Isaiah 62: “Go through the Gates”

May 7-28 Call to Prayer and Fasting
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“Go through the gates, Prepare the way for the people, Build up, Build up the highway!  
Take out the stones, and lift up a banner for the people.” Isaiah 62:10
 
“Sound the alarm and awaken the watchmen open their ears, let their voices be loud!”  

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As the global call for 21 days, May 7-28, focus on Isaiah 62 gets underway, how do we practically respond?  Coming back from the “Spirit of Elijah” Summit and Journey to Israel and Jordan, we distinctly heard the words “Go through the gates!”  Isaiah declares it in Isaiah 62:10.   Yes, we can pray and dedicate time to Isaiah’s words, but how do we practically go through the gates?
            Words from the song written nearly 15 years ago, “Holy Visitation” have been resounding in my spirit for the past several days and continue to do so as I write this, “Sound the alarm and awaken the watchmen open their ears, let their voices be loud!”  The alarm has sounded and the call has gone out to “Go through the gates, Prepare the way for the people, Build up, Build up the highway!  Take out the stones, and lift up a banner for the people” (Isaiah 62:10).  The hour has come to sound the alarm and take heed.  We are in a shift and need to shift with it. 
            How does this practically walk out?  As we enter this 21-day fast and prayer focus on Isaiah 62, we encourage you to take this time to not only pray and seek the Lord on how to walk this call out but how we, as watchmen, must build.  
We invite you to use this guide in your prayer time and watches: 
 
Isaiah 62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns.
  • Shake off complacency with new revelation of the urgency of the hour and escalating times that are upon us. Daniel 7:21-22
  • Release new desire to learn about the biblical end-time narrative and the importance of Israel as a lampstand in the nations
  • Take steps to get involved in studies on the biblical end-time narrative  Pro 1:1-3; Daniel 10:13-15
Isaiah 62:2-5  The Gentiles shall see your righteousness and all kings your glory.  You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name.  You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.  You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate but you shall be called Hephzibah and your land Beulah; for the Lord delights in you and your land shall be married.  For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride so shall your God rejoice over you. 
  • Review and pray into God’s covenantal relationship with Israel so that it becomes a reality in your spiritual journey.  Some focuses: 
    • Scriptures for God's unconditional covenants:
      • Abrahamic Covenant:  Gen 12:1-7
      • Land covenant: Gen 13:14-17; Deut 29:1-30:20
      • David Covenant. 2 Sam 7:1-17
      • New Covenants Jer 31:31-34
    • God's Conditional covenants: 
      • Mosaic or Old Covenant. Ex 19:5 
  • Pray to deepen your revelation for Israel in Messianic believers and the body of Christ these covenantal facts (God has not replaced Israel)
    • The covenants depend on God’s faithfulness, not Israel’s. 
    • They are to be interpreted literally. 
    • They were made with Israel, not the church (Jer. 31:31–34; Heb. 8:8). 
    • They were never repealed or replaced because of Israel’s sinfulness. 
    • They will be Israel’s possession for eternity (Rom. 9:4).
    • For a powerful discourse on God's irrevocable call for Israel by David Sliker, click here. 
Isaiah 62:6-7. I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night.  You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
  • Awaken watchmen. Shake off discouragement, complacency, roots of bitterness, jealousy, selfish ambition, or anything that would blind their perspectives and sight and replace it with fresh vision and insight to see as God sees. Phil 2:3; Heb 12:15
  • Shake off spiritual slumber/complacency and replace it with fresh hope and vigor. Zeph 1:12; Pro 1:32
  • Call those in paradigms of "Silent and solo" prayer closets, to have revelation of the importance of community and collaboration in prayer. Isaiah 52:8; Acts 2:1; 45; Heb 10:24-25.
Isaiah 62:8-9  The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength “Surely I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies, and the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine, for which you have labored.  But those who have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; those who have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts.
  • Pray for relational strength to build between Israeli watchmen and Gentiles. Is 52:8;  Gal 3:28; Col 3:11
  • Open the eyes of Gentile believers with a heart for Israel to build with them lasting and productive strategies. Eph 2:13-15
  • Circumcise hearts of Gentile believers to break off the “Fluff” and "false romance" towards Israel into covenantal understanding and effective collaborative efforts, especially as the end-time narrative increases.  Romans 11     
Isaiah 62:10 Go through, Go through the gates!  Prepare the way for the people.  Build up, build up the highway!  Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples.
  • For those on the wall and building, ask God to show you strategies on how to build up your engagement with prayer and watching with Israel
    • Look for those around you to invite to the process of building from local expressions to global connections. 1 Peter 2:5
  • As we build the watch, shake off old paradigms of how ministries run and build.  The Global Watch is based on the Nehemiah model (Nehemiah 4) of building.  There must be collaboration and respect for the vision as it is a call of God for the hour.  Please review the prophetic history of the Global Watch. Neh 4
  • If you have grown weary, ask God to show you ways of inspiring you spiritually with hunger for His Word. Jer 31:25; Mt 11:28, Gal 6:9; 2 Thess 3:13-14
  • Ask God to show you any stumbling blocks, offense or roots of bitterness interfering with your relationship with Him. Heb 12:15
  • Seek new strategies and who to reach out to build up and strengthen your portion of the wall.  Is 30:21
  • Sound the alarm in your local churches Joel 2:1; Nu 10:9; Jer 4:19
    • Start a study on the end-times (Some of the books we have already studied in the journey are good resources)
    • Start or join in a prayer group locally 
  • Ask for favor and strategy to reach out to the next generation and get them involved in the watch. Mal 4:5-6
  • Speak prophetically into your local environment and call that which is not into being having faith that this is the hour and time for the walls of prayer to be built across the nations. Amos 3:7
  • If there are stumbling blocks in the way of building, ask God for wisdom in addressing them.  Matthew 18:15-17 is a vital resource.   
Isaiah 11-12. Indeed the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world; say to the daughter of Zion surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.  And they shall call them the Holy People.  The Redeemed of the Lord and you shall be called Sought Out a City not Forsaken.
  • Take time to worship and write down new revelation as the Lord releases it.
  • Romans 11:25 is key in this season:  Call out the fullness of the Gentile Church so that the blindness in Israel will be released.
  • Pray for revival across the nations
    • Repent of complacency and ask God for His heart and strategy to inspire your heart. Ps 34:18; 51:17
  • Pray for the release of the new song that breaks barriers across the nations and ignites spiritual inspiration. Ps 40:3; 33:3; 96 
  • Pray for the workers in Israel to be encouraged and that God would send laborers into the harvest field.  Mt 9:37-38
  • Pray for supernatural signs and wonders that will open the blind eyes and unstop the deaf ears. Step out in faith to activate your faith and compassion to heal and minister to others.  Mark 16:17
Additional Scriptures:  Romans 11; Isaiah 42-43

Holy Visitation
 
Sound the alarm, gather the people
Gather the elders, let the ministers wail
Take back the years that the enemy's stolen
Lord You are coming with a holy visitation

Sound the alarm, awaken the watchmen
Open their ears let their voices be loud
We prophecy, You come to this nation
Touch this generation with a holy visitation

We return to You fasting and weeping and mourning
Lord I know you're returning
We lie here weeping between porch and altar
Pour out Your spirit on Your sons and Your daughters

We dance, we shout
We lift up our voice
Let Your kingdom come down
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"Then I said to the nobles, the rulers, and the rest of the people, 'The work is great and extensive, and we are separated far from one another on the wall.  Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there.  Our God will fight for us.'”  
Nehemiah 4:19-20