1. This coming Monday evening through Tuesday sunset is the Jewish fast day of Tisha b'Av - the 9th of the Jewish month of Av. It recalls the many disasters that have happened on this particular day throughout history - the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples, the expulsion from Spain, the Nazi decision on the final solution and more. [Tisha B'Av] Many Jews stay up all night reading the book of Lamentations by the prophet Jeremiah. We looked at the climatic verses of that book as we started our time before God.

    • It is because of YHWH's covenantal love that we are not destroyed, because His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

      Lamentations 3:22-23

    • Precious Lord, how we bless You for Your faithfulness.

    • We are so grateful that You remain faithful even in the face of our faithlessness (2 Timothy 2:13).

    • Hodu l'Adonai ki tov, ki leolam chasdo - Give thanks to YHWH for He is good, for His mercy [covenantal love] endures forever.

      Psalm 136:1

    • We thank You Yeshua that because of Your precious work on the cross, there is today a living temple made up of living stones in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19).

    • We remain ever thankful that Israel is an island of peace and stability in a very chaotic Middle East.

  2. Many of us have seen Psalm 83 as describing a war that needs to occur before the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog and Magog war can happen, because the nations/geographical areas mentioned in Psalm 83 do not appear in the list of Gog and his allies in Ezekiel 38:5-6. We have thought that Israel would need to defeat these surrounding enemies for this to happen - although Psalm 83 does not specifically state that. Yet what if what we are seeing today is the answer to our prayers based on Psalm 83? After all, God has often in the past set Israel's enemies against each other in response to the cry of His people. Why not today?

    • Keep not silence, God. Do not hold Your peace. Be not still, God. For behold, Your enemies roar; those who hate You have lifted up their head. They take shrewd counsel against Your people…They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, so that the name Israel may be remembered no more. For with one heart they have plotted together; they have made [lit: 'cut'] a covenant against You.

      Psalms 83:1-5

    • Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; also let those who hate Him flee before Him.

      Psalms 68:1

    • Lord, increase the deep division that we are now seeing in the midst of the house of Islam.

    • As we have entered the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, we specifically ask for You to foil all of their plans against Israel and to fill their faces with shame that they may seek Your name, YHWH. (Psalm 83:16)

    • Lord, are You wanting Israel to hear this verse today? Fear not. Stand still and see the salvation of YHWH, which He will prepare for you… For [your surrounding enemies] whom you have seen today, you shall see them no more. YHWH shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. (Exodus 14:13-14)

    • Abba, guard over Israel's borders. Protect Your people from any of the surrounding hatred infiltrating and wreaking havoc with Your people (Psalm 121:4; Jeremiah 31:10).

  3. We next asked for God to show much mercy on the Muslims around Israel.

    • Lord, during Ramadan, please open eyes and remove the spiritual blindness from multitudes of Muslims.

    • We ask You to send laborers into the harvest in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and all of the other Arab/Islamic nations of the Middle East (Matthew 9:37-38).

    • Use the living Church in these nations to be Your light (Matthew 5:14-16).

    • Protect them and guide them very specifically as to what to do, say and where to go (John 10:27).

    • We bless You for the reports of Syrian refugees coming to know You. More Lord!

    • We thank You for the gospel going out over satellite TV and the internet in the native language of Middle East Muslims. Hinder any attempts to block these highways for our God (Isaiah 40:3).

    • Abba, we remind You of Your promises of salvation at least for a remnant of the people in the ME (Isaiah 19:19-25; Jeremiah 49:38; Revelation 7:9).

    • Lord, do a quick work among the Palestinians and save many, before that time comes when You need to pluck up and destroy that nation (Jeremiah 12:14-17).

    • Again, we remind You of the principle of Luke 11:17-18a, that any house divided against itself cannot stand. Therefore we ask You to bring the whole house of Islam down!

    • And as You save many Muslims, Lord set them free from that spirit of anti-Semitism that permeates Islam.

  4. Regardless of how God works out Psalm 83, having an exceedingly great army is not only a vital need for Israel -but it is also a fulfillment of prophecy (Ezekiel 37:10). And although the defense budget has been cut, this could work out to be advantageous to the IDF, by forcing it to be more efficient and more focused on the real threats that this nation can expect to face from now until Messiah comes.

    • Thank You Lord, for fulfilling Your prophetic promise and making the IDF a mighty army (Isaiah 41:15-16; Micah 4:11-13; Zechariah 12:6-8, etc.).

    • Use the budget cuts to streamline the IDF in a way that ultimately brings You the most glory.

    • Lord of hosts, impart Your divine wisdom to Israel's military planners (Proverbs 20:18; 24:6), as well as to Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and the IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

    • Abba, please give Israel's leaders wisdom how to respond to Egypt's request to move many armed forces into the Sinai to fight al-Qaeda terrorists.

    • Enable Israel's military industries to develop cutting edge weapons and technologies to fight the battles Israel faces today and the ones it will be facing tomorrow.

    • Anoint the Messianic Jews in the IDF to realize that they have been called into Your kingdom for just a time like this (Zechariah 10:12; Matthew 5:13-16).

  5. With all of the chaotic events happening in the Middle East, the Palestinians are feeling neglected by the world's leaders and media. So there has been an increase in 'incidents' of violence and talk of another uprising, aka intifada. Therefore, we prayed for Israel's security forces to be ready and willing to deal with this internal threat.

    • Rejoice not, O Philistia… I will kill your root with famine, and he shall slay your remnant. Howl, O gate! Cry, O city! O Philistia, all of you, are melted away; for from the north a smoke comes, and no straggler in his ranks. What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That YHWH has founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall trust in it.

      Isaiah 14:29-32

    • Lord, quicken Israel's security forces to know when and with what force to respond in order to stop all deadly attacks from succeeding.

    • Provide all of the needed intelligence for the security forces to be one step ahead of any and all terrorists.

    • Raise up fair-minded reporters so that a true report comes out of this land (Philippians 4:8).

    • We declare against any evil plans of the Palestinians, YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He breaks the plots of the people. (Psalms 33:10)

    • God, continue to confound Abbas and the PLO/Fatah (Psalm 129:5).

  6. Using one of the verses from this week's prophetic portion, we next prayed for the Israeli government.

    • 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

    • Make this government as close to that which You promised as possible (Jeremiah 32:17,27).

    • Thank You for Israel's current government.

    • Hedge them in from doing anything that is not in line with Your will for Israel today (Psalm 103:19).

    • Use the Tisha b'Av fast to draw many of the government ministers and employees to Your Son (John 6:37).

    • Cleanse Israel's government from all modern-day idolatry - power, fame, money, etc.

    • Use Prime Minister Netanyahu for everything that You have created him for (Romans 9:20-24).

    • Make all government ministers who must deal with this on-going 'peace' process wise as serpents.

    • Continue to mature Finance Minister Yair Lapid and watch over his relationship with Netanyahu and the new Bank of Israel governor Ya'acov Frenkel.

    • Strengthen all the Zionists in the current coalition - and weaken the influence of all who are willing to compromise with the spirit of the world.

  7. Aliyah - return of the exiles to Israel - is a continual burden for us, as it is often linked with God's 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, Do not keep back; bring My sons from far and My daughters from the ends of the earth; everyone who is called by My name; for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

      Isaiah 43:5-7

    • I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am YHWH, says the Lord YHWH, 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 36:23-24

    • Lord, use Tisha b'Av to wake up Jews in exile that Jerusalem is in the process of being built and that they should have an active part to play in this prophetic fulfillment. YHWH builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. (Psalms 147:2)

    • Release the Jews in the West from all their false hopes and dreams and give them true hopes and dreams of returning to Zion. When YHWH turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with singing; then they said among the nations, YHWH has done great things with them. Great things did YHWH do for us and we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O YHWH, as the streams in the south. (Psalms 126:1-4)

    • Grant the Jewish exiles a deep love for even the very dust of this land (Psalm 102:13-14; cp. Isaiah 62:4-5).

    • Raise up a banner to all Spanish and Portuguese speaking Jews that now is their time to return.

    • May we see many of them settle in the Negev in fulfillment of Your word in Obadiah 1:20.

  8. We finished by interceding for the Church - especially in the West - which seems to be either ignorant of the signs of the times or is actively resisting them by standing against God's end time restoration of the nation of Israel to its land and then to its Messiah.

    • If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalms 11:3) An alternative reading of the Hebrew is, If the foundations are destroyed, what has the righteous done?

    • Abba, wake up the Church to the lateness of the hour.

    • Lord, have mercy on any part of Your Body that has placed themselves under the curse of Genesis 12:3 because of denigrating Your people Israel, or belittling them or just ignoring them - all of which the second word for 'curse' includes.

    • Yeshua, sanctify Your Body by the Truth of Your Word (John 17:17).

    • We bless and thank You for the growing remnant in the Body that does see what You are doing today and stands with Your will and purposes for Israel and for the Church.

    • Increase that number. Use the remnant to leaven the whole Church.

    • Lord, forgive us for judging Your Word. Return us to allowing Your Word to judge us - our thoughts and actions!

    • Open my eyes, so that I may behold wonderful things out of Your Law.

      Psalms 119:18

      Forever, YHWH, Your Word is settled in the heavens.

      Psalms 119:89

      Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.

      Psalms 119:105

Last night, Eliyahu, Claude and Colin were in Acco/Acre on the northern coast Israel leading our quarterly IFI regional prayer meeting. The initial report is of a good time of intercession with about 40 or so in attendance.

We are so grateful for being used of the Lord Yeshua in this way. Your prayers and support help all that to happen. Thank you. Shabbat shalom, and blessings from Zion

The IFI team

Thus says YHWH, who gives the sun for a light by day
and the laws of the moon and of the stars for a light by night,
who divides the sea when its waves roar; YHWH of Hosts is His name;
if those ordinances depart from Me, says YHWH,
the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.
So says YHWH, If the heavens above can be measured,
and the foundations of the earth below can be searched out,
I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says YHWH.

Jeremiah 31:35-37