In Romans, we see a heartfelt expression from the Apostle Paul, that he deeply desired and earnestly prayed that the Jewish people would be saved.
It seems that Paul was deeply convicted of this prayer in his heart. In Romans 9, he said:
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites… Romans 9:1-4
Paul experienced continual grief and sorrow in his heart, and he was insistent in wanting to see Israel’s salvation. He even wished that he would be accursed and cut off from Christ for their sake.
There was a deep longing of his heart to see the people of Israel believing in Yeshua as Israel’s promised Messiah.
A great mystery surrounds the fact that many of the Jewish people do not believe in Jesus yet. Paul explains that while a remnant of Jews did come to believe in Yeshua, many of them still did not because a partial hardening had happened to Israel (Rom 11:25-26).
We see that a partial hardening has happened to the Jewish people until the fullness of the Gentles has come in. Praise God that it is a partial hardening, and not a complete one. There is a thriving population of Jewish believers in Jesus in Israel and around the world who are sharing the truth of the gospel.
Jewish people are coming to the knowledge of the truth.
We should take a stand to pray in faith for the salvation of the Jewish people. One way we can pray is for the hearts of the Israelites to be softened, that they may have eyes to see, ears to hear, and understanding hearts.
Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. Jeremiah 5:21
What will happen if the people of Israel really begin to see and hear? We see the answer in Isaiah.
And he said, “Go, and say to this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Isaiah 6:9-10
As the people of Israel come into the knowledge of the truth, able to see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, they will turn, or repent, and be healed (saved).
Let us pray that they will repent and call on the name of their Lord and Messiah, Yeshua, who we call Jesus, and that they will be saved!
A prayer for the salvation of Israel:
Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for the salvation of Israel.
Your Word says that You have made the hearing ear and the seeing eye, so I ask that You give ears that hear and eyes that see to the people of Israel. I pray that You would open the eyes of the Jewish people, that they will see wonderful things in Your Word, and that You would reveal Jesus (Yeshua) to them because He is the Word.
I pray that Israel will have ears to hear that You truly are one Lord and that they will love You with all their heart, soul, and might.
Your Word says that all of Israel will be saved, so I ask confidently that You would remember the covenant that You made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, where You promised that they would all know You, that You would forgive their iniquity, and remember their sins no more.
I pray that You would remove their stony hearts and give them hearts of flesh.
Finally, I pray that you would send laborers into your harvest field who preach the good news so that they may receive the faith that comes by hearing through the Word of Christ.
Thank you for doing all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
