Time Travel

Intrigued by the intractable tensions in the Middle East, I determined to read Jerusalem – The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore. This evening I finished it.
It’s a big book, spanning the city’s history from the time of King David (circa 1000 BC) to this decade. Apart from my constantly getting lost with the names, family relationships and various empires, what hit me hardest was the constant slaughter of people through most of the generations covered by the book.
That took my mind to the Old Testament:
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.”  Psalm 122:6-7, written by King David.
How many generations of Jews have prayed that prayer, or Christians eyeing prophetic writings about the nation and that city? Did they pray in vain?