Prayer Guide

Dear Prayer Partners,

Shalom and greetings from Jerusalem, the city of our Great King. We just celebrated the Passover week with the Jewish community in Israel and worldwide. This was the second Passover since that dreadful day of the October 7 terror invasion from Gaza. How the world has changed since then, especially here in the Middle East. It is truly astonishing!

During Pesach, we remembered how God freed the Jewish people from slavery with His mighty hand. 
We also remembered those still in captivity in the underground dungeons of Hamas in Gaza.

Naturally, Passover has amazing symbolism which foreshadowed Yeshua, our Passover lamb, and our future redemption. Isaiah 53:7 speaks powerfully of Yeshua, our Messiah, as the Passover Lamb: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”

You might wonder why I started with the opening Bible verse from Psalm 34:1 about praising Him continually. Brothers and sisters, I truly believe we need to keep on praising our Lord and Savior in the good times and even more so in the more challenging times that we are currently in. We watch the daily news, and it might seem very bleak for Israel – with its diplomatic isolation, economic challenges, battle fatigue in the military, social tensions between Jews and Arabs, and the heated streets protests. One could wonder how this nation will ever get through it all.

In response, we need to focus on Him who sits on the throne – our Lord and Messiah! Revelation 5:13 describes this amazing scene: “And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honour and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’”

While we stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30) and on the spiritual walls of Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:6-7) for this nation, you might be feeling the pressure in your own personal life, since there is a “cost” to standing with Israel. This cost could come in many forms, like social rejection, spiritual attack, or financial woes.

Friends, we thank you for your faithfulness in prayer. I also want to encourage you to stay the course and continually have praise on your lips to the One to whom all Praise is due, since He will deliver both you and this ancient nation so beloved of God.

Be encouraged that we serve an awesome God who truly sits on the throne.

Shalom from Jerusalem!

Richard van der Beek

Vice President for Operations

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

Photo Credit:  Vecteezy.com

MONTHLY PRAYER POINTS
 May 2025

PRAYER FOR ISRAEL

1.  THE GAZA FRONT

Thank the Lord that most of the Israeli hostages have been freed from cruel captivity in Gaza. Pray that the 59 hostages which remain, including 24 presumed alive and 35 bodies, will be returned home as soon as possible. Pray that Hamas will be so weakened that it will lose control over Gaza. Pray that Israel will quickly prevail in the renewed battle in Gaza and quickly drive Hamas from the coastal Strip. Also keep praying that the entire nation of Israel will begin to heal from the wounds of October 7. Pray that Israeli leaders will make the right decisions concerning any further ceasefires, and who will rule Gaza going forward. Pray that any Palestinians in Gaza who want to voluntarily leave for another country will be allowed to do so. Pray that the surrounding Arab leaders will join Israel and the US in rejecting any future for Hamas in Gaza. Also pray for strong support for Israel from within the international community, and that they will reject any attempt to reward Hamas terrorism with a Palestinian state. And pray that any Palestinian prisoners released so far will not be able to endanger Israel. 

2.  THE NORTHERN FRONT

Thank the Lord that the ceasefire in northern Israel continues to hold. Pray that the IDF will find and destroy more Hizbullah weapons, tunnels and outposts in Lebanon. Pray that the Lebanese army will fulfil its tasks in taking control over southern Lebanon from Hizbullah and forcing the Shi’ite terror militia to disarm. Pray that the Christian and Sunni Arab leaders in Lebanon will be able to finally remove Hizbullah from the country’s decision-making process. Pray that the new Lebanese government also will pursue friendly relations with Israel. Also pray the new regime in Syria will seek peace with Israel, and not allow Turkey to establish a military presence in Syria in order to threaten Israel.

3.  THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Please pray that Israel and the Trump administration will coalesce around a common agenda to strengthen Israel’s position in the region and achieve more normalization agreements with other Arab and Islamic countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Pray that Israel and the US will be able to prevent Iran from ever developing nuclear weapons to threaten Israel. Pray that the US negotiations with Iran will help lead to the complete dismantling of Iran’s uranium enrichment program and its ballistic missile production. Pray that Iran will not be able to harm Israel or Jewish communities abroad. Pray that the radical Islamic regime in Tehran will be driven from power by its own people. Also please pray that the Houthi terror militia in Yemen will be defeated by US forces, and that Israel, Yemen and the international shipping lanes offshore will all be freed for their threat.

4.  THE HOME FRONT

Please pray that Israel will be able to secure a resounding victory over its enemies, recover and rebuild, and actively pursue peace with its other Arab neighbours. Pray that the Israeli people will finally be able to resolve their many internal differences over judicial reforms, the drafting of yeshiva students, and other long-standing political divides in the nation. Pray that more Israelis will be drawn to faith in God and His Messiah amid the current challenges. Pray for a fresh move of the Holy Spirit in Israel.