focus. Most people are not praying for real estate when this shows up on the prayer list.
Clarity matters.
If you mean the government, say that.
If you mean the nation, say that.
If you mean the people, say that.
Vague language creates unnecessary division.
What the Bible Actually Says
There is no New Testament command instructing Gentile Christians to support the government of Israel, the policies of Israel, or a modern nation-state.
None.
There are no verses that say, “Your country must ally with Israel,” or “You must support everything Israel does.”
What exists instead are promises God made to Abraham.
Genesis 12:3 (ESV)
“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This is part of God’s covenant with Abraham. It includes the promise that through Abraham’s descendants, the Messiah would come.
This is a promise, not a command. And it is relational, not political.
God aligns Himself with those who seek the good of Abraham’s descendants and opposes those who seek their harm. But this was never a blank check.
Throughout the Old Testament, when Israel rejected God, God Himself disciplined them. He sent droughts. He sent invaders. He sent exile.
This promise has always included accountability.
What Does It Mean to Bless?
To bless is to actively seek someone’s good.
It is not passive.
It is not blind.
And it is not synonymous with approval.
Giving someone what harms them is not blessing them, even if they want it. Supporting survival is a blessing. Supporting sin is not.
This promise cuts both ways.
If we support Israel in ways that genuinely lead toward good, that aligns with God’s heart. If we support actions that lead away from righteousness, that is not blessing, no matter how well-intentioned it may feel.
Israel as a Government
Do Christians have a biblical obligation to support the Israeli government?
No.
Governments are made up of sinful people. Some decisions are wise. Some are foolish. Scripture never requires unconditional support for any government.
God did not support Israel’s kings when they rebelled. He disciplined them.
Benjamin Netanyahu is not Jesus. No prime minister will be.
If support is offered, it must be offered with wisdom and discernment, not as if political leaders are morally perfect or spiritually aligned.
Israel as a Nation
While the biblical promises are not made to a modern nation-state, that does not mean Christians have no reason to support Israel as a nation.
There are good, clear reasons to do so.
Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East. It protects freedoms that are rare in the region, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of conscience. From a love of freedom alone, Israel is worth supporting.
It is also the most reliable place of safety for Jewish people in a world that has repeatedly shown how fragile that safety can be. Supporting the existence of a nation where they can defend themselves is not biblical manipulation. It is historical realism.
That support does not require pretending Israel is morally perfect or spiritually aligned with Christianity. And it does not require twisting Scripture to justify modern political alliances.
Support for Israel as a nation can flow from a commitment to liberty, stability, and the protection of human life, not from forcing ancient promises into modern geopolitics.
That kind of support is honest.
It is measured.
And it does not ask the Bible to say something it does not.
Israel as a People
This is where the promise actually lands.
God’s covenant was never made with a government or a nation-state. It was made with people.
But supporting the people of Israel does not mean caring only about “people over there.”
The descendants of Abraham do not exist only across an ocean. They live in Israel, yes. But they also live in the United States. They live in Arkansas. They live in Bentonville. They live next door.
We do not get to claim concern for the people of Israel while ignoring the people God has actually placed in our lives.
Biblical faithfulness is not abstract. It is personal.
To bless the people of Israel means caring about real Jewish people wherever God has put them. And ultimately, the greatest good we can desire for them is not political security or national strength.
It is the gospel.
Paul is clear. The good news is “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” If we claim to care about the people of Israel but have no concern for their salvation, we are missing the point entirely.
We do not get to outsource love or responsibility.
If our concern for Israel never moves us to pray, speak, or act for the sake of the gospel with the people God has actually placed around us, then it is not biblical concern at all.
So What Should We Pray For?
Pray with clarity.
Pray for wisdom for leaders.
Pray for peace where peace is possible.
Pray for protection without pretending perfection.
Pray for salvation without hesitation.
And remember, unity in the church does not require uniform political conclusions. It requires humility, truth, and faithfulness to what Scripture actually says.
Final Thought
None of us want suffering. That does not mean suffering has no purpose.
God has always worked through tension, discipline, and hardship to accomplish redemption. Israel’s story is no different.
When we pray for Israel, we are not praying for perfection. We are praying for God’s will, God’s mercy, and God’s promises to be fulfilled in God’s way.
And that requires wisdom, not slogans.
