1. We began by reading from this week's prophetic portion.

   • Rejoice, O barren one that never bore; break out in song and shout…For more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married woman, says YHWH. Make the place of your tent larger…Do not spare, lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes; for you shall break out on the right hand and on the left. Your seed shall inherit the nations, and people will inhabit ruined cities. Do not fear…for you shall not be put to shame; for you shall forget the shame of your youth, and not remember the reproach of your widowhood any more. For your Maker is your husband; YHWH of Hosts is His name. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called. For YHWH has called you as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit…For a little moment I have left you; but with great mercies I will gather you. In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says YHWH your Redeemer…My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall the covenant of My peace be removed, says YHWH who has mercy on you.

     Isaiah 54:1-10

   • Hallelujah! We bless You for being not only faithful to perform that which You have said - but powerful enough to do it regardless of those who oppose You.

   • We are so awed that You - the God of the whole earth - have revealed Yourself to us in Your Son Yeshua.

   • 'There is a Redeemer, Jesus God's own Son. Precious Lamb of God, Messiah - Holy One!'

2. We are in the month of Ellul on the Hebrew calendar, 'the month of repentance'. As shofars are blown every morning in synagogues and many Jews come to pray and ask for forgiveness, this is a great time to pray for Israel's salvation.

   • Lord, with all of the uncertainty and insecurity in the land today, lead Your people to Your Son, their Messiah that is our only true security for all eternity. Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I cry to You. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock higher than I. (Psalms 61:1-2)

   • Abba, show Israelis that You have brought them back home for a good purpose (Jeremiah 30:11-13).

   • Yeshua, send the spirit of grace and supplication upon Your people (Zechariah 12:10).

   • Give to Your people the gift of repentance. Turn us again [in Hebrew, this can also mean, Cause us to repent], O God, and cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! (Psalms 80:3, also vvs. 7,19)

   • Pour out the gift of repentance on the believing community in Israel as well.

   • Introduce many Orthodox Jews to Your Son, their Messiah and Redeemer (John 6:44).

   • Comfort the soon-to-be uprooted small Migron community in Samaria with a revelation of Yeshua, and let them realize that He can relate to their feelings of being betrayed by some leaders in Israel.

   • Use messianic Jews in the IDF as salt and light, to draw many to Yourself. (Matthew 5:13-16).

   • Open up the eyes of many government leaders to see that the government is ultimately on Your shoulders (Isaiah 9:6-7).

   • Lord, fill the Israeli Body of Messiah afresh with Your Holy Spirit at this time.

   • Lord, please double the size of the Body by the end of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, in mid October.

3. For salvation to come to the people of Israel, the Church needs to receive this as a burden from God's heart and pray it back to Him. Although God is absolutely sovereign, it is clear in His Word that He usually waits until His people ask Him before He does His will.

   • Therefore pray in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

     Matthew 6:9-10

   • Lord, enable us all to understand that You are expecting us to pray for Your will to be done on earth.

   • I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who will not be silent all the day nor all the night. You who remember YHWH [or are YHWH's secretaries], do not be silent, and give Him no silence until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

     Isaiah 62:6-7

   • There are elders of congregations who understand the centrality of Israel's restoration and salvation to Your kingdom purposes, but have been silent because of fear of their congregates reaction. Great Shepherd of these shepherds, speak clearly to them that now is the time for them to speak and take a stand!

   • Enable the Body of Messiah to recognize Israel's unique relationship with You - even before they are saved. Indeed as regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes. But as regards the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. (Romans 11:28)

4. As it states in the Scripture, before all Israel is saved, they need to be back in the land. So our next prayer burden was for aliyah, the immigration of Jews from exile to home.

   • Therefore say to the house of Israel…I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. And I will sanctify My great name…and the nations shall know that I am the LORD…when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all lands, and will gather you into your own land.

     Ezekiel 36:22-24

     Verses 25-27 then describe perfectly what happens when one is 'born again'.

   • Lord, since as You said in these Ezekiel verses and in Isaiah 43:5-7, that aliyah will bring You glory, we pray with perfect confidence that You will hear and answer our prayers (1 John 5:14-15).

   • Whatever it takes, please stir up the millions of Jews in America to see that it is time to come home.

   • We see the 'restoration' of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and in Germany, and do not believe this is Your will. Do not allow Israel or believing communities to encourage this development, but to impress on these Jewish people that only in Israel will they find safety, comfort, and their Messiah.

   • Abba, during this holyday season that we are entering, place the burden of coming home on the hearts of multitudes of Messianic Jews.

   • Lord, enable Orthodox Jews in exile to understand this rabbinic saying: Dwelling in the Land of Israel is equal to all the commandments of the Torah. (Sifrei, Re'eh 28; Tosefta, Avodah Zarah 5:2)

   • Provide all the finances needed to bring back the so-called 'lost tribes' from India, Ethiopia and other places.

   • Give the gentile part of the Body of Messiah an understanding that You are expecting them to aid in the aliyah, by carrying (Isaiah 49:22), praying (Isaiah 62:10 in context) and even paying (Isaiah 60:5-6,11).

   • Lord, may many Jewish youth come and let their families follow soon after.

5. As we prayed for Israel's salvation and asked God to bring them home, it was right that the next prayer item was for Israel's security. After all, God does not save dead people - therefore for all Israel to be redeemed, they need to be alive. Unfortunately, most of Israel's neighbors want something else.

   • Abba, we bless You for Israel's Defense Force - the IDF - which is a fulfillment of Your prophetic word (Ezekiel 37:10; Zechariah 12:6).

   • Yet, our trust is in another IDF - Israel's Divine Father. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. (Psalms 20:7)

   • Since You have raised up Israel's army for just a time like this, we ask You to provide all it will need to protect this nation from her enemies.

   • As You have done so often in times past, go forth with Israel's armies whenever it goes out to battle. When you go out to battle against your enemies and see…a people more than you, do not be afraid of them. For YHWH your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 20:1)

   • Strengthen and encourage each soldier through Your miracle working power.

   • Give to the IDF and to the government, leaders with an understanding of how to protect this nation, and the courage to do exactly that (1 Chronicles 12:32).

   • We remind You of Your promise, that He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep [guard] him, as a shepherd keeps his flock. (Jeremiah 31:10b)

   • Prevent any further accidents or friendly fire incidents.

   • Block all attempts at kidnapping IDF soldiers.

6. Prime Minister Netanyahu plans to speak at the annual UN General Assembly gathering in late September. He will again speak truth about the terrorist government that is running Iran and trying to develop nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Iran continues to spin centrifuges, build new ones, and threaten Israel's very existence. And many in the world attended the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Tehran this past week as if Iran's current regime does not really mean what they say. Yet this is exactly what the world's reaction to Hitler was.

   • No weapon that is formed against you shall be blessed; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the inheritance of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me, says the LORD.

     Isaiah 54:17

   • Lord, we condemn the words of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei and its President Ahmadinejad, who have used their tongues to threaten, denigrate, slander and curse Your nation Israel.

   • Lord of hosts, You see the continual threats to annihilate this nation and how most of the world is silent. We need You to arise and deal with Your/our enemies (Psalm 83:1-5).

   • Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail. Let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O LORD, and let the nations know they are but men. Selah.

     Psalms 9:19-20

   • Impart to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Barak all of the wisdom and courage they need to make correct decisions regarding how to deal with the Iranian threats.

   • Anoint and protect Netanyahu when he speaks at the UN.

   • Strengthen and encourage Israel's US Ambassador Michael Oren and UN Ambassador Ron Prosor to be all they need to be whenever You call on them to speak to the world or give counsel to Israel's government.

   • Enable Israel's military planners to think out of the box, to come up with surprising and effective tactics to confound Iran in the event that Israel needs to attack that nation (Psalm 129:5).

   • Lord, set Your throne in Iran - by saving multitudes of Iranians - and destroy the king and its princes, as You said You would do in Jeremiah 49:38. [Elam is where ancient Persia was located.]

7. We next prayed for Israel's government, especially over the budget and early elections.

   • Abba, give Israel's leaders wisdom concerning Israel's budget.

   • We want a budget that is righteous and just. He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you, which is to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

   • Enable all ministries to make whatever financial cuts are needed to help sustain this nation through the global financial tsunami overflowing many nations.

   • Block all political manipulation when it comes to making financial decisions.

   • And I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning; afterwards you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.

     Isaiah 1:26

   • Do not allow there to be early elections unless it is 101% Your will!

   • We want You to determine the exact timing of the next elections in Israel.

8. Last night, there was an IFI meeting in the very north of Israel, in Kiryat Shomnah. They reported that it when very well, with around 50 in attendance. They prayed much for the protection of the northern part of Israel as well as for the government and IDF. There was one item in particular, that they prayed into that we want to bring to your attention: Israel is located in a major earthquake zone and is well overdue for a major earthquake. We will shortly be holding a major national exercise to practice and rehearse our preparedness for such an earthquake. We are doing what we can to prepare.

   • Lord, let all the emergency services be well prepared and funded for saving lives!

   • God, we are under Your hand. You can defer the major earthquake. You can overrule the rules of 'nature'.

   • You can save the day of the earthquake for those occasions when You have said the earth will shake such as in the Gog and Magog war and when Yeshua returns to place His feet on the Mount of Olives.

   • You speak and all is quiet. Have grace and mercy over this land!

   • From Psalm 46: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear when the earth moves, and when mountains are slipping into the heart of the seas. Let its waters roar and foam; let the mountains shake with the swelling of it. Selah…The nations raged, the kingdoms were shaken; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. YHWH of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of YHWH…who makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in two…Be still, and know that I am God! I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the land. YHWH of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

   • We bless You for this Kiryat Shomnah meeting and ask that You encourage many of those who attended to remain on their watch over this nation.

Blessings from Zion and Shabbat shalom,

The IFI team