Millions of Christians united across denominational, cultural, and political differences on Sunday as part of The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem (DPPJ).
As its name suggests, the purpose of the prayer rally was to intercede for the city God calls His own and to invoke God’s blessing, purposes and provision upon all of Jerusalem’s people.
From more than 175 nations, believers gathered to pray in their worship services, in their homes, on college campuses, in regional gatherings, and on a 24 Hour Prayer Conference Call.
Broadcast by GOD TV to more than 200 nations, Christians were also able to join the special DPPJ Celebration at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem. The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), which had gathered more than 5,000 believers from nearly 90 countries for that week, co-hosted the event.
“We have to pray for Israel like never before and stand with Israel like never before,” ICEJ Executive Director Dr. Jürgen Bühler told the packed audience. “We have to pray for all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, both Jew and Arab … and as we pray for Israel, we must pray for the Arab nations too.”
Jack W. Hayford and Robert Stearns launched this multinational, multi-denominational global prayer movement in 2002.
“We are gathering together in Jerusalem during the season of the High Holidays and declaring that Christians will continue to pray for God’s peace to come to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,” said Stearns, founder and director of Eagles’ Wings. “We will remind God of His promises, and we will remind Israel’s detractors that Israel is not alone.”
Christians participating in the DPPJ observances not only pray for Jerusalem, but also add practical action to their intercession. This year a check of $20,000 from DPPJ offerings was presented to support two Eagles’ Wings Feeding Centers in Israel, which feed both Arab and Jewish poor in Jerusalem and Tiberias.
“We [Christians and Jews] were previous enemies, but now we are important friends,” said Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, founder and Chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone. “This event is more than just prayer; it explains what prayer is all about … Zechariah 4:6 says: ‘Not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord.’”
