1. We began by praising and thanking the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - our God.

    • I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for My anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel. He shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

      Hosea 14:1-7

    • After these things I heard a great voice of many people in heaven, saying, Hallelujah, salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God.

      Revelation 19:1

    • We bless You that You reign over all the power of man and the devil.

    • We are so encouraged by Your sovereign control of the world (Psalm 103:19).

    • We thank You for gathering us together to pray this morning in Your city Jerusalem.

  2. Throughout the Arab/Islamic world, there is a call to hatred this weekend. May 15th is the anniversary of the birth of the modern State of Israel 63 years ago. Arabs call it the Nakhba, the Catastrophe. Sermons in mosques today are aimed to stir up anger and hate against Israel. And this Sunday is when hordes of Arabs are supposed to march on Israel's borders. This very serious situation could be a watershed weekend prophetically. We prayed into this in several ways.

    1. Proclamations from God's Word concerning this nation and her end time resurrection.

      • And the LORD said unto Abram…Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are north, and south, east, and west, for all the land which you see, will I give to you and to your seed forever…Arise, walk through the land…for I will give it unto you. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt…in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

        Genesis 13:14-18

      • …when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between the pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

        Genesis 15:17-18

      • This verse is part of this Shabbat's Torah reading:

        The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.

        Leviticus 25:23

      • Abba, we proclaim that this is Your land that You have given to Your people - for Your glory! (Ezekiel 36:23, 32; Malachi 1:5)

      • Even the New Testament agrees that these promises to Israel are still valid:

        Now I say that Yeshua the Messiah was a minister [servant] of the Jews for the truth of God, to confirm [establish; make sure] the promises made unto the fathers [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob].

        Romans 15:8

      • Jeremiah 32:41 is the only time in His Word where God says He will do something with all of His heart and His soul. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul.

      • Some other verses we read out and proclaimed were Jeremiah 31:10; Joel 3:1-2; and the two warnings of Isaiah 60:12 and Zechariah 12:9.

    2. We asked God to turn the curse coming from the Spirit of Islam this weekend into a blessing.

      • Nevertheless the LORD your God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing unto you, because the LORD your God loved you.

        Deuteronomy 23:5

      • …however our God turned the curse into a blessing.

        Nehemiah 13:2

      • Lord, since the curse will be that Israel has no right to this land, and since that is a lie, we declare that a curse without cause shall not have any effect (Proverbs 26:2).

      • In obedience to Matthew 5:44, we bless the Moslems who will curse us. Abba, bless them with a revelation of the only One who truly loves them and died for them - the King of Israel!

      • Lord, somehow, discourage most Palestinians from joining any demonstrations.

      • May this Nakhba day be turned into a nakhba for those who desire Israel's demise (Psalm 38:8).

    3. Obviously, this creates for Israel a security challenge of immense proportions.

      • Captain of the hosts of the Lord, please speak to all of the current Joshua's in the IDF on how to defend this nation during this weekend (Joshua 5:13-6:5)

      • Impart Your strategy and tactics (2 Samuel 5:24-25).

      • We trust You to defend that which You are doing in restoring this nation (Psalm 121:4).

      • Give much wisdom, courage and encouragement to Israel's modern day warriors.

      • We bless You that there are more with us than with our enemies. Open up many eyes to see that truth (2 Kings 6:16-17).

      • Block all press reports that will be distorted or outright lies.

      • Enable Israel to use unique and effective crowd control.

      • There is forecasted a wet, windy weekend. Abba, we remind You that You said, Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? Or have you seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? (Job 38:22-23) Please release those treasures this weekend!

  3. Israeli Prime Minster Bibi Netanyahu is scheduled to address the US Congress May 24th. But US President Barak Hussein Obama is planning on giving a policy speech on the Middle East on May 21st. It is vital for us to continue to cover Netanyahu in prayer.

    • Lord, You have raised up Bibi for such a time as this. Anoint and use him for Your glory.

    • Use his gift of communication to express Your heart to the world when he speaks in Washington D.C.

    • Encourage Netanyahu to use Your Word in his speech (Isaiah 40:8; 55:11).

    • Give him boldness and courage in his dealings with Obama and protect him from all manipulation and threats.

      Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

      Joshua 1:9

    • Save him! Reveal Messiah Yeshua to him this very day.

    • Protect him physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

    • Wake up the American Church. If Obama insists on dividing Your land, empower them to say "No!" in the spirit realm, and stand in the gap for both their nation and for Israel.

    • Give Netanyahu wisdom to take advantage of the recent unity government between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to explain why current "peace" talks are dead.

    • We prayed over these declarations from Proverbs for Bibi:

      The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.

      Proverbs 16:1

      A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.

      Proverbs 16:9

      There are many thoughts in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

      Proverbs 19:21

      The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water. He turns it wherever He will.

      Proverbs 21:1

  4. We prayed next for the Church to arise and stand in the gap for Israel at this time.

    • Lord, wake up believers everywhere to the signs of the times.

    • Anoint pastors and speakers to preach the truth concerning Israel.

    • Give them boldness to preach the truth of Your Word concerning Israel, even in the face of opposition from both within and outside their congregations.

    • Yet please prevent the exaltation of Israel or the Jews. We desire for You, Yeshua to be exalted, throughout Your Body.

      And they sung a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals, for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, people, and nation; and have made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders… saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, wisdom, and strength, honor, and glory, and blessing.

      Revelation 5:9-12

  5. We next prayed for Israeli congregations to stand in the gap for this nation and respond positively to a call by a pastor in Tiberias to pray more into the political and security realms. He has urged a day of prayer and fasting on Tisha b'Av, August 8th, already a fast day in Judaism, which remembers the destruction of both the 1st and 2ndtemples as well as a numerous other disastrous events on or right around that date.

    • Thank You for this call by our brother.

    • May the response be excellent and may the prayers be effective.

    • Please stir up Israeli elders to not wait until then to lead Your people in pray for this nation - in all areas of her current existence.

    • Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch…I prayed unto the LORD, saying, O Lord GOD! Behold, you have made the heaven and the earth by Your great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for You.

      Jeremiah 32:16-17

      Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there any thing too hard for Me?

      Jeremiah 32:26-27

We ended by thanking God for all the water He has brought to this land during the last several months, yet asking Him to provide much more.

Shabbat shalom, and may the King of Kings empower us all to watch and pray.

The IFI Team

And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing;
and I will cause the shower to come down in his season.
There shall be showers of blessing.

Ezekiel 34:26