How lovely are Your tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh cries out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in Your house: they will be still praising You. Selah. Blessed is the man whose strength is in You; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also fills the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appears before God. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed. For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in You.

Psalm 84

  1. Within the last week, there have been multiple declarations that new flotillas are being planned. Iran, Lebanon, and another European "aid" organization have all declared their intentions to send ships to run Israel's blockade of Gaza. They say that their purpose is to keep pressure on Israel. This continued threat needs to be lifted before the Lord.

    We prayed:

    • Lord, please give our leaders the wisdom and knowledge to discern the situation correctly.

    • May we as a nation not lack in knowledge.

    • Help our leaders see the whole picture and not just the immediate consequences.

    • We cry our to You Lord to act sovereignly and stop any flotilla that wants to set sail.

    • We pray for readiness on the part of the military.

    • May the military understand that each situation is different and that they need to prepare themselves for new problems with each flotilla.

    • Watch over our border Lord and protect us.

    • Let all weapons or terrorists being planted on these ships be exposed to the light.

    • May Israel's enemies overplay their hands.

    • May the truth come out about these self-serving "aid" organizations.

    • Open the eyes of those on these flotillas to the truth of what they are doing.

    • Expose the provocative nature of these organizations before they sail.

    • Let the truth come forth and stand.

    • Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

      Proverbs 23:23

  2. Israel has announced its intention to ease the blockade of Gaza. The government of Israel is trying hard to not be seen to be capitulating to international pressure. But, it is hard not to see this as bowing to foreign pressure. The government needs wisdom in carrying out this "easing" of the blockade.

    We prayed:

    • Let the people of Israel finally see that the world will never be appeased no matter what we might do.

    • Let our government act wisely and see if there are areas that can be eased without threatening Israel's safety.

    • Let us not simply bow to pressure, but may our government act in wisdom.

    • Don't allow us to go further that what You have ordained for this nation.

    • Don't allow this "easing" to encourage our enemies that they have won.

    • Show our government that this pressure is simply one step in a larger plan to reduce the strength of Israel and know how to counter that plan.

    • May the fear of what may happen NOT be a motivator in decision making.

    • May security be foremost in the minds of our leaders.

  3. As intercessors, we understand that wisdom is needed for us to know how to pray. The situation is becoming more complex and more dangerous by the day. We must appeal to God to sovereignly defend us and to show us how we are to pray in these coming days.

    We prayed:

    • Oh Lord, forgive the sin of this stiff-necked people!

    • Speak to us about what is on Your heart for Israel.

    • Teach us how to intercede during this crucial time.

    • Defend this nation Lord - We ask for You to move sovereignly.

    • Show us if there are weaknesses as a nation that we need to be praying into.

    • Teach us about our position as intercessors before You.

    • We ask for Your mercy!

    • Help this nation look to You and not just to our military for our defense.

    • May we as a nation be humbled by YOU and not by those who would seek to destroy us.

  4. The UN seems to be trying to exert its authority here again. For a while, when Israel was firmly supported by America, we had some relief from UN attempts to control. It seems the pressure to allow UN intervention has come back in force.

    We prayed:

    • Show me your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.

      Psalm 25:4

    • Lord, see the arrogance of these nations who seek to exert their authority and humiliate them in their pride.

    • Have Your way in this situation!

    • Expose to light the hypocrisy and the filth that pervades this organization.

    • Give us understanding of the "powers" that are operating behind the scenes.

    • The UN's only uniting force seems to be its unity against Israel - Lord, throw this "unity" into utter confusion.

    • Don't allow our enemies to unite in a productive way.

    • May Israel not stand in fear of the UN.

    • Contain this power that is active again.

    • Open the eyes of those involved in the UN about the threat posed by Islam gaining authority in that body.

  5. The leaders of Israel are under enormous pressure and we need to lift them up as intercessors. Just when we think the pressure can't get any worse, it does. Prime Minister Netanyahu is in an impossible position as our leader. The message coming out of Israel seems to be coming through Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon who has made the rounds in Europe. Ehud Barak, our Defense Minister, needs wisdom to know how to confront the coming flotillas. All our leaders need help from the Lord.

    We prayed:

    • Thank You Lord for a Prime Minister who admits to reading the Scriptures daily - use this to bring revelation to his heart.

    • Strengthen our Prime Minister to withstand the ungodly pressure on him now.

    • Help Netanyahu see that he has to answer to You first and not other nations.

    • Give wisdom to the inner cabinet to appoint wise men to speak for this government.

    • Bless Danny Ayalon and cause truth to come forth from his mouth.

    • May the message coming forth from Israel be a united one.

    • Show Netanyahu what he needs to say and in what contexts he needs to say it.

    • Surround Netanyahu with counselors who will give him the counsel You have appointed.

    • Give Ehud Barak the strategies he needs to counter these flotillas. Use him despite himself.

    • May there be a supernatural unity among all the leaders.

    • Give our leaders the ability to hear Your voice.

    • And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward you will be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

      Isaiah 1:26

    • Protect them from confusion.

    • Protect them from rebellious elements that would prevent them from leading effectively.

  6. Yesterday there was a rally of 100,000 Orthodox Jews here in Jerusalem protesting a decision made by the Supreme Court. Over the last weeks, the secular media has been speaking strongly against the religious parts of our society. Many Orthodox Jews are saying that this country means nothing to them. These sentiments have been growing in recent weeks and could turn our society to a much greater, more destructive division. We see through history that Israel has a tendency to be it's own worst enemy. Unity is needed to face what will be coming on this nation.

    We prayed:

    • Deliver us from the enemy within our society.

    • Unite us as a whole people.

    • May wise heads from both sides of this divide start to speak strongly and with authority.

    • Give this nation Your peace.

    • The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

      Psalm 29:11

    • Speak Your truth in the midst of this troubling time.

    • Don't allow our enemies as an excuse to exalt themselves over us.

    • May the communities see the good there can be found in the variety we have in this nation.

    • May each community have a heart to play its part in the building up of Israel.

    • Silence those politicians in government who want to make the division worse for personal political gain.

    • Soften the pride being displayed in this country, so that we may see the importance of unity.

    • Protect us from fundamentalism that leads to a zeal that isn't in accordance to Your will (out of the flesh).

    • May the Shabbat be a source of peace and rest for those who are living in anger.

  7. The Body needs to know its place with everything that is going on. We need to know how to pray and how to be ambassadors of peace in our society.

    We prayed:

    • Don't allow us to remain in our believing "ghettos".

    • You have called us so we ask You to raise us up to be who You have called us to be.

    • Help us see how we must be ready to stand in the gap.

    • Help us to be vessels of truth.

    • Help the Body impact our communities for the glory of Your kingdom.

    • Strengthen the Body in the Land.

    • Give the elders the skills they need to equip the Body.

Blessings to all from the team here at IFI!