One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath? Jesus answered them, Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions. Then Jesus said to them, The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Luke 6:1-5

Thank You that You are: Lord of the Sabbath;King of Kings; King of the Jews; Prince of Peace; my Savior; the fulfillment of prophecies.

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.

Psalm 92:1-2

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalm 118:24

  1. Israeli Elections

    According to the media and opinion polls it has been a bad week for the Prime Minister as measured by the number of seats his party is expected to win in the elections. We believe that God wants us to pray for Netanyahu's party Likud-Beitenu to win a convincing election victory. Pray that:

    • Likud-Beitenu will win enough seats in the next Knesset to be able to govern effectively and the coalition partners of God's choosing would be raised up to be part of a strong, united government.

    • Bibi Netanyahu and his advisors would hear God's voice and receive wisdom from above in their election campaigning.

    • Bibi would guard his tongue and discern the traps which others would set for him.

    • A government would be elected to bring glory to God's name, leading the nation to a place of righteousness.

    • During the election campaign the rulers would rule and the governors would govern in the interests of the nation rather than with eyes on short-term political gain. May the people see the substance in what the government is doing!

    • Sarah Netanyahu, the Prime Minister's wife would be an influence for good in her husband's domestic and political life.

  2. The Shas Party

    Shas is the political party in Israel particularly representing the religious Sephardi population. As they have controlled the Interior Ministry for many years, they have made it much more difficult for Messianic Jews to make aliyah and more difficult for Gentile Christians to serve in the land. They are led by Aryeh Deri who has returned to politics unrepentant following a jail sentence for corruption. In Shas' election campaign they are seeking to stir up hatred and division in the nation by emphasizing the Ashkenazi-Sephardi differences in Israeli society. This is racism and it's evil. It goes in the face of God's word that we should be as one in His hand.

    Ezekiel 37:15-17

    • Lord, stir the consciences of the Sephardi Jews in Israel to understand this evil!

    • Keep us as one stick in Your hand!

    • Cause this tactic to backfire against Shas so that they lose seats rather than gain more seats in the elections!

    • Undermine this party which seeks to undermine the government and the nation. Cause Shas to be decimated and to have no position in the next government!

  3. Syria

    There have been rumours that certain of Assad's stockpiles of chemical weapons may have been used during the internal fighting. Pray that:

    • the Lord would contain the chaos within Syria's borders and it would not spill over into Israel.

    • Israel's intelligence services would know where the chemical weapons are and would learn also of any planned attacks or infiltrations into Israel.

    • Israel's spies would be protected.

    • the Security Cabinet and the IDF would have God's wisdom and know how to react whatever happens in Syria. May they have God's plans in place and be ready to put these plans into effect, being motivated by the needs of the nation rather than having their minds on the coming elections.

    • the Lord would allow the conflict to continue as long as He desires. It seems that whoever wins will be bad for Israel and we are protected by the internal conflict between those who hate us.

    • God might raise up in Syria those who seek peaceful co-existence with Israel.

  4. A World Turned Upside Down

    Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

    Isaiah 5:20-21

    A minister in the UK Foreign Office recently referred to Israel's building of homes in Jerusalem as a "war crime". At the same time hardly anything is being said about the conflict in Syria. What an example of a world turned upside down (which is the theme of our prayer conference in January)!

    • Lord, give Your people discernment of spirits and a divine ability to recognize truth from lies!

    • Raise up some people in the world with eyes to see how ridiculous its priorities have become!

    • Make us alert, Lord, with Your heart and mind not ruled by a spirit of fear but with a sound mind! (2 Timothy 1:7)

    • Give Your people discernment and truth where Your plans and purposes for Israel are being questioned or undermined!

    • May Your Church stand with You in Your plans for Israel. May she receive revelation and understanding from You and Your word rather than from CNN or BBC!

    • May leaders lead their congregations into truth and discern the lying spirit at work!

    • Send Your emissaries into the Church in Israel and the nations who will proclaim Your truth!

    • Remove from positions of influence those who will not accept Your standard!

    • Open the eyes of those who cannot see!

  5. Hasbara - Public Relations

    The Israeli Government needs to counter the lies which are being circulated in the world. Eg about whose fault it is that Bethlehem's population is now only about 20% Christian, as compared to about 80% in 1948. The world is generally silent regarding persecution of Christians by Moslems. PM Netanyahu recently commissioned the "Levy Report" which found in favor of Israel's right to settle the land of Judea and Samaria (what the world calls the "West Bank") according to international law.

    • Lord, give wisdom regarding the publication and use made of the Levy Report!

    • Lord, raise up new fresh voices with the anointing to communicate truth!

  6. Confound Your enemies! (Psalm 55:9)

    It seems that God has been causing or allowing conflicts between our enemies in order to protect Israel. We see this in the disunity between Hamas and Fatah, in the civil war in Syria, leadership disunity in Iran, crises in Egypt.

    But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel -because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

    Genesis 11:5-9

    • Lord keep our enemies busy hating and fighting against each other. Keep their conflicts simmering as long as this is Your will for the protection of Israel!

    • Please sustain the enmity between Sunni and Shi'ite, between Hamas and Fatah, between the different factions in the Syrian opposition to Assad!

    • Protect the innocent in the midst of these conflicts!

    • Raise up Your Church in these nations and peoples to pray and stand with You for their nations!

  7. Aliyah

    He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!

    Isaiah 5:26

    • Lord, there are still millions outside the land of Israel. Bring Your people home soon!

    • Give the Jews in North America the insight to see what is coming, so they will come home before it is too late!

    • Bring home the younger generation who will draw their parents home too! 

    • The days are coming, declares the Lord, when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. "They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the Lord your God.

      Amos 9:13-15

    • Give Your people all they need in order to put down roots in their land!

    • Take Shas out of the Interior Ministry and put in those who won't put up obstacles to Messianic Jews!

    • Bring home the "yordim" (Israelis living abroad). May they find here what they have been seeking overseas!

    • Raise up the church to pray and provide for aliyah!

  8. Rain

    • Thank you, Abba, Father, for all the rain we have had this season. You know that we still need much more. Please continue to bless us with rain and snow so that the water reserves will be full by the end of this winter!

Shabbat Shalom!