April Prayer Points

Dear Prayer Partners,

There is no one in the Bible who got more out of their prayer times than Jesus. This was where he built his great faith to heal the sick and his anointing to break bondages. It is where he received amazing insights into the Word of God and even his own self-awareness as the Messiah. And it was where he saw what the Father was doing and then went and did the same. Jesus really knew how to pray! ... Read more ›

Pray with us according to the following guidelines:

1. Israel

In 2017, Israel is marking fifty years since the reunification of Jerusalem in June 1967. But the Arab states are again challenging Israel’s rule over the city, even in western Jerusalem. So the spiritual battle over the city is intensifying once more. But this is a year of Jubilee favour over Jerusalem, and we believe that God wants to release it even more into its redemptive destiny over coming months.

• Please pray that God’s prophetic purposes for Jerusalem will be hastened and that all He intends to accomplish in the city during this year of Jubilee favour would come to pass.
• Pray that the nations will move their embassies to Jerusalem this year, starting with the United States.
• Pray that more archaeological evidence from the ancient City of David would be found this year to bolster the Jewish claim and connection to the city.
• Pray for the sound defeat of any diplomatic efforts to undermine Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. Pray with Psalm 102:13-16.

Israel and the Jewish people will observe the Passover week in April. This is a special time for family reunions and spiritual reflection.

• Pray for a blessed and peaceful Passover season for Jews in Israel and around the world. Pray that their family gatherings and time spent remembering their ancestors’ delivery from Egypt would draw them closer to God and to the true Passover Lamb. Pray with Luke 22:15-16.

2. Middle East

The conflict in Syria has claimed an estimated 500,000 lives and there is still no end in sight. There are reports, however, that Russia, Turkey and the US are considering a deal which would allow each power to establish security zones inside Syria, while Iranian and Hizbullah forces in the country would be required to leave. Tehran is resisting such a move and wants to maintain its leverage over the weakened Assad regime, while also using Syria as a base to threaten Israel.

• Pray that the conflict in Syria would come to an end soon, with the defeat and removal of all Iranian and Hizbullah forces, as well as ISIS and other radical Sunni militias.
• Pray that Syria would no longer be used as a base for those who would seek to harm Israel.
• Pray for the millions of Syrian civilians who have suffered and been forced from their homes by this war (Psalm 68:1).

There are reports that the Trump administration is seeking to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks by bringing Israel into a wider diplomatic process along with certain other Arab states that have refused until now to engage directly with Israel.

• Pray for all Arab and Islamic nations to cooperate more closely and openly with Israel for their own benefit, and to accept Israel as a true neighbour and partner in the region. (Isaiah 19:23-25) 

3. ICEJ Ministry

More Ethiopian Jews making Aliyah on flights sponsored by the ICEJ were expected to land in Israel before Passover this spring. However, there have been a number of delays, some involving obstacles on the ground in Ethiopia but also some linked to resistance to this historic aliyah here within Israel. We are now told that flights of Ethiopian Jews should resume soon after the Passover break.

• Please pray for our continuing efforts to bring home the last of the Ethiopian Jewish community to Israel. Around nine thousand Jews still remain in Gondar and Addis Ababa and need to be cared for, transported to the airport and then flown to Israel. The ICEJ has already paid for the first year of flights but delays and hindrances keep arising which have set back the schedule and prolonged the separation and suffering for these families.
• Pray that they would be kept safe from harm until they are able to fly to Israel, that there would be no more obstacles and delays in their coming, and that they would easily adjust to their new lives in Israel. Pray with Zephaniah 3:10.

The Christian Embassy has a number of aid projects over the Passover week to assist needy families in celebrating this important holiday season.

• Please pray for an abundance of funds to arrive in time over coming weeks to allow us to reach out in Christian love and witness to as many needy Israel families as possible during the Passover holidays.
• Pray for a great blessing to come over those who “consider the poor” with us at this important time, in accord with Psalm 41:1-2.

The Feast of Tabernacles 2017 will feature a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary Jubilee for the reunited city of Jerusalem.

• Please pray for our upcoming Feast, that the Lord would draw believers from all over the globe and open the way for them to attend this year’s celebrations.
• Pray that God’s presence and blessing would be over the Feast mightily this year. Pray according to Psalm 84:4-7.

 Download this month's Isaiah 62 prayer points (pdf) ›

Isaiah 62 Prayer Letter - April 2017

There is no one in the Bible who got more out of their prayer times than Jesus. This was where he built his great faith to heal the sick and his anointing to break bondages. It is where he received amazing insights into the Word of God and even his own self-awareness as the Messiah. And it was where he saw what the Father was doing and then went and did the same. Jesus really knew how to pray!

Jesus even told the Pharisees that this close communion with the Father was the secret to the miracles he was performing in their midst. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19)

We see a demonstration of his effectiveness in prayer when Jesus told Peter that he had stood in the gap for him after Satan asked for permission to sift him like wheat. “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail...” (Luke 22:32). Here we also understand that even the devil makes requests of God; we just have to stay ahead of him in our own prayers.

At his last Passover, Jesus also told his disciples that once he was seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, he would still be praying for them, just as he had done for Peter.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it... And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” (John 14:12-16)

This is an extremely comforting thought – that Jesus now has the ear of the Father at all times on our behalf, “since he always lives to make intercession” for us (Hebrews 7:25; also Romans 8:34). Indeed, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

Now I have heard more than one preacher speaking, sometimes in boastful terms, about this promised ability to do greater works than Jesus. But they always tend to leave off the real reason why this will happen. Jesus does not say it will come about because we would have greater faith, but because He has gone to be with the Father. This means that when we now pray, Jesus is there at the Father’s side to present our needs and requests directly to Him. Our Redeemer is always interceding for us and it is when our prayers line up with his that the victories can really begin to happen.

Otherwise, our prayers will not have much power. Remember how Jesus also said, “for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

So there is a built-in dependency in our relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son. Prayer is that constant admission to the Father than we have need of Him, and our humble submission to what He deems best for our lives. And it is that yearning to know what Jesus is praying for us, so that we can join our voice, our hearts and our faith in unison with his. In this way the greater works can begin to flow in our lives, so that God the Father may truly be glorified in the Son.

May the Holy Spirit empower and enlighten our prayers!

Yours in Christ!

David Parsons

ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman