1. Praise: We began by reading the last two verses of this Shabbat's prophetic portion.

    • Thus says YHWH, Do not let the wise glory in his wisdom, nor let the mighty glory in his might; do not let the rich glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am YHWH, exercising covenant-love, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these I delight, says YHWH.Jer. 9:23-24

    • We praise You for still being the God who Israel is celebrating over Purim, the God of the book of Esther who is always active – even if it is behind the scenes (Est. 6:1 for example).

    • We bless You for being totally sovereign – even though we have free-will (Psa. 96:10; Prov. 19:21).

    • Abba, what a joy to know You better as You have revealed Yourself in Messiah Yeshua (Heb. 1:2-3).

    • Thank You that You are not a God of confusion, but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33).

    • While Your ways are not ours, thank You for the times when You reveal Your ways to us (Isa. 55:8-9).

  2. Elections: Israelis vote in national elections on April 9th. So far, the election campaign has been very divisive, confusing and ugly, yet we prayed based on the fundamental truth that that our God reigns.

    • You know the Word which God sent to the sons of Israel, preaching the gospel of peace by Yeshua the Messiah (He is Lord of all!);Acts 10:36

    • Lord of all, rule over these elections so that the government of Your choice will be chosen (Dan. 5:21).

    • In these elections, may Your will to be done in Israel as it is already done in heaven (Luke 11:2).

    • Raise up righteous men and women to lead this nation (2 Sam. 23:3; Prov. 14:34).

    • Remove all confusion and bring clarity to Your people (Psa. 119:138).

    • Let there be light to guide Israelis as they decide whom to vote for (Gen. 1:3; Psa. 119: 105).

    • Overrule any plans of the enemy that are trying to manipulation these elections for his demonic schemes (Psa. 59:13).

    • Protect all Israel from manipulation and witchcraft (Num. 23:23).

    • Move the Arab-Israelis to vote against Arab politicians who are more concerned with the Palestinians that with their own constituents.

    • Lord, by Your mercy grant to Israel a stable government that is in line with Your will (Isa. 1:26).

  3. Elections: We have asked God to show us His choice for the next prime minister of Israel. Yet we have added that if He does not, we will pray for Bibi Netanyahu to maintain his position. Netanyahu has done an amazing job over the past decade. Is he totally righteous? Is anyone – even those of us who are believers (1 Kin. 8:46; Isa. 64:6)? We are not praying for a sinless leader; we are praying for God's leader for His nation at this time in history.

    • Lord Yeshua, You are Israel's sinless leader. We bless You for being that always (Isa. 9:6-7; Heb. 4:15).

    • We thank You for all that You have done in and through Bibi during his time as Israel's leader.

    • We ask that You would raise him up again to continue that role (Dan. 2:21).

    • Pour out Your wisdom and peace upon Netanyahu over the next several weeks (1 Kin. 5:12a).

    • Even during the election campaign, enable him to maintain his responsibilities as both prime minister and defense minister.

    • Solidify all his relationships with the people You know he needs to be surrounded with (Prov. 27:6).

    • Separate him from all relationships that are interfering with Your will and purposes (Prov. 12:20).

    • Let him read the prophetic portion of this Shabbat and may he humble himself to You (Jer. 9:23-24).

    • Release him from the desire to defend himself and let him let You defend him (Psa. 3:5-7)

    • Reveal to Bibi who is ultimately in charge of Israel – Yeshua, Israel's King and Messiah (Psa. 110:1-3).

  4. The Golan & Peace: US President Trump just announced that it is time for America to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. That is an answer to prayer! Yet, for us who remember that Trump comes from a background of being a real estate broker – and is doing a good job as America's leader and is very pro-Israel – the question we ask is what will Israel need to pay for this recognition? Are we being cynical? Yes! And with Trump's "peace deal of the century" due to be released right after the Israeli elections, we are also very concerned.

    • Lord, thank You for the courage Trump has to do this. Bless him mightily (Gen. 12:3a).

    • Also, guard him so that his push for peace does not result in Your curse coming on him (Num. 24:9).

    • May Trump's Christian advisors warn him from playing with You land – period (Joel 3:1-2).

    • Send the fear of God upon all involved with this "peace" deal (Job 28:28; Psa. 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 15:33).

    • Abba, let Israelis see clearly that this is another foreign policy win for Netanyahu (1 Sam. 18:7).

    • Lord, do not allow this recognition force any Israeli leader to divide Your land. The land shall not be sold forever, for the land is Mine, and you are strangers and pilgrims with Me. (Lev. 25:23)

    • Protect Netanyahu and all other Israeli leaders' minds from political manipulation.

    • Prepare Israel for the negative response to Trump's move from Syria, Iran, the Arab world, and Russia.

    • You have returned us to the Golan – biblical Bashan – to save us (Jer. 50:19-20). Do it now Lord.

    • You restored the Golan to Israel in Your mercy in the 1967 Six-Day War, and You have maintained it as part of Your nation miraculously in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. We look to You for the rest of this story: To Him who struck great kings; for His mercy endures forever; and killed famous kings; for His mercy endures forever: Sihon king of the Amorites; for His mercy endures forever; and Og the king of Bashan; for His mercy endures forever; and gave their land for an inheritance; for His mercy endures forever; an inheritance to Israel His servant; for His mercy endures forever. (Psa. 136:17-22)

    • Thank You for the stubbornness of the Palestinian leaders who has been such a hindrance from any further division of Your land. Give Israel's current and future leaders the same stubbornness of heart to refuse to sell its inheritance for any price (Ex. 32:9; Ezek. 3:9a; Heb. 12:16).

  5. Security: The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is a continual flashpoint. The Mercy Gate, located above the Golden Gate on the eastern side of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, was closed around 16 years ago because of Hamas terrorist plots being planned there. Muslims have recently rioted and forcibly opened this area trying to create another mosque. A Jerusalem Municipal court has said that it must be closed again. Israel is in negotiations with Jordan over this as they are supposed to have authority over the mount in line with the Israeli-Jordan peace deal.

    • Lord, guard over Your holy hill at this time in history (Psa. 3:4).

    • Aid Israel's security forces to protect the innocent and know how to deal with those whose hatred towards the Jews and other "infidels" pushes them to a murderous rage (Psa. 25:19; 109:3; Prov. 10:12).

    • May the rules of engagement for Israel's security forces be super clear and enforced (1 Cor. 14:8).

    • Confound all current terrorist plots being planned there (Psa. 129:5).

    • Forgive Israel for giving authority on the Temple Mount back to the Islamic Wakf after the 1967 war.

    • Abba, arise and cleanse Your holy hill from the spirit of anti-Christ that resides in that Golden Dome. [Inscribed inside and outside of the Dome are Koranic verses declaring that God has no son. According to 1 John 4:3, this is the spirit of anti-Christ!]

    • We declare from Jerusalem that Yeshua, You are God the Son, Israel's Messiah and Lord (Acts 2:36).

    • Lord Yeshua, from Zion we say, Blessed are You who comes in the name of the Lord (Matt. 23:39).

  6. Security: Judea & Samaria, what the world calls "the occupied territories," has seen an increase of terror attacks against Israeli soldiers and settlers living there. This area is the biblical heartland of the Jewish nation – one well known by all biblical characters from Abraham to Yeshua and more.

    • God, thank You for miraculously restoring this area to us in the 1067 War (Psa. 44:1-3).

    • Forgive the blindness of our leaders in inviting the PLO to return in 1993 (Psa. 120:7).

    • Arise and clear out from this area all those with hatred against Your people (Psa. 10:16).

    • Strengthened and encourage all Israelis living there (Amos 9::13-15).

    • Thank You that this area is one of the fasted growing areas in all of Israel.

    • Comfort all survivors of recent terror attacks (Psa. 77:1-20).

    • Give boldness and fearlessness to all Israeli security forces in this area (Deut. 11:25).

    • Remove all fear of lawfare from the soldiers so that they can be effective in warfare (Prov. 21:31)!

    • May the fear of world reaction not interfere with the IDF's capacity to defend this nation (Prov. 29:25).

    • Lord, may the soldiers see and feel that both the IDF leadership and the government support them.

    • Lord, prevent the settlers from taking the law into their own hands by making the government a terror to the wicked and a protector of the innocent (Eccl. 8:11; Rom. 13:1-4).

    • Protect all of Israel's spies and collaborators who are living among the Palestinians.

  7. Security: On Israel's borders there are very real threats and dangers. Hamas in Gaza in the south and Hezbollah and Iran in Lebanon and Syria in the north are clear and present dangers.

    • Lord, increase the unrest of the Gazans against their wicked Hamas rulers.

    • Show Israel what to do and not to do in relation to this unrest (Prov. 20:18).

    • Keep all Israeli soldiers alert on that border during this time (Psa. 140:7).

    • Use the believers in Gaza to have a reason for their hope in this rough situation (1 Pet. 3:15).

    • Hamas is beating children and journalists? Where is the outrage from the world? (2 Thess. 2:10-11).

    • Continue to encourage Israel to respond disproportionately to every attack from Gaza.

    • Thank You that Egypt is cooperating with Israel in Gaza and Israel is cooperating with Egypt in the Sinai (Isa. 19:24-25).

    • Bless Egyptian leader al-Sissi and also protect the true Church in Egypt (Gen. 12:3a).

    • Comfort and protect all Israelis living in the Gaza border area (Psa. 3:1-8).

    • Concerning the Iranian/Hezbollah threat – please continue to give Israel all the actionable intelligence it needs to deal with these relentless enemies (Psa. 33:10-11).

    • Protect all of Israel's spies and collaborators and bless them with an ability to obtain that intelligence.

    • As US Secretary of State (i.e., foreign minister) Mike Pompeo visits Lebanon, let him see the influence that Hezbollah has over that nation and bring back to Trump a true report (Phil. 4:8).

    • Send confusion and panic into the minds of Iran's leaders who want to destroy Israel (Psa. 83:1-4).

    • With the US recognition of the Golan now a reality, let the Druze who live there take Israel's offer of citizenship and become an integral part of this nation like the Druze in the Mt. Carmel area (Isa. 60:10).

    • May many more Israelis move up to the Golan.

    • Enable the next Israeli government hold to this government's redlines re: Iran in Syria and to continue Netanyahu's clear communications with Russian President Putin (Matt. 5:37).

Physical water: We finished by thanking God for the very wet weather recently and for the three meter rise of the Sea of Galilee so far. Yet it needs almost three and a half meters more to be fully full, so we asked Him to do that as well as to fill all of Israel's aquifers by the end of this rainy season. We asked this for His holy name's sake as He said this would be the end result of His providing water: I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water…so that they may see, and know, and look on, and understand together, that the hand of YHWH has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it. (Isa. 41:18, 20)

Spiritual water: And that lead us to pray for the outpouring of the water of the Holy Spirit upon many Jewish people who have come home from exile. We know it will happen, yet God requests our prayers to remind Him of His promises (Isa. 62:6-7). While He does not need our prayers, He desires them (Ezek. 22:30; 36:37). So we pray, O YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel (Isa. 31:7b).

Blessings from Zion

The IFI team

(Psalm 134:3)