Dear prayer partners,

Each year at the ICEJ, we start off the new year with a month of prayer and seeking the Lord from Jerusalem. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read why this is so powerful, transformational, and capable of changing entire nations: “… if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

First of all, notice that in God’s eyes the answers for national problems do not lay with its presidents and governments. God says the answer lays with “my people that are called by my name…”. God is not looking for change in government but for change in the church. The change in His people is what brings change in the nations. As his people, God expects us to do four things:

1. Humble Ourselves. Pride is one of the main character traits that repel God’s presence. God resists the proud. Therefore, Peter admonishes us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God to find help in our time of need. There are many ways we can humble ourselves, however, God defines humility in the way we deal with Him and with our neighbors (see Isa 58).
2. Pray. God wants to hear our prayers. John Wesley once said, “God does nothing except in response to believing prayer.” Jesus encourages us to pray and he promises in John 14:13: ”And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
3. Seek the Face of God. We seek him in prayer with an attitude of perseverance. Seeking his face means we continue to pray, seek and knock until we receive the needed breakthrough. It reflects an attitude of our hearts and minds to hunger and thirst for God in a dry and barren land (Ps 63:1f).
4. Turn From Our Wicked Ways. Many of our problems are the result of our own lifestyle. Don’t expect a breakthrough in your life if you are living in sin. Use these first days of the year to ask the Lord to search your heart, and if you already know that you need to change areas of your life, then don’t procrastinate. Repent and change now.

God tells us that if we follow this pattern “I will hear from heaven.” He will take notice of you and you will experience an open heaven.

“I will forgive their sin!” The forgiveness of our sin is the essential need for all mankind. God says in Isaiah 59:1-2, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; … but your iniquities have separated you from your God…”  We should never forget that it is only because of the blood of Jesus that allows us to draw near into God’s presence. As we confess our sins and repent, he will forgive and answer our prayers.

The final result is powerful: “I will heal their land!” This also applies to your personal territory of your family, your church, and your own life. If you need divine intervention, I encourage you to prayerfully consider these points as we begin this new year. I know that God will hear you because that is his promise to us.

Please join us in prayer everyday for the month of January, especially every Wednesday, as we pray here in Jerusalem for Israel, the nations and the ministry that God gave us here at the ICEJ.

May the Lord bless you mightily as you seek his face in 2019!

Jürgen Bühler

President

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem