Prayer Letter - February 2015
Isaiah 62 Prayer Campaign

Dear Prayer Partners,

"He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him." Job 33:26

"[T]he prayer of the upright is His delight."  Proverbs 15:8

It is an amazing biblical truth that we have the ability to delight the heart of God through our prayers. He longs to hear our voices lifted to Him in earnestness and humility. We should pray not just out of a spirit of obedience, but also out of a sense of joy and wonder that we can actually commune with our Creator.

The first time prayer is specifically mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 20, in connection with the Patriarch Abraham. Indeed, Abraham is deemed a "friend of God" (James 2:23; 2 Chronicles 20:7) because he conversed with the Lord face-to-face. So, there is much we can learn about prayer through his life.

1) God upholds the righteous through answered prayer
In Genesis 20, a local Canaanite king named Abimelech has taken Sarah, and as a result his family and servants are suddenly smitten with barrenness. But God tells him in a dream to return Sarah and then have Abraham "pray" for their healing. God could have lifted the plague Himself, but instead He instructed Abimelech to have Abraham pray, and his household and servants are healed. In this instance, it appears God sought not only to open the wombs again but also to affirm Abraham's godly faith and character in Abimelech's eyes.

2) God invites human involvement in moving His hand
We see this most clearly in the story of Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18). The Lord was going down to see first-hand if the great "outcry" He had heard of their grave sins was true. There was still time to change His mind about punishing these rebellious cities, and so the Lord took the initiative in engaging in a conversation with Abraham about their fate. There are times and occasions where God welcomes our prayers in changing the course of history.

3) God reveals His will as we pray
We also have Abraham asking for a son to be his heir (Genesis 15:2-3), and then praying, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!" (Genesis 17:18). In both cases, God answers in a way that reveals His incredible plans for Abraham and his offspring. The uniquely different futures awaiting Isaac and Ishmael are unveiled. Likewise, our times of communion with God should have a flow which clarifies where He is heading, rather than cementing what we want to happen. This is so crucial, for as 1 John 5:14 assures us: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

The question is not whether God answers prayer, because He does. Rather, we need to ask whether our prayers are pursuing God's will so that He can answer them?

So as we pray this month in our Isaiah 62 global prayer campaign, let us be "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer" (Romans 12:12).

And an enormous 'thank you' to everyone who joined us in January for our special season of prayer to start the new year, culminating last week with a 24/7 global prayer chain. We know much good fruit will come of these collective efforts in seeking God on behalf of Israel, the region and our ministry.

In His abounding grace,
 
David Parsons
ICEJ Media Director

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PRAYER POINTS FOR FEBRUARY 2015
The next day of prayer and fasting in our Isaiah 62 Global Prayer Campaign will be on Wednesday, 4 February 2015.

Please pray with us in the following areas:

1)  Pray for the Israeli elections
Pray for elected leaders who will know how to deal with Israel’s complex security and diplomatic challenges as well as its economic and social needs. Pray for a clear decision in the elections as to who should be leading Israel, so that both the people of Israel and the nation’s allies all respect the outcome. Pray for a sense of national unity and purpose among the voters and the parties campaigning for office. (1 Timothy 2:1-6; Psalm 133; Proverbs 21:1-2; Matthew 6:10)

2)  Pray for peace and stability in the Middle East
Pray that the bloodshed would finally end in Syria and Iraq, and stop spilling over into neighbouring countries. Pray for the millions of refugees of this conflict, especially those currently enduring harsh winter conditions in refugee tent camps. Pray the persecuted Christian communities of the Middle East now under threat from militant Muslims would be delivered from all harm. Finally, pray that Iran's nuclear deceptions would be fully exposed, and that the Western powers would hold firm and insist that Tehran completely dismantle its nuclear program. (Romans 12:17-21; Hebrews 12:14)

3)   Pray for the work and ministry of the ICEJ
Pray for the Christian Embassy’s activities and projects in Israel and worldwide, that we would have all the wisdom, open doors, personnel and finances necessary to accomplish all that the Lord has for us this year. Pray for ever greater joy and attendance at our Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem from September 27 to October 2, 2015. God has encouraged us to believe for signs and wonders in our ministry, so please pray that this would come to pass. Pray for our global outreach through television, radio and other media outlets, that new supporters would be drawn to our ministry from all over the world. Finally, pray that our staff needs would be filled quickly with competent candidates called by God to Jerusalem, including: a graphic designer, Web master, social media specialist, information technologies specialist, and a logistics coordinator. (Philippians 4:19; Ephesians 3:20-21, 5:17-18; Revelation 3:7-8; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Isaiah 60:5; Zechariah 8:20-23; 14:16-19)