Dear prayer partners,

The world paused recently to mark the passing of Rev. Billy Graham, the preeminent evangelist of our generation. Graham was shown tremendous respect, as seen in the massive crowds of admirers lining the 130-mile route of his funeral procession. Because he focused so intently on preaching the Gospel and for the most part avoided politics, he earned universal respect – even from those on the ideological Left. Yet, he never compromised on the Gospel. In one memorable message at a large crusade gathering, Graham insisted there is only one path to God: There is no other name under heaven known to men by which we must be saved. There is no other way except the way of the Cross… If there had been another way of salvation, Jesus would have never died on the Cross. On the night he was betrayed, the night before he died, he knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane, and he said: “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” What was he praying? He was saying: “O God, if it is possible to save… the human race any other way, if they can work their way to heaven, if they can buy their way to heaven, if there’s any other way, O God, spare me the Cross tomorrow.” But the answer, as it were, came back from heaven: “There is no other way.” (…) Man cannot be saved by earning his way, by working his way… there is only one way that men can get to heaven, one road. Jesus said it is a narrow road. He said the gate was narrow. And it’s the Cross.

Indeed, Jesus offered a simple yet profound prayer at Gethsemane: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

From the start, the Bible tells us that man is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6). This means we are the thing most like Him in all of Creation, so that God might enjoy our companionship. What makes us the most like Him is that every human posesses a free will. The angels may have greater powers and abilities than us for now (2 Peter 2:11, Psalm 8:5, Hebrews 2:7), but they were still made to be ministering spirits who carry out His will (Psalm 104:4, Hebrews 1:7). In contrast, we each have an independent will and the freedom to make our own choices, just as God does. But the natural consequence is that at some point in every human life, our will runs contrary to God’s will, and this is what we call “sin”.

Thankfully, there was one human who lived out his life in perfect harmony with God’s will. His name, of course, was Jesus. And at Gethsemane, Jesus showed us how to surrender our will to the Father – through prayer and close communion with Him.

Prayer is that place where we empty ourselves of our own desires and seek God’s will. We must draw on the power He gives which enables us to surrender to His plans for our lives, no matter how difficult it might seem. For surely, the Cross – and the separation it would bring from the Father – was not an easy path for Jesus. Yet it was the only path that could open the way for man to truly have fellowship with our Maker.

As we give ourselves over to prayer this month, may we truly surrender to the will of God in all things, knowing His ways and His choices are so much better than ours!

Thank you for being a part of our Isaiah62 prayer movement!

Blessed be the name of our Lord Jesus,

David Parsons
Vice President and Senior Spokesman
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem