Prayer Letter for April 2022

Isaiah 62 Prayer Letter - April 2022

Dear prayer partners,

Thank you for praying with us about Ukraine this past month. Since the conflict there escalated in late February, we have seen the horrors of war uproot some ten million people from their homes, including four million who left everything behind and fled to safety in countries west of Ukraine. Among them have been thousands of Jews, including 10,000 who have already arrived on Aliyah to Israel. Many thousands more Ukrainian Jews are expected to immigrate to Israel in the coming months. Some are elderly and disabled Holocaust survivors that could not have made the long and dangerous journey to safety without help. But… Praise the Lord! He answered our prayers, as the ICEJ has been able to sponsor a rescue team operating inside Ukraine which has extracted dozens of Holocaust survivors so far, with most of them coming with family members to Israel.

Please continue to pray for Ukraine. Although this is a physical war, we also know that it is a spiritual war, and together we can continue to be a great witness of love and comfort to the Jewish people.

 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)

This month the Jewish people also will celebrate the Feast of Passover. This important biblical holiday recounts their journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Exodus.

Jesus and his disciples also celebrated the festival of Pesach. Just before his death on the Cross, he held a Passover seder meal with his followers (Matthew 26:17-30), and because of that Christians around the world celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with bread and wine to this day, both during Passover and year-round. Indeed, by laying down his life, Jesus – the Son of God – has provided an eternal atonement for our sins.

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:18)

To make sure that needy Israelis can celebrate Passover with dignity and joy, the ICEJ will distribute many Pesach gift parcels in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Please pray that these acts of love and comfort will have a great impact during this Passover season.

I also would like to remind you, once again, to always be praying for the peace of Jerusalem, and for the security of Israel. Over recent days, Israel has been hit by a string of Islamist terrorist attacks in Beersheba, Hadera and Bnei Brak which have killed 11 Israelis. The threats from Iran and Lebanon also are still very real and could actually get worse if the United States and European powers revive the JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran. We need to continue to pray that God will protect Israel and give the Israeli government the wisdom and courage to continue to deal with these threats.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Finally, there is positive news out of the region, as the circle of peace through the Abrahamic Accords is getting larger and stronger. We just witnessed an historic conference called the “Negev Summit” held with the participation of the foreign ministers from Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told the gathering: “What we are doing here is making history, building a new regional architecture based on progress, technology, religious tolerance, security and intelligence cooperation.” Let us pray that peace and security indeed will prevail in this region in the days ahead.

Thank you for joining our Isaiah 62 Prayer Campaign once again for the month of April. Your prayers are making a difference!

Blessings from the Lord,

David van der Walt
Vice President – Finance
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

PS: Our first day of prayer for the Isaiah 62 Prayer Campaign this month will be on Wednesday, 6 April 2022. That same day, we also will be hosting our online Global Prayer Gathering, at 4:00 PM (Israel time). 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.