Why Should We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem?

I have a sticker in my car the says, ‘I Stand With Jerusalem.” I have been cursed, and reprimanded by people who don’t understand why I would do such a thing.

Why Should We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem?

The number one reason is because God has commanded us to. God tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem in Psalm 122:6-9. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May those who love you prosper. Peace be within your walls, and prosperity in your palaces. For my brother’s and companion’s sakes, I will not say, Peace be within you. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good. God promised blessing on those who bless Israel and curses on those who curse Israel. God will give us peace and see if we pray for Israel,

Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is most appropriate for the city whose name literally means “peaceful” and which is the residence of the God of peace. Jerusalem will be the scene of Christ’s return (Acts 1:11, Zechariah 14:4), and at that time He will establish permanent peace within its walls. All Christians should be eagerly awaiting His return and praying for the time when the Prince of Peace will reign in Jerusalem.

Jesus also said that we should be peacemakers, which would include praying for peace.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shake be called Children of God.

Matthew 5:9.

And we are commanded to do our best to live in peace with others,

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Romans 12:18

So, God wants us to seek peace among all people, and that would include praying for the peace of Jerusalem, especially because of its special place in His heart,

Becoming Christ Like

For Christians, heaven is not a goal; it’s a destination. The goal is that “Christ be formed in you” to use the words of Apostle Paul in Galatians 4:19 to the Romans, he declares “Those whom God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Galatians 8:29). And to the Corinthians, he says, “all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image” ( 2 Corinthians 3:18).

The daring goal of the Christian life could be summarized as being formed, conformed, and transformed into the image of Christ. When are saved by being baptized and accepting God into our lives. The Holy Spirit comes to live on the inside of us. Christ has come among His pas our ever living Savior. Teacher, Lord, and Friend

He who is the Way shows us the way to live so that we increasingly come to share His love, hope, feelings and habits. He agrees to be yoked (United) for us, as we are yoked to Him, and He trains us in how to live our lives as He would live if He were in our place.

We must insist that this way of life is reliably sustained in the context of a like-minded fellowship. Essential to our growth in grace isa community life where there is loving, nurturing accountability. Being Christ like is not merely the work of the individual; rather It grows out of the matrix of A living fella. We are the body of Christ together, called to watch over one another in love. Unfortunately, in our day there is a ignorance of how we as individuals and as a community of faith actually more forward into Christlikeness.

Today we lack a theology of growth, And we need to learn how we “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior” (2 Peter 3:18). In particular, we need to learn how we cooperate with “the means of grace” what God has ordained from the transformation of the human personality in these God – ordained means will enable us to take into ourselves Christ’s character and manner of life.

What are these “means of grace?” And how can we be disciples of Jesus to cooperate with them so we are changed to be Christ like?

Formed By Experiential Means

God works first through ordinary experiences of daily life to form the character of Christ in us. Through these experiences we come to know on the deepest levels that Jesus is with us always, that He never leaves us or forsakes us, and that we can cast all our cares upon Him. In addition, we learn that ordinary life is sacramental, and that divine guidance is given primarily in these common junctures of life.

Every thing we experience in life are diverse as life itself, they are meant to draw us deeper in and higher up to Christ’s likeness, so when we are docile of heart, God takes the dynamic of give and take with each interaction with Himself and plants within us deep-rooted habits of the heart – habits of joyful allegiance and glad surrender, habits of faithful obedience and patient endurance.

Pressing Through Pain

Over the past several years, we have been confronted and inundated with signs informing us to keep at a distance from others. Maintain social distance. Refuse to enter into proximity with others. Resist the temptation to mingle and socialize. Of course in the middle of a “global pandemic” this may have been wise for a time. Unfortunately, some people think in these same terms in relation to God.

James 4:7-12 tells us to resist distancing ourselves from God. It also tells us to stop distorting our identities by giving ourselves over to lesser loves. Instead, we are to focus on God and realize what we receive when we initiate entering into God’s presence.

He meets us where we are by drawing near, which is always His response when we draw near to Him. Whenever we intentionally comes to Him with our hurts and hang-ups, He pursues us wholeheartedly and draws us into deeper intimacy with Him.

This is especially important when we’re, dry and when our hearts are heavy. We often don’t know what to say, but we know we need Jesus. Inviting Jesus near allows His tenderness to touch every area of our lives. We start thinking more clearly. We start acting with greater kindness.

I know for me the time the pandemic was happening I grew closer to God than ever. I received an opportunity to spend more time with my family and my heart was more open to hearing God’s voice.

However, we sometimes allow trivial pursuits and unimportant interruptions to take place when we are not involved in a shut down of our world. In today’s world we tend to pull up social media and scroll through our feed rather than spending time with God. And we tend to mindlessly read the bad news. We must break the cycle and prioritize our time in the presence of God.

When was the last time you intentionally set aside time just to meet with God? Are you at this moment as close to God as you’d like to be? God says come closer, “Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

The Cornerstone

The Cornerstone is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All the other stones will be set in reference to this stone. This determines the position of the entire structure.

The Cornerstone, for those who believe in God. Romans 9;33 says, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and He who believes in Him will not be disappointed. 1 Peter 2-7-9, then, This precious value, then, is for you who believe, but for those who disbelieve. “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone.

Jesus is the cornerstone of everything, everything is connected to Him. Every trial, every challenge we go through in this life is preparing us to live in communion and connection with Him.

Will this Cornerstone be of Precious value to us, or will we stumble and fall.