1. This Shabbat's Torah portion has several verses that are very appropriate for Israel's current situation.

    • And it happened when the ark pulled up, Moses said, Rise up, YHWH, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You. And when it rested, he said, Return, O YHWH, to the many thousands of Israel.

      Numbers 10:35-36

    • We bless You for life and all the ups and downs that are found in it.

    • Thank You for Your steadfast love to us.

    • Thank You for our Messiah Yeshua, who sits at Your right hand (Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13).

    • Hallelujah! Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world - regardless of how we feel (1 John 4:4)!

  2. Numbers 11:23, which is also part of this Shabbat's Torah portion, led us to also praise God for all He has done in restoring Israel - up to this very day.

    • Has YHWH's hand become short? You shall see now whether or not My word shall come to pass to you.

      Numbers 11:23

    • We thank You for the increase in aliyah, as You watch over Your word to bring Your people home from the north, south, east and west (Isaiah 43:5-7).

    • We are thrilled that the increase in salvations is greater than the increase in aliyah and we continue to ask You to Save O YHWH, Your people, the remnant of Israel. (Jeremiah 31:7)

    • We affirm that You have established Israel's current borders, though they are not its final borders. Your eyes shall see, and you shall say, YHWH will be magnified beyond [or 'upon'] the border of Israel. (Malachi 1:5)

    • You said that when Israel returns, You would make Your people an exceedingly great army (Ezekiel 37:10), a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth (Isaiah 41:15), that they would be Your weapons of war (Jeremiah 51:20). We see the IDF as fulfilling these verses literally and want to give You all the praise and glory for faithfully watching over Your word (Jeremiah 1:12).

    • How wonderful You are to have answered our persistent intercession for Israel's water situation.

    • We bless You for enabling Israel's economy to remind strong in the midst of the global economic shakings.

    • Abba, although for those of us who live in Jerusalem the tension seems to increase almost daily, we do stand in amazement that we are in the days when You - not man - are making Jerusalem a source of contention among the nations of the world. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling to all the peoples all around, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. In that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples. All who lift it shall be slashed, even though all nations of the earth be gathered against it… [And] in that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:2-3, 9)

  3. The IDF: The Israeli Defense Forces is facing for the first time since 1973 the possibility of a regional war against Israel. Besides praying for the army, we also prayed for the new recruits - mostly teenagers - who might be facing life and death decisions and situations too soon in their young lives.

    • Thank You for the huge improvement the IDF has made since the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

    • Continue to aid the IDF to go from being a 'glorified police force' - when they needed to fight terrorists inside Israel - to an army that can deal with other armies, outside of Israel.

    • Yeshua, You have raised up each and every solider for just a time like this. We bless them in Your name with all they might ever need to do that which You have created them for.

    • Mature these young ones - yet keep them from getting hard-hearted towards You or man.

    • Provide all the finances the IDF needs.

    • Impart Your divine intelligence to all those in Israel's military intelligence. A man's heart plans his way, but YHWH directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

    • Release the IDF's leadership from all false assumptions concerning our enemies and their capabilities.

    • Make the IDF leaders like those prophesied generals in Zechariah 12:6: In that day I will make the governors [allufim - modern Hebrew = generals] of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire among cut grain. And they shall devour all the peoples all around, on the right hand and on the left hand. And Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her place, in Jerusalem.

    • Encourage the soldiers with the support of the nation - yet help them to see that it is their responsibility to protect the civilians even at the cost of laying down their lives.

    • From this week's prophetic portion: Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says YHWH of Hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

    • Abba, breathe on the IDF with Your overruling Spirit and direct them in all Your ways.

    • Bring a real unity between the soldiers and the officers (Psalm 133:1-3).

    • Prepare the IDF - including the air force, the navy and home-front command - to wage the next war.

    • May all of us be in the right place at the right time when the next war breaks out.

    • Whatever the IDF accomplishes, we look for the fruit of it to be this: And you shall rejoice in YHWH and glory in the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:16b)

  4. Israeli leaders: The three leaders who will be responsible for way the next war is fought are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and the IDF's Chief of Staff Benny Gantz. They especially need our prayer support.

    • Lord, thank You for raising them up at this time (Daniel 4:25).

    • Anoint each to fulfill that for which You have created them.

    • Give unity of mind and heart to this threesome.

    • Make them like that three-fold cord in Ecclesiastes 4:12b: …a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

    • Provide all the counsel they will need to make godly decisions (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 20:18; 24:6).

    • As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the face of his friend. (Proverbs 27:17) May these men develop such a close relationship that they end up making each other sharper!

    • Protect them from deception and bad advice.

    • As per Your word, may Your counsel to prevail in all of their ways. There are many purposes in a man's heart [Hebrew = mind, emotions, will], but the counsel of YHWH shall stand. (Proverbs 19:21)

    • Enable the communications between them and the upper echelon of the IDF to be super clear.

    • Cleanse the IDF from all confusion and demoralization.

    • Ultimately, Lord we trust in You, not in Israel's army. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of YHWH our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save, YHWH; let the King hear us when we call. (Psalms 20:7-9)

  5. The 'peace' process: A continual pressure on Israel is the world's 'obsession' with seeing this land divided and a 'Palestine' created. US Secretary of State John Kerry made another trip to Israel to try and resurrect negotiations between Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority head Abbas. Yet, thank God, the Palestinians have put so many pre-conditions on the talks, that Kerry is just wasting time - his and Israel's.

    • Keep not silence, God; do not be silent, and be not still, God. Behold, Your enemies roar - those who hate You have lifted up their head. They take shrewd counsel against Your people…[saying] Come, let us cut them off from being a nation, so that the name Israel may be remembered no more.

      Psalms 83:1-4

    • Strive, O YHWH, with those who strive with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of a shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.

      Psalms 35:1-2

    • Lord, stand between Israel's leaders and the rest of the world leaders who are pushing them to do that which is against Your will (Leviticus 25:23).

    • Abba, help Kerry see who Abbas really is - a holocaust denying terrorist chief who was Arafat's right-hand man and is continuing Arafat's phased plan for Israel's destruction.

    • Bring all of Kerry's hopes and schemes concerning Israel to nothing and hedge him.

    • Make his trip so frustrating that he decides to not come back for a long time.

    • Open up the eyes of Israeli leaders and the media who are pushing for Israel to divide its land, to the reality that there is no partner for peace among current Palestinian leaders.

    • Continue to strengthen all Israeli leaders who stand against this land being divided (2 Chronicles 32:7).

    • Lord, this is Your land and Your purpose is to settle Your people here. Therefore, do whatever it takes to prevent the establishment of a Palestine in this place (Isaiah 14:29-32).

    • For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I will bring again the exiles of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will fight with them there for My people and for My inheritance Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided My land.

      Joel 3:1-2

  6. One of the most grievous issues that we deal with is the resistance of our brothers and sisters - the true Church - to God's prophetic plans for this nation and her people.

    • Lord, impress upon Your people the need to receive the love of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

    • Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth.

      John 17:17

    • We proclaim to the Church, especially in the West, How long are you limping over two opinions? If YHWH is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, then follow him. (1 Kings 18:21b)

    • Despite the fear many believers have of declaring Your non-politically correct truth, show them how essential it is to do just that at this time in history!

    • May Your Spirit of truth lead us into all truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).

    • Lord, use the terror attack in the streets of London yesterday to wake up the UK Church.

    • Remove the veil from the Church to see what You are doing in restoring Your people to Your land for Your holy name's sake (Ezekiel 36:21-32).

    • Abba, as members of Intercessors for Israel's leadership team minister in Germany, England and Scotland in the next several weeks, bring all whom You want to be there to hear and be challenged by Your Word. [for contact information see: http://www.ifi.org.il/events]

    • Enable these men to hear and express that which Your Spirit is saying to the Church.

  7. Iran.

    • I will set My throne in Elam [ancient Iran], and will destroy the king and the rulers from there, says YHWH.

      Jeremiah 49:38

    • Lord, we thank You for setting Your throne in Iran and saving multitudes. Bring more in every day.

    • Abba, destroy the current Islamic king and rulers.

    • If possible, use the June elections in Iran to bring them down.

    • The latest IAEA report is very negative on Iran - saying it is racing towards nuclear weapons development. Use this to wake up the Western nations to see how dangerous this would be - to them.

    • God, arise and destroy Iran's nuclear industry - whatever it takes.

    • Use the IAEA report to speak to Netanyahu, Ya'alon and Gantz concerning what Israel needs to do.

    • If Israel is to deal with this threat, we ask for Your timing and methods (Jeremiah 51:19-24).

    • Give Israel clear intelligence from her spies and informers - and protect them who are in Iran.

    • Lord, we remind You of Your promise to protect Israel when You regather it the nations: He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him, as a shepherd keeps [guards] his flock. (Jeremiah 31:10)

  8. Aliyah - the return of the Jewish exiles from the nations to home.

    • Lord, use the terror attack in London to wake up UK Jews to the need to make aliyah.

    • Abba, wake up all Jews in exile to not bury their heads in the sand but to make plans to return to Israel.

    • Unstick the stuck Jews in the EU.

    • Precious Shepherd, enable the rabbis of congregations - including Messianic - to lead their flocks home.

    • Bless You for the Nefesh b'Nefesh organization that is successfully increasing the number of Jews coming back from North America. Provide for all of their financial needs.

    • Open wide the doors of Israel's Interior Ministry that all Jews - regardless of what they believe - will be welcomed and helped to come back.

    • Stir up more folks in the Church to see that God wants them to be involved in this - at least through prayer, but often in other ways (Isaiah 49:22).

Shabbat shalom, and blessings from Zion

The IFI team

Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good,
and I will truly plant them in this land with all My heart and all My whole soul.
For thus says YHWH: As I have brought all this great evil on this people,
so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them.

Jeremiah 32:41-42