Isaiah 62 Prayer Campaign

Prayer Letter for October 2023

Dear Prayer Partners,

As the month of October begins, we will be in the midst of the ICEJ’s annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration. We are expecting Christian believers from more than 80 nations to make the pilgrimage up to Jerusalem to join us for this moed or “appointed time” with God during the biblical festival of Succot.

The Hebrew prophet Zechariah foresaw a time when the Lord will require every nation to come present themselves before the Lord in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16). It will be during the Messianic Age when the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), will reign from the throne of David in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 3:17). From this place and position of authority, He will judge the nations, including whether they have been obedient to come up to Jerusalem during the Feast. Those who come will receive the blessing of rain over their nations, and those who do not come will not receive rain. What an amazing time this will be, when our King is here on Earth with us physically and we will rule with Him as His ambassadors.

But I have an encouraging thought for you, as God has called us to be His ambassadors on earth even now. God has vested us with authority to establish His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. He expects us to use His authority and take dominion over various areas within our respective societies. We are called to be the “salt of the earth”, not only upholding our societies through the working of the Holy Spirit, but also as preservative agents of goodness and righteousness in this world.

Throughout history, salt has been used to preserve meats and vegetables, holding back the decay and corruption of these foods for long-term storage. In this same way, the Body of Christ can be empowered by the Holy Spirit to help hold back the degrading effects of sin on our societies. Through our prayers and godly lives, we can influence our societies toward righteousness, holiness and justice. The impact the life of a believer can make extends to the spiritual atmosphere. We see examples of this in the Bible through the story of Abraham’s intercession for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:23).

In his deliberations with God, Abraham revealed a divine principle, that even the presence of a small remnant of righteous believers within a city or nation can preserve that place from the severe judgement of God. As true believers, each one of us has the privilege and responsibility to be agents of change in our nations. We do this by taking the place of intercession, by upholding biblical standards of righteousness, and by putting on the whole armour of God that we might stand in the evil day (Ephesians 6:13).

Let us pray that the Lord will enable each of us to be part of the righteous remnant to turn our nations back toward God’s abiding mercy and grace, and by the power of the Holy Spirit within us to hold in check the forces of corruption and lawlessness until God’s appointed time.

Shalom from Jerusalem!

Joshua Gooding
Head of Prayer Department
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

PS: Our next day of prayer and fasting for the Isaiah 62 Prayer Campaign will be on Wednesday, 4 October 2023. That same day, we also will be hosting our weekly online Global Prayer Gathering, at 4:00 PM (Israel time). So, please join us there at on.icej.org/ICEJGlobalPrayer

And let us hear from you about your needs and how God has answered your prayers! Send a short email to prayer@icej.org to let us know you are praying and fasting with us.