ISAIAH 62 PRAYER INITIATIVE
March 2018 Prayer Letter

Dear prayer partners,
The month of March usually coincides with the Hebrew month of Nisan, which “shall be for you the beginning of months.” (Ex 12:2) It is in this month, on the night of the first full moon of spring, that the Jewish people celebrate one of the most important Biblical feasts: the Passover. The Church usually celebrates Easter around the same time. This year, the Passover Seder, the festive meal to mark the beginning of the seven-day feast, falls exactly on Good Friday, providing a valuable opportunity to take a look at the connection between the Jewish and Christian traditions.
During the Passover celebration, the Jewish people recall a defining moment of their national history. They were slaves in Egypt and cried out to God for help. And God heard their groaning, and remembered the covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God rescued them with His mighty hand and outstretched arm.

When the showdown between Moses and Pharaoh came to its climax, God commanded the Israelites to take a lamb without blemish and slaughter it. Then they were to put the lamb’s blood on the doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they lived. They learned that the blood of the lamb would make the difference between life and death:

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Ex 12:12-13)

What a splendid picture of the salvation through the blood of Jesus! When John the Baptist saw Him, he declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and His blood applied to our lives rescues us from death. Jesus said, “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24)

Jesus fulfilled the picture of the Passover lamb, and it is no coincidence that He died exactly on Passover. This biblical feast provides the most direct connection between the Old and the New Testaments. It illustrates that we Christians need to study the whole Bible, including the Old Testament, in order to fully understand and appreciate God’s perfect plan.

It is also useful to get acquainted with the Jewish tradition of keeping the Passover Seder. It is an elaborate meal with many symbolic elements and a complicated structure. It turns out that the description of the Last Supper in the Gospels contains many hints which can only be understood if we know the Jewish Seder. For instance, when Jesus took the cup after they had eaten and said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood,” (Lk 22:20) he used what is known as the cup of redemption, which is drunk after the meal.

Let us celebrate the feast this year with a thankful heart, remembering that through Christ we have been joined to the commonwealth of Israel and share in God’s covenants with the Jewish people.
And let us pray for the Jewish people that as they sit at the Passover table, God might open their eyes to see His salvation. One of the traditional elements placed on the table and meant to symbolize the Passover lamb is a shank bone, in Hebrew called zroa. Although, the word zroa is not normally used for a bone. In the Hebrew Bible, it denotes the mighty Arm of God, and is featured prominently in Isaiah 53: “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm (zroa) of the Lord been revealed?” Let us pray that the Messiah as described in this chapter is revealed to many at this year’s Passover table.

Thank you for joining our Isaiah62 prayer movement!

Shalom from Jerusalem,

Mojmir Kallus
ICEJ VP Interational Affairs

PRAYER POINTS
For March 2018
The next day of prayer and fasting in our Isaiah 62 Global Prayer Campaign will be on Wednesday, 7 March 2018. Please join us!
Pray with us accordingly:
1. Prayer for Israel

Restoration
Pray for the Spiritual and physical restoration of the nation of Israel.
"‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 30:3 NIV)

God’s Plan
Pray for God’s plan for the Jewish people to welcome Yeshua back in the name of the Lord.
“For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:39)

Government
Pray for the stability and internal unity of Israel as Ultraorthodox and secular parties face off on the thorny issue of universal military conscription and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces potential corruption charges.
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

2. Prayer for the Nations
Embassies
Pray for many other nations to move their embassies here to Jerusalem as a statement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel!
“And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.” (Zechariah 8:22)
Muslim and Arab Nations
Pray for the gospel to go forth into the surrounding Muslim and Arab nations.
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.“ (Mark 16:15)
Iran and Syria
Iran is growing bolder and more aggressive in establishing a military presence in Syria and Lebanon, necessitating frequent strikes by the Israeli Air Force. Pray for a just end to the conflict in Syria that does not allow Iran freedom to act against Israel or to destabilize the region.
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.“ (Psalm 138:7)
3. Prayer for the ICEJ

ICEJ International
Pray for the National Directors of the ICEJ in over 90 nations to be strengthened, encouraged, unified in the Holy Spirit, and a powerful voice in their nation to communicate the everlasting covenant God has made with Israel and the Jewish people.
“endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.“ (Ephesians 4:3-6)
ICEJ Headquarters
Pray for the ICEJ headquarters here in Jerusalem to be a great support in any way to the US Embassy moving and opening here in Jerusalem this May!
“And it will be said, ‘Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.‘“ (Isaiah 57:14)
Celebrations
Pray for the ICEJ to be a light to the nation of Israel during the holiday season of Passover and Easter, as we remember the covering of the blood of the Lamb of God, and rejoice in the resurrection of Yeshua and the new life that He brings us!
”Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.” (Romans 6:4-5)

Thank you for joining with us in prayer!