On Sunday, several hundred Christians and Jews gathered at David’s Tower in the Old City of Jerusalem to mark the Global Day of Prayer for the peace of Jerusalem. The event, broadcast by God TV around the world, represented an amazing worldwide prayer movement that brought literally millions of Christians together in prayer for the city of Jerusalem and Israel.  

CBN News talked to Robert Stearns, the founder of the Global Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem to learn more about what’s grown from a small prayer meeting four years ago to a prayer meeting that now circles the globe.   

CBN NEWS: Can you tell me what kind of response have you had for the day of prayer, worldwide day of prayer for the peace of Jerusalem?

ROBERT STEARNS: We’ve been so excited that the global day of prayer for the peace of Jerusalem held on the first Sunday of every October has really been just exploding among the nations of the world.  The response has been amazing.  Right now, we’ve got approximately 150 nations that have full time coordinators mobilizing prayer in the nation for the day of prayer.  And this year, we’re estimating about 150,000 churches globally, probably about 30 million believers joining together on the first Sunday in October praying for God’s solutions for the city of Jerusalem.”

CBN NEWS: Why is it so important at this time in Israel’s history?

STEARNS: Right now, the Judeo-Christian world view is under attack on two fronts.  Secular Humanism on the one hand seeks to eradicate the knowledge of God from the public square.  And on the other hand radical Islam is rearing its head.  We see the ghost of Hitler alive and well in our day.  And so we see as never before, that really those who take the Judeo-Christian world view seriously are under attack and increasingly in the minority.  And in this hour, the church must not repeat the sin of silence that we participated in, in the ‘30’s in Europe.  It is time for the church to speak out loudly and clearly on behalf of Israel, on behalf of the Jewish people and really on behalf of ourselves.  This is an hour to cry out to the Lord in prayer and then to be willing to become the answer to the prayers we’ve been praying by being active and involved in Israel’s cause.

CBN News: What does it mean for you to be praying for the peace of Jerusalem?   

STEARNS: You know, James tells us, ‘Faith without works is dead.’  So if I pray, which I believe is my Biblical mandate.  Every Bible believing Christian – Isaiah 62 says – ‘Those who call upon the name of the Lord give Him no rest and gives yourselves no rest until He establishes Jerusalem.’  So if we’re participating in the blessings of the Covenant of God, then we also have to participate in the responsibilities of that covenant which is to pray.  But then after we pray, we have to be willing to act and that means in this day and age, speaking to our churches, writing letters to our local newspapers, calling our congressman, calling our senators.  The work that Pastor John Hagee is doing with Christians United for Israel is a powerful example of raising our voices on Israel’s behalf.  This is an hour for action and mobilization.

CBN NEWS: Is this unprecedented, the cooperation between Jews and Christians right now? 

STEARNS: I’ve been coming to Israel since the early ‘90s and have spent a considerable amount of time here.  I’ve never seen the level of trust and friendship and true partnership that is developing between Christian community and the Jewish community, specifically here in the city of Jerusalem.  It is a beautiful thing.  Psalm 133:  ‘Behold how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity.'

CBN NEWS: What kind of responses have you had from even Muslim nations?

STEARNS: It’s been incredible.  And if people visit our Web site, they can see the list of all the nations, the flags of the nations that are participating.  And we’ve had considerable response from Muslim nations.  From courageous believers from Muslim nations who say, ‘We are standing as a remnant in our nation and we’re blessing Israel.'

CBN NEWS: Do you see this crescendo of prayer for the peace of Jerusalem as one of the signs of the times?

STEARNS: I believe that whatever we believe about the end times.  Whatever we believe about the apocalypse, there’s no question that we’re living in dangerous and difficult times.  And so absolutely, I see it as a sign, as an outward expression of the kind of intensity that is facing this generation right now.  I just want to encourage believers out there.  Everyone listening to me right now, anyone hearing this report, if your local church did not participate, I’d like you to take responsibility to personally make sure your church is on board and involved for the day of prayer for the peace of Jerusalem.

CBN NEWS: Where do you see this going?

STEARNS: The day of prayer for the peace of Jerusalem is the first step.  First we pray and then we begin to be active and mobilize.  We have a program called ‘Watchman on the Wall’ that is training local churches and local believers in how to become educated ambassadors on Israel’s behalf.  I believe that the church as a whole is developing a strong knowledge of the Jewish roots of our faith, the Jewish ness of Jesus our Messiah and the absolute priority that God places on the city of Jerusalem.  And those three things are going to change the dynamic of the church.

CBN NEWS: And what have you seen in the last four years?

STEARNS: It’s been incredible to see the explosion around the world.  I think this year of Brazil.  Each year, there’s been a different hot spot.  Our hot spot this year is Brazil.  Brazil has just taken off this year.  Secular media is covering the day of prayer.  Thousands of churches throughout Brazil are participating.  So it’s like each year God is just highlighting a different area of the world and they’re catching the vision and coming on board.  It’s a phenomenon and I believe it’s straight out of the pages of scripture.  God tells us that in the last days all the nations will come up and worship the Lord in the Feast of Tabernacles.  And this day of prayer is in the season of the high holy days and we just believe that God’s turning the compass of the heart of believers toward the city of Jerusalem.”