ISAIAH 62 PRAYER INITIATIVE
June 2016 Prayer Letter

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.   Philippians 4:6-7

Dear Prayer Partners,
The ability to pray to our Heavenly Father is a great privilege, as well as a great gift from God. Mankind’s unique communication skills are a big part of what sets us apart from the rest of Creation. When God made man in His image, we became the closest thing to Him in all of Creation. He gave us our incredible abilities to think, speak and listen, because He wanted to talk to us and enjoy fellowship with us, and to hear us respond back to Him. Today, we refer to this conversation with God as prayer.

Open communication is important in any relationship! People simply need to talk to each other, so they know where each one stands. A lack of communication leaves people in the dark, leads to questions and suspicions, and often causes unnecessary worries.

The same is true of our conversation with God. It should be open and continuous. But if we neglect prayer, it affects our walk with Him. We get restless in our spirits, and start questioning whether He sees us in our needs and difficulties. This is not God’s fault, it is our failure to keep the important lines of communication open with Him.

But as the Apostle Paul says, if we faithfully pray and give thanks and make our requests known to God, there is a certain peace that comes into our spirit which guards us against anxiety and doubts. This is why Paul so closely links prayer and peace of mind in Philippians 4:6-7. Again in Romans 8:6, he says that “to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” When our mind is focused on communing with the Holy Spirit, the fruit is an abiding peace in our lives.

Sometimes, when faced with huge challenges or tough decisions, we become flooded with worry and uncertainty. The only solution is to get down on our knees and pray out to God until we know He has heard us. Once we are certain that our request has been made known to Him, we can arise in peace, with full assurance that everything is going to work out for our good and His glory. We may not get the answer we want, but nothing can shake our confidence that He is in control.

What Paul is saying in Philippians 4:6-7 is we should not wait until life overwhelms us to start lifting up everything to our Heavenly Father in prayer. The more we pray, the more peace we will have in our lives, carrying us through those moments when worry and fear try to creep in. So may you know the joy and peace of the Lord in your prayers.

In the love of Christ,
David Parsons
Media Director, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
(On Sabbatical)

PRAYER POINTS
For June 2016
The next day of prayer and fasting in our Isaiah 62 Global Prayer Campaign will be on Wednesday, June 1st 2016. Please join us!

Pray with us according to the following guidelines:
1.    Jerusalem and the people of Israel:
Continue praying for the peace of Jerusalem.
Use Ps. 122:5-9 in your prayers.
Pray for healing and salvation of the land and people in Israel.
Use Is. 45:17 and Rom. 11:27 in your prayers.

2.    Middle East and the nations of the world:
Pray for the surrounding nations to recognize Israel as a beacon of hope in the region.    Use Is. 60:3-5 and Is. 49:7-10 in your prayers.
Pray for the nations of the world to acknowledge that Israel is a blessing to all people.    Use Luke 2:30-32 and Romans 11:16-18 in your prayers.

3.    ICEJ ministry:
Pray for our Jerusalem staff to find great joy in serving the people of Israel, and may they be good ambassadors of Jesus in the Land.
Use Phil. 1:27 and Ruth 2:12 in your prayers.
Please pray for abundance of resources for every good work of the ICEJ, so we may continue to be a blessing to Israel as servants of the Lord.
Use Is. 60:5 in your prayers.