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For most of 2,000 years, Jewish people have worshiped at the Western or Wailing Wall. It is a remnant of the Temple Solomon built and Romans destroyed in 70 A.D. Jews go there to give thanks to God, and to pray for the day when God restores their fortunes. Genesis Chapter 15 records a covenant God made with Abraham: God said his offspring would inherit the land where he lived at the time. God later told Moses and the prophets that if the nation violated his covenant, God would let them go into captivity. They ended up in exile for 70 years; but while there, God assured them that although He had judged them with exile; He would not abandon them permanently. The prophet Isaiah told them that the day would come when God would reverse their fortunes and fulfill the promises he made to Abraham many years before. Knowing how prayer precedes God’s blessings, Isaiah wrote in Chapter 62:1: “Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn.” Scholars differ on how God will fulfill His ancient promises to Abraham; yet godly Jews know that patience and justice are vital. Since God often uses delay to refine character, we too can profit by practicing justice and patience as we wait for God’s will to unfold for us.
