Join me in praying for Ariel Sharon

I urge Christians around the world to offer special prayers for the former premier on Wednesday.

By EARL COX
The world may have forgotten Ariel Sharon, but God has not. I invite Christians around the world to remember him in prayer on June 21. Ariel Sharon's service to the state of Israel is legendary. He cast a giant shadow on the landscape of Israel, the Middle East and the world by meeting the challenges of history to ensure the survival of the Jewish state, whether in the trenches or in the halls of Knesset. I have returned to Israel for one reason: to pray for Mr. Sharon. My hope is to be granted permission to sit by Sharon's bedside in a silent eight-hour prayer vigil. I'm calling upon Christians and Christian leaders worldwide to join me wherever they are on June 21 to pray on behalf of Mr. Sharon. I am not a healer, and I have no agenda. I simply know that God has asked me to do this and I am obeying His directive. I will hand-deliver written prayers to Sharon's family that are received through my Web site www.IsraelAlways.org. The writer, an influential Christian broadcaster, conducted a daily prayer vigil in Jerusalem at the Western Wall throughout 2005.