A Song of degrees. I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence comes my help. My help comes from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer your foot to be moved: he that keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper: the LORD is your shade upon your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil: he shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Psalm 121:1-8

We look to the Lord this morning to be our help and to keep us through our prayer time together.

We began this morning of prayer by asking the Lord to intervene in the situation that continues to develop in Iran. It has been made abundantly clear through statements by US government officials, current and past, that any attack on Iran would not work and would actually accelerate the program. This is sending a signal to Israel that the US is resigned to the idea that Iran will get nuclear capability. Sanctions are affecting Iran's economy in a big way, but they have done nothing to halt the drive for nuclear weapons. Time is running out, and the world is simply watching it happen. There were several points that the Lord laid on our hearts.

1. We began our prayers concerning this situation by praying for the leaders of Israel. The Prime Minister, his cabinet, and the military leaders need to know what to do, and when they should do it.

   We Prayed:

   • We thank you Lord for PM Netanyahu and his sense of urgency in the situation. Give him the wisdom he needs to navigate these troubled waters successfully.

   • Make the Prime Minister bold and courageous to make decision for the safety of this nation.

   • Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded you: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper where ever you go.

     Joshua 1:7

   • Remind him of Your Word and cause him to hold fast to it so that you may prosper him.

   • Strengthen the Prime Minister against the internal backbiting that is happening.

   • Give the government the ability to see through the threats from the US.

   • Make our leaders aware of the timing of the threat, and how quickly the window is closing.

   • May all the information that Israel receives concerning the progress of the program be good information.

2. We then asked the Lord to cover the actions of our intelligence gathering agents. They are working under intense pressure and their information is vital to the nation's survival.

   We Prayed:

   • Lord, please cover all of our spies on the ground right now in Iran.

   • Give them the ability to gather all the information they need without being discovered.

   • Give them wisdom - may they hear Your voice and know how to walk according to it.

   • Keep communication open and clear between them and Israel.

   • Guard and watch over every relationship that they have so that these relationships would not be exposed.

   • And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. (Joshua 2:1) Provide the Rahabs that these spies will need so that they would be hidden from their enemies.

   • May they know who they should trust and who cannot be trusted.

3. Something that is going to affect the Iranian situation dramatically is the election in the United States. Right now, not knowing who the president will be after November confuses Israel's position a bit and prevents Israel from knowing what kind of support they will have. It is important that we pray for the Lord to intervene in the US election.

   We Prayed:

   • We thank you Lord that this too is in Your hands!

   • In Your mercy, give the US the man that You want to be in the White House.

   • Inspire and motivate the evangelical believers to vote and to not stay at home.

   • Motivate the Body in the States to constant concerted prayer for Your Will to be done in this election. Reveal to them that they have an active part to play in what happens there.

   • Expose the character and the integrity of both of these men so that the choice will be clear- remove deception from their mouths.

   • May the true character of President Obama continue to be revealed for all to see

   • And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

     Daniel 2:21

4. We then turned our attention to the continued sanctions being placed upon Iran. They continue to have an effect on the economy, but our prayer is that they will start to shake the regime that is in control.

   We Prayed:

   • We pray that the protests sparked by the sanctions would increase.

   • May the rulers in power be shaken by the sanctions and the protests that follow.

   • Use the pride of the regime against them so that they overstep their mark.

   • Give the nations around the world the resolve to continue the sanctions.

   • Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

     Proverbs 16:18

   • Cause Iran to make a crucial mistake that would force the world to take action.

   • Please take the blinders off the other nations in the world to see what the reality truly is.

   • Convince the regime in Iran that if they continue on this path that they will be destroyed.

5. Finally, as we always do, we asked that the Lord Himself would sovereignly take a hand in what is going on in Iran. We continue to ask that the Lord Himself would scatter His enemies, those who hate Israel.

   We Prayed:

   • Pay attention to the threats and the taunts issued by the Iranian regime - Humble them by Your power.

   • Arise Lord and humiliate Islam so that You would receive all the glory.

   • You will arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time, is come. For your servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth Your glory.

     Psalms 102:13-15

   • And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from there the king and the princes, says the LORD. (Jeremiah 49:38) Set up Your throne in Iran!

   • Shake the nation physically and bring earthquakes in their proper places.

6. With the Israeli government unable to agree on a budget, there is a real possibility that early elections will be called for February. If the Knesset is dissolved, within the next two weeks, the election process will begin. Nothing is set yet, but with the way politicians here are starting to speak, many think it is almost sure to happen. Internal running for office has a tendency to take a country's eyes off of anything else that is going on around us. On the other hand, it may be that the Lord wants to raise more good men up to rule in Israel. We need to ask the Lord to have His way.

   We Prayed:

   • We ask that Your would establish the timing of the next election, whether it be in February or October.

   • Bring revelation to the Prime Minister to know what needs to be done for the good of the country.

   • Help the government to pass a good budget quickly if You do not want new elections.

   • If You do want early elections, raise up more good men of character who will lead this nation.

   • Take this situation into Your hands and take it out of the hands of politicians.

   • Wake the people up in Israel to see the reality of the situation here and to know what needs to be done.

   • Our soul waits for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33:20) Be our shield in this time of looking inwards.

7. The situation in Syria has become more complicated over the past week. Syria shot a mortar into Turkey that killed and wounded multiple people. Turkey immediately responded by attacking targets in Syria over the last two days. The Turkish Parliament has given the go ahead to the government to pursue military options if the leaders see the need. Syria has apologized for the incident, but the situation is hanging by a thread. There is a real possibility of an all-out war between Syria and Turkey. On one hand, this is an answer to our prayer that the Lord would confuse those who hate Zion (Psalm 129:5). But on the other hand, a full scale war in our back yard could spill over into the surrounding countries very easily.

   We prayed:

   • We ask that You would continue to confound those who hate Zion and divide our enemies.

   • May Syria's cache of chemical and biological weapons be destroyed - may it never be hidden from sight.

   • Keep Israel's information accurate concerning what is really happening in Syria.

   • Have mercy upon all the innocents caught in the crossfire and protect them.

   • Guard and watch over the Body in both Turkey and Syria.

   • Protect the Body from being targets of attack.

   • Empower Your Body by Your Spirit with wisdom to know what they need to be doing in this dangerous time.

8. Jordan has been a very peaceful border for many years, but there are rumbling coming from Amman that are not reassuring. Since the "Arab Spring" there have been constant protests against the government, led by the Muslim Brotherhood. The King of Jordan announced yesterday that he was dissolving the parliament so that new elections can be held. This seems to be a capitulation to the protesters who want to put more Muslim Brotherhood candidates into the parliament. This is not a good sign for Israel.

   We prayed:

   • A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not silent, O God: hold not your peace, and be not still, O God. For, your enemies make a tumult: and they that hate you have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against your people, and consulted against your hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

     Psalm 83:1

   • See that they are conspiring Lord, and act according to Your Word.

   • Bring low the uprising of men bent on Israel's destruction.

   • Let the King of Jordan know what to do to put down the uprising.

   • May Israel be watchful and ready to know how to handle a new government in Jordan.

   • Have mercy on both Jordan and Israel.

9. We ended our time by thanking the Lord for His Word. At the end of Succot, there is a day called Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah). On this day, the last few words of Deuteronomy is read in the synagogue and well as the first few words of Genesis. The cycle of reading throughout the years starts all over again as a symbol of the eternal character of God's Word. We took time to thank the Lord for giving us His Word and for sending the living Word, Yeshua, into the world for us.

   • Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

     Psalms 119:105

   • We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well thatyou take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

     2 Peter 1:19-21

Shabbat blessings to you all from the IFI Team!