Isaiah 62 Prayers for Israel: July 2026
“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:40)
Dear Prayer Partners,
The Hebrew month of Tammuz is the fourth month on the biblical calendar. It marks the beginning of the long, hot summer in Israel. The harvest season is drawing to a close, and the nation turns its attention toward the fall feasts still ahead. Historically, Tammuz has become a month associated with spiritual vigilance, repentance, and mourning over the consequences of turning away from God. It calls us to guard our hearts, stay faithful to the Lord, and stand in intercession for His purposes.
One of the defining themes of this month is spiritual vision. As Paul reminds us: “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Tammuz puts that truth to the test. When the wait grows long or circumstances feel uncertain, it is easy to let what we see become louder than what God has spoken. David prayed that the Lord would turn his eyes away from worthless things and revive him in His ways. This month invites us to ask: What are we looking at, and how is it shaping our faith?
Tammuz is also linked to the warning against idolatry. The only place the word Tammuz appears in Scripture is Ezekiel 8:14, where the prophet sees women mourning for a Babylonian deity within the temple courts. Idolatry had taken root in the very place dedicated to the Lord. During this season, the Torah portions also recount the account of Balaam and Balak. Unable to curse Israel directly, Balaam advised another strategy: entice the people into idol worship and immorality. The people were drawn away from the Lord to other gods, removing their divine hedge of protection, and judgment followed.
The seventeenth of Tammuz carries deep significance in Israel’s history. Jewish tradition holds that Moses descended from Mount Sinai, saw the golden calf, and shattered the tablets of the law. The people could not wait for God’s timing and sought something visible they could control. Centuries later, on the same date, Jerusalem’s walls were breached by Babylon and later by Rome, beginning the three weeks of mourning that culminate on Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av. Yet Zechariah 8:19 contains God’s promise that these fasts will one day become seasons of joy and gladness.
“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). The breaches in Jerusalem’s walls remind us of the importance of guarding what God has entrusted to us. Yet the Lord who allows walls to fall is also the One who restores them. Moses did not withdraw after Israel’s failure; he stood before God and interceded for mercy, to great avail.
Lamentations 3:40 gives us the posture of this season: “Let us search out and examine our ways and turn back to the Lord.” And Psalm 139:23 gives us the prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties.” May we come before Him with humility, guard what He has entrusted to us, and stand faithfully in prayer for Israel and the nations.
Blessings from Jerusalem,
Joshua B. Gooding
Head of Prayer Department
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
July 2026 Prayers for Israel
The next day of prayer and fasting in our Isaiah 62 Global Prayer Campaign will be on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Also, please join our daily Global Prayer Gathering at 4:30 p.m. (Israel time) to pray for Israel. Go to: on.icej.org/ICEJGlobalPrayer Finally, send us your prayer requests at: prayer@icej.org
PRAYER FOR THE ICEJ
- Pray for the leadership of the ICEJ as they serve on the frontlines of this ministry. Many are facing challenges in their families, including health issues and other personal matters. As the ICEJ family, we ask you to stand with them and build a wall of prayer around them (Isaiah 40:29–31; Psalm 34:7), asking the Lord to protect them from harm and strengthen them in every area of their lives. Please also pray for our ICEJ leaders and staff worldwide, to receive continual guidance and wisdom from the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2–3). Ask God to continue opening doors for ministry and to provide a fresh anointing to proclaim God’s Word and His purposes for Israel (Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:2–4).
- Pray for us as we prepare for our Feast of Tabernacles gathering from September 25 to 30. Ask God to guide every decision, direct every plan, and draw believers from the nations to Jerusalem with hearts ready to encounter Him. Pray that many will respond to the prophetic call of Zechariah 8:23 and 14:16 to come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord during the Feast. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide every Feast speaker and worship leader, and that a fresh, prophetic roar of the Lion of Judah would sound from Jerusalem to the nations (Joel 3:16).
- We give thanks to the Lord for a powerful Jerusalem Summit and for the historic Jerusalem Affirmation of the Nicene Creed. The Lord has placed it on our hearts to hold follow-up Summits in the years ahead. The Lord spoke to us through 2 Kings 13:14–19, when Elisha rebuked King Joash for striking the ground only a few times instead of persevering until complete victory was secured. Antisemitism and Replacement Theology remain powerful spiritual strongholds that require persistent prayer and action until we see God’s victory manifested. Please begin praying with us now for the Jerusalem Summit 2027 and for all that the Lord desires to accomplish through it.
- Pray for us as we seek the Lord concerning the acquisition of a permanent building in Jerusalem. Ask God to open the right doors at the right time and to protect us from moving ahead of His plans or lagging behind His purposes: “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1).
PRAYER FOR ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS
- Pray for renewed momentum for the Abraham Accords—that more nations in the Middle East would pursue peace, cooperation, and stronger relations with Israel. Ask the Lord to open doors for dialogue, stability, and reconciliation across the region. “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed” (Psalm 85:10).
- Pray for the protection of Israel’s borders, especially in the North. Ask the Lord to watch over the nation, expose every hidden threat, and guard the people of Israel from violence and attack. “He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).
- Pray for wisdom for Israeli and American leaders during this critical time regarding Iran. Ask the Lord to guide every decision, grant understanding in difficult negotiations, and lead them in paths that bring peace and security. “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14).
- Pray for transformation and change within Iran’s leadership, that the Lord would raise up rulers who pursue peace and freedom for their people. Pray especially for protection and more growth for the underground church in Iran during this critical time. “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).
- Pray for new economic and trade opportunities to open for Israel across the Middle East, including new energy routes and regional partnerships that bring stability and blessing to Israel and the Arab nations. Ask God to guide these plans according to His will. “The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens” (Deuteronomy 28:12).
- Pray for persecuted believers around the world, especially in nations such as Iran and Nigeria. Ask the Lord to strengthen and protect His people, give them boldness in the faith, and sustain the church as it continues to grow in difficult circumstances. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
Join our daily Global Prayer Gathering at 9:30 a.m. (ET), 8:30 a.m. (CT), and 6:30 a.m. (PT) at: www.icejusa.org/global-prayer
