Prayer Guide

“Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them.”  (

Dear Prayer Partners,

As we enter the biblical month of Adar, we are reminded that God often completes what seemed delayed and restores what felt lost. Adar, the twelfth month of the biblical calendar, falls at the end of the year, just before the new beginning of Nisan. Ezra 6:15 tells us, “Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar.” The Temple, the dwelling place of God among His people, was completed in the final month, reminding us that fulfillment often comes just before a new season begins. Adar also appears in the story of Esther, where the enemy cast lots to determine a day for Israel’s destruction. That lot fell in Adar. Yet what was decreed for annihilation became a divine reversal. The same month marked by threat became an amazing testimony of deliverance, showing us that God can overturn what the enemy has planned and transform it into victory.

Scripture shows us that completion rarely appears suddenly. Breakthrough has a hidden history in prayer and fasting. The Temple completion in Adar was the visible outcome of invisible intercession. To understand this pattern, we must look back to Daniel. In Daniel 9, we see a man who discerned God’s timing through the Scriptures. He understood from Jeremiah that the exile was nearing its end. Yet instead of assuming restoration would happen automatically, Daniel set himself to prayer and fasting. He prayed for covenant fulfillment, humbling himself in repentance and declaring the faithfulness of God. He prayed not to inform God, but to align with Him. Heaven responded to Daniel’s intercession with prophetic revelation and angelic movement. His prayer helped usher in the restoration that would eventually lead to the rebuilding and completion of the Temple. What was birthed in exile became visible back in the Land a few decades later. 

Fasting was central to Daniel’s posture before God. Biblical fasting is positioning the heart in surrender. Isaiah 58 shows when fasting aligns with God’s heart, strongholds are broken, light breaks forth, and restoration follows. God promises guidance and rebuilding when His people humble themselves before Him. As we reflect on Adar, we are invited into that same partnership. This month is not only a reminder of past reversals. It is a call to present intercession. What promises has God spoken that still need to be carried in prayer?

This Adar, like in the stories of Daniel and Esther, the nation of Persia (modern-day Iran) has set itself against the people and nation of Israel. And just like Daniel and Esther, we believe the Lord is inviting us to stand in prayer and fasting for breakthrough in this region. This month until March 19, we are calling a Fast on every Friday to see strongholds broken, particularly the grip of Islam on the region. Let us take our stand together as watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem.

With gratitude for your partnership in prayer.

Joshua Gooding
Head of Prayer Department
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

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MONTHLY PRAYER POINTS

PRAYER FOR ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS

1.  Pray for a breaking of the influence and grip of the Islamic regime centered in Iran over the Middle East. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might. I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the Lord… ‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 49:35, 38-39)

2.  Pray for believers in Iran, asking for protection, perseverance, boldness, and spiritual growth amid persecution. “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)

3. Pray for the Body of Christ in Israel, especially as many are engaging in a 40-day fast leading into Passover, that it would be a time of repentance, unity and spiritual renewal. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6)

4.  Pray that the Lord would protect the people of Israel from acts of violence, particularly as Muslims in the region observe the month of Ramadan, a season that has historically seen increased tensions. “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4)

5.  Pray that as Muslims fast and pray during Ramadan, the one true God of the Bible would reveal Himself to them through dreams, visions and divine encounters, and that many would forsake worship of Allah and find salvation in Him. “I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ To a nation that was not called by My name.” (Isaiah 65:1)

PRAYER FOR THE ICEJ

11.  Please pray for the leaders and staff of the ICEJ ministries, for protection, strength and grace to continue until we see the fullness of breakthrough. “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

12.  Pray for the plans for the upcoming Jerusalem Summit that the ICEJ will be hosting from June 9 to 11, asking the Lord to bring the right people and that His purposes would be fully accomplished during this time. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

13.  Continue to pray that the Lord would lead the ICEJ leadership in acquiring a permanent building, securing the ministry’s place in the Land of Israel. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)