Isaiah 62 – Prayer Letter
August 2017 Prayer Letter

Dear Partners in Prayer,
Jesus taught us how to pray “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). This guides us to pray for God’s will in scripture. It reveals that we, as the Church, are called to be a prophetic people calling into existence God’s perfect heavenly will here on earth. Unfortunately, we as Christians often view prayer as twisting God’s arm to convince Him to do our own will. Biblically, however, prayer involves us coming into agreement with His will, consenting that His will be done here in earth.
The apostle John tells us, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (I John 5:14-15).

God’s Chosen City

This month we are going to pray over Jerusalem, the city God chose to put His name upon. Isaiah 62:1 declares God’s will and passion for Israel’s capital, “For Zion’s sake I will not hold my Peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns.”
Isaiah 62:6-7 further exhorts us to actively solicit God according to this promise,“… You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest until He establishes and until He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” The effect of prayer for God’s city is not an isolated matter but has ramifications for our own lives as well: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” “May they prosper who love you” (Psalm 122:6). It is a vital and heartfelt prayer point, “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!” (Psalm 137:5)

Celebrating the Fulfilment of God’s Promises for Jerusalem
Soon we will be celebrating the 2017 ICEJ Feast of Tabernacles here in Jerusalem. This year the theme is “The City of God,” because we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. This event is highly significant because Jerusalem’s restoration under Jewish authority was prophesised by Jesus in Luke 21:24, “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

In 1967, the unbelievable occurred as the world saw the miraculous victory of Israel against much larger and better-equipped armies in the amazing Six-Day War. For the first time since 135 AD, Jerusalem was no longer under non-Jewish authority.

Now is the Season

We are privileged to live in a season in human history when God is fulfilling His promises related to Jerusalem and Israel. We should be encouraged to pray into what our Lord is doing in this season. We have confidence, not only in the promises of His word about Jerusalem, but also that NOW is HIS time to restore and bless Jerusalem.

Now we intensify our prayers. Now we no longer remain silent. Now we give our Lord no rest until He fulfils His promise to make Jerusalem a Praise in the Earth!
This may sound strange, as we are in a season where the nations are attacking Israel and Jerusalem, and violence of Muslims over the Temple Mount’s security is blamed on Israel. However, we pray with eyes of faith, and we know that the things we see are produced by the spiritual world we cannot see (cf. Hebrews 11:3).

Let us together give our Lord no rest. Let us persist in asking Him to make Jerusalem a praise in all the earth. Let us persist in praying for the Peace of Jerusalem. Together we call God’s will and His Kingdom into this earthly natural realm!

Shalom from Jerusalem

Barry R Denison
Vice President Operations
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

Prayer Points
The next day of prayer and fasting will be Wednesday 2 August. Please pray with us in the following areas of need:

1) Pray for Israel & Jerusalem

Please pray for the Peace of Jerusalem! Pray for calm and safety after the incidents on the Temple Mount.

Pray for the government of Israel, and particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he works to keep Israel and Jerusalem safe and prosperous.

Pray with us for Israel’s relations with many African nations, which have expressed a desire to reconnect and expand ties with Israel. Pray for the Lord to move on the hearts of African leaders to open new doors for Israel and especially to strengthen Christian support for Israel in those nations (Psalm 22:28).

Pray for Israel’s security in the Golan Heights, an area that borders with war-torn Syria, that the threat posed by ISIS and other Islamist militias would continue to be held at bay (Psalm 94:22).

2) Pray for the Middle East region.

Pray that the Arab and Islamic nations would realise their need to cooperate more closely with Israel for their own good, and to accept Israel as an integral part of the region (Isaiah 19:23-25).

Pray for the revival that is being reported throughout