We began with Psalm 20 and referred to it throughout the morning.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright. Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call.

Ps. 20:1-9

  1. Iran

    Today the P5+1 which are US, Britain, France, Russia, China + Germany are meeting to discuss what should be done in response to Iran's rejection of the offer to enrich Iranian uranium abroad. Sanctions will be discussed. However, it can take a very long time to agree on anything. We need our Father to act on our behalf before it is too late. Not only for the security of Israel but also for the whole of the Middle East.

    Pray for:

    • The P5+1 nations to see the urgency of the situation, for the Lord to put a fire underneath these nations to make them move faster

    • For Israel to have wisdom and understanding to eliminate this threat.

    • So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

      Luke 11:9

      Abba, nothing is impossible with You. We continue to stand our watch over the Iranian nuclear threat and we continue to seek, ask and knock on Your door that You would move in Israel's behalf. You are the God of the impossible, and we ask You to do the impossible.

      May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose.

      Psa 20:4

  2. Building in Jerusalem

    The Israeli National Planning Commission has decided to build 900 houses in the area of Gilo (a large neighborhood in Jerusalem that used to be in Jordanian hands), and the world has gone crazy. Tzipi Livni (the leader of the opposition in Parliament) has said Gilo is in the consensus of all Israelis meaning that Israelis of all political persuasions agree that Gilo is part of Jerusalem and therefore we can and will build there.

    There are rumors that Netanyahu is going to stop building in Judea and Samaria for 10 months. We hope this in not true. While it brings us into conflict with the nations, yet we are called to rise up and build.

    Pray:

    • That building in Jerusalem will unite the people of Israel.

    • That the government will stand strong and continue building.

    • Lord, give us boldness and independence of mind to listen to God and not to the nations.

    • Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

      Psa 20:7

      The USA is a big chariot and they have many horses, but they are as nothing to the Lord.

  3. Gilad Shalit

    Gilad Shalit has been a prisoner of Hamas for three years. And there is talk that next Friday he going to be released, but at what cost. If we release the terrorists, we could be in a situation of losing hundreds of people in terrorist attacks on civilians. As Guila Cohen (a former government minister) said, If my son had been kidnapped/captured, I would be demonstrating on his behalf to do anything to set him free. But as a cabinet member I have voted against the release of terrorists.

    Israel needs a new attitude, a new mindset. We need an attitude in which we are willing to sacrifice the few for the benefit of the community as a whole. We are individuals, we live and die as individuals and God saves us as individuals. But when he talks about His Body we are a unity in which all parts need to work together for the benefit of the whole, and not just seeking their own position and well being. Otherwise we have a schizophrenic body that is not able to work properly together. At the beginning of the State of Israel people were willing to give their lives for the lives of others. Now we are more concerned with our young soldiers than the civilians they are called to protect.

    • Pray that the government will have wisdom in this situation.

    • Pray for the family and Gilad himself who is suffering greatly under his illegal captivity.

    • We do not want terrorists to be released. Many things are impossible for man, but nothing is impossible for God.

    • Strength for our leaders in this difficult situation.

    • The government needs to make a long term decision.

    • Pray for the awakening of the Israeli people to the fact that God has a purpose for the nation as a whole, that we will not just be a collection of individuals, but a people, a community.

    • You, Father, have created one people in one land, You have gathered us from over 100 nations, humanly impossible yet You are a mighty God and it happened. Please, Father, put in us the willingness to be one people in one nation, let us be willing to serve the nation. We are from different backgrounds with different cultures, but Father, help us to overcome this and see the greater miracle of preserving us as a people.

    • Father, restore the sense of giving in us, rather than always be thinking on how to further our own interests. Let us give of ourselves to the nation. Give us, Father, a corporate identity for the well being of this nation.

  4. The court case in Beersheva

    There is a court case going on in Beersheva between the Chief Rabbi, Yad L'Achim and the believers. About a year ago there was a violent demonstration of ultra orthodox Jews against a Messianic congregation in Beersheva. The Messianic Jews are taking the Rabbinate and Yad L'Achim to court over the matter.

    Some believers would say that we need to turn the other cheek. While others would say that when Paul was threatened with flogging he said to the jailer, are you going to flog a Roman Citizen? And therefore, some believers think that you should take the matter to court to bring justice to the land.

    On Monday, the court sits again to hear from the defendents on the matter. The pastor of the Kehila (congregation) in Beersheva made it clear that taking the Rabbinate to court is not an attack on Israel, but concerns our right to justice as Israeli Citizens.

    Pray:

    • That the truth will come out. There will be many false testimonies and we need a godly and truthful ruling.

    • That the Lord will enable the believers of the Land to lead a peaceful and quiet life in Yeshua our Messiah.

    • For courage for the judge to render a truthful and just ruling.

    • Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

      1 Timothy 2:1-4

  5. Rain

    We have had some rain, but it is definitely not enough, let's ask Him for much more!! The latest update on the Kinneret is that we still need to rise another 6 meters. The latest rains have only increased the Kinneret by a few centimeters. We are indeed in a desperate situation.

    • Father, we ask You that You will provide 6 meters or more to the Sea of Galilee. Please provide us with the abundance of water that we so desperately need. We ask You to forgive us that we have not being good stewards of our water. Please help us to change our habits to learn to minimize our consumption, help us and fill the aquifers in the Land.

    • You said, Father, that You send the rain to the just and the unjust to give water to Your people. We ask You, Father, for Your name's sake, open the heavens on our behalf, Father.

  6. Aliyah (immigration to Israel)

    In the Parasha (synagogue reading portion) this week, we read about Isaac who was the only Patriarch who remained in the Land all his life. A mysterious figure, and yet a central figure in the unfolding of God's plan for His Land.

    Pray for:

    • Aliyah - what would it be like to have all the Jews from all the corners of the earth here in Israel?

    • The removal of all the obstacles that keep people from making Aliyah.

    • The government to make Aliyah a priority, to stand behind the new immigrants, to simplify bureaucracy.

    • People need to think of the blessings that they would receive of being here, rather than listening to their fears about the Land.

    • We thank You, Father, for all the new immigrants that we have. Even this week the Ethiopian community gathered to thank You for their Aliyah and to remember those that died on the long road to Israel. Father, please increase the number of Jews from the US, before is too late for them.

    • Put a stop to the Yeridah (emigration from Israel), Father. Abraham kept Isaac from leaving the Land by sending his servant to get Rebecca; bring those Israelis living abroad back to the Land, we pray.

  7. Minarets in Switzerland

    On the 29th November 2009, Switzerland is going to vote regarding whether or not to allow Muslim mosques minarets in every village and city in Switzerland. Apparently, the Evangelical Alliance has asked the Swiss to vote in favor of having them for fear of a Muslim persecution against the Christians. Maybe this is a judgment of God on the Swiss for being so anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli over the years.

    • Father, we ask on behalf of Switzerland and we plead with You for a rejection of those minarets in their land. These minarets and their call to prayer bring darkness, and we know that the world is getting darker as we speak. Enable the people of Switzerland to stand up against this evil in their land, to openly speak against it, and to lead a life of truth and righteousness.

  8. Pray for the Salvation of Israel

    God is gathering the Jewish people back to the Land to save them.

    • For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

      Ezekiel 36:24-28
    • We only have salvation through Yeshua; let's pray for God's revelation to his people, for the light of the Messiah to shine.

Father, we thank You for the privilege of gathering together to pray in Jerusalem, we thank You for answering our prayers. Keep us alert, sensitive and watching in Yeshua's name, we pray.

Shabbat Shalom,
The IFI team