1. We started by looking at the prophetic portion read in the synagogues tomorrow - I Kings 19, the story of Elijah on Mt. Horeb hearing the still, small voice of God.

    • Lord, we thank You that we as Your sheep can hear Your voice (John 10:27).

    • We bless You for choosing us to be part of Your sheepfold (John 15:16).

    • As we look back, we are amazed at how often You have heard and answered our prayers. And for that we give You all the praise and honor and glory.

    • We are also so thankful that all of our prayers which were not in line with Your will that You did not answer! Hallelujah!

    • Hear, O Israel… Open our ears to hear You clearly this morning.

    • We bless You for this precious promise concerning prayer.

      Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

      Psalm 50:15

  2. This week, over 700 Jews from various nations made aliyah - immigrated to Israel. The projection is that more Jews will come home this year than in any year in the recent past. That is great news and a direct answer to prayer.

    • The LORD is building Jerusalem. He is gathering together the outcasts of Israel.

      Psalms 147:2-3

    • We bless You for this news because this is exactly what You said You would do for Your glory.

      Fear not: for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back. Bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the ends of the earth - even every one that is called by My name, for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him, yes, I have made him.

      Isaiah 43:5-7

    • Remove all stones of stumbling blocking the 7,000 plus Jews in India who are called B'nei Menashe, from coming home this summer.

    • Please do the same for the thousands of Ethiopian Jews who are also waiting to return.

    • You prophesied that many Jews would come home with their silver and gold. (Isaiah 60:9). We see this as applying to the many millions of Your people still residing in Western nations. Pull them out and bring them home.

    • Many French Jews have already bought homes in Israel, but still live in France. Show them that they need to come home.

    • May the single Jews making aliyah in the hopes of finding a spouse, be lead to Your divine choice for them.

    • We grieve over the horrific murder of the 9 year old Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] boy in Brooklyn, NY. Yet use that to shock the whole Haredi community in exile to return.

    • Therefore…the days come, says the LORD, that it shall no more be said, the LORD lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but, the LORD lives, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands where He had driven them. And I will bring them again into their land I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, says the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them…

      Jeremiah 16:14-16a

    • Remove from Your people a fear of the giants in the land that they see from afar and enable them to trust You to do that which You have declared.

    • Bring home all family members in exile of Jews whom have already come home.

    • Touch the hearts of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who live outside of this land. Make them extremely homesick for Zion (Psalm 137:1-6).

    • I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness [chesed - God's stubborn love based on His commitment to His covenant promises!] have I drawn you.

      Jeremiah 31:3

  3. While most of the world's attention has been on the uprisings in the Arab Middle East - aka, the "Arab Spring" - Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons and the missiles to deliver them. We also see her insidious involvement in much of the violence taking place in this part of the globe. As usual, we prayed into this dangerous situation on two different tracks: 1) God arise and deal with this threat sovereignly; 2) If You are wanting Israel to deal with it militarily - give clear guidance to her leaders.

    • Let God arise. Let His enemies be scattered. Let them also that hate Him flee before Him… Rebuke the company of spearmen… scatter the people that delight in war.

      Psalms 68:1,30

    • I will set my throne in Elam [ancient Persia]…

      Jeremiah 49:38a

      Abba, do this through the salvation of multitudes of Iranians. Open up their eyes to behold Yeshua.

    • …and I will destroy from there the king and the princes, says the LORD.

      Jeremiah 49:38

      Lord, tear down the strongholds of Shi'ite Islam, anti-Semitism and all anti-Christ spirits over that nation.

    • You said in Jeremiah 49:35 that You would break the bow of Elam. Therefore, we ask You to destroy all of Iran's missile launch sites.

    • If Israel is to be used as Your weapon of war (Jeremiah 51:20), give to her leadership every bit of courage and wisdom they will need to execute the job with precision.

    • Thank You that we have in Israel today a leadership that has shown great courage in the past. Continue to empower Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and all others who will be involved in this crucial decision.

    • Enable Israel to be prepared for the fallout - militarily, diplomatically, etc.

    • Reveal to Israel's intelligence agencies and her spies the exact information they need to give the advice that will enable Israel's leadership to make accurate decisions.

    • Bring all of Israel's various intelligence and security departments in line with each other.

  4. The Arab League is now backing a Palestinian unilateral attempt to have the UN declare them a legitimate nation at September's UN annual meeting. America has said it will veto this move in the UN Security Council. Yet can we trust Obama to do this? If it is vetoed, it will still be passed in the General Assembly by a huge majority. Although having no legal ramifications, this will contribute to the world seeing Israel as a pariah state - "occupying" another recognized nation's territory. By the way, that "occupied territory" is where much of the biblical story takes place. It also includes the mountains of Israel, the place where God says He will bring the Jewish people back to, in order to save them (see Ezekiel 36).

    • Note what God says about those who speak against Israel's mountains:

      …I have heard all your blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume. Thus…you have boasted against Me, and have multiplied your words against Me: I have heard them.

      Ezekiel 35:12-13

    • Lord, give supreme wisdom to Israel's leaders to know how to fight this diplomatic war.

    • Cause the Palestinians to overplay their hand.

    • Thank You for continuing to harden the heart of Israel's enemies, so that even 18 years after the Oslo "peace" process went into effect, there is still no Palestinian State.

    • Lord, because we believe that You are restoring Your people to Your land - for Your kingdom purposes, we declare these verses asking You to watch over Your word to do it.

    • The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever; the thoughts of His heart to all generations.

      Psalms 33:10-11

      Amen!

    • Associate yourselves, O you people, and you shall be broken in pieces. Give ear, all you of far countries: gird yourselves, and you shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and you shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nothing; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

      Isaiah 8:9-10

  5. Another existential threat is the internal divisions in this nation. Whether it is secular vs. religious, or right vs. left, the intensity with which Israelis approach these differences can become very dangerous. The ultimate answer is salvation - the revelation of Israel's Great Shepherd.

    • Lord, do not allow the house of Israel to be divided irreparably.

    • Silence, by Your Spirit, extreme expressions on all sides.

    • Hedge in the media from encouraging and feeding this division.

    • Bring Your unity and Your shalom to this nation at this critical time.

    • You said You would make us one in the hand of the Son of Man (Ezekiel 37:15-20).

    • Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, where they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

      Ezekiel 37:21-22

    • Save multitudes of Israelis at this time.

      And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look unto Me whom they have pierced. And they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

      Zechariah 12:10

    • Bring the Israeli Body of Messiah unto a place of unity in the Holy Spirit.

We ended our time praying for the ministry of Intercessors for Israel as there are some of the team out ministering in the nations, as well as the preparation for the 2012 prayer conference is well under way.

We do so appreciate your commitment to stand before the Lord for His land and His people.

Shabbat shalom,
The IFI team