1. Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Hebrew calendar, starts at sunset this evening and ends tomorrow evening at sunset. Many Jews fast completely or engage in various kinds of fasts. Jews attend synagogues, pleading with God to save them and bless them with life for the next year. We started by praising Yeshua, our High Priest, who has fulfilled the Yom Kippur sacrifice by laying His life down on the cross for whomsoever will trust in Him.

    • For those priests were made without an oath, but [Yeshua] was made with an oath by Him who said to Him, The Lord swore and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, by so much was Yeshua made a surety of a better covenant. They truly were many priests, because they were not allowed to continue because of death; but He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.

      Hebrews 7:21-25

    • We bless You Father for providing us with a High Priest who lives forever and therefore can bring us before Your throne, faultless, with much joy (Jude 24).

    • Hallelujah, the Lord lives. Blessed be the Rock of our salvation!

    • Yeshua, Son of Man and God the Son - what a magnificent and sufficient High Priest You are.

    • Therefore, holy brothers, called to be partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Messiah Yeshua,

      Hebrews 3:1

    • Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, how great Thou art…

  2. This Yom Kippur is the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War that - although won by Israel - was very nearly a defeat and was very costly in lives lost. There is still a deep wound on the soul of many Israelis who lived through, or lost loved ones at that time. We prayed for His comfort for them.

    • Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak lovingly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is done, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received of YHWH's hand double for all her sins.

      Isaiah 40:1-2

    • God of Israel, Father of all comfort, please work a deep work of comfort and peace in the hearts of those in this nation who are wounded and handicapped - physically and emotionally - because of that war.

    • Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, He comforting us in all our trouble, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in every trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

      2 Corinthians 1:3-4

    • Enable the Body of Messiah to be available to comfort those whom You bring in our paths with the true Comforter - Yeshua, Israel's Messiah and Savior. [Please note that Yeshua called the Holy Spirit 'another Comforter'.]

    • Draw close to those who lost loved ones and are still deeply grieved and crushed (Isaiah 57:15).

    • Only You can turn back again those who have turned their backs to You because of the pain. We pray as the Psalmist did: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You dwelling between the cherubs, shine forth. Stir up Your strength before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, and come, save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! (Psalms 80:1-3; vv. 7, 19)

  3. We next interceded for the salvation of Israel over Yom Kippur - which according to Leviticus 23 is a divinely appointed time of God meeting with His people.

    • Lord, may this be the day of which You prophesied in Zechariah 12:10: I will pour on the house of David, and on the people of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications. And they shall look unto Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be bitter over Him, as the bitterness over the first-born.

    • If it is not Your timing to save all of Israel, we do ask for a significant increase in the believing remnant.

    • Lord, touch all the soldiers who will be guarding Israel over Yom Kippur. Open up their eyes to see their once rejected, but now glorified, Brother - Messiah Yeshua (Genesis 45:1-5).

    • Abba, most Holocaust survivors are close to the end of their lives. Please save them.

    • We plead for salvation for all members of the Israeli government and their staffs and families.

    • We especially lift up Benjamin Netanyahu and his family. God, save them!

    • Lord, many Israeli judges are so humanistic and reject Your Word, yet You can change that. Do with them as You did with the Apostle Paul and reveal Yourself to them (Acts 9:1-6).

    • Father, have mercy on the rabbis. This Yom Kippur, remove the veil that blocks them from seeing and receiving their Messiah and Lord, Yeshua (Romans 11:25-26).

  4. We prayed into the lessons that this nation and its leadership have to learn from the results of the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Many of the leaders - especially in the military - thought the Arab nations were done fighting Israel because of the 1967 Six Day War victory. They were caught unawares by how improved the Arab armies had become, both in equipment and in courage. Israel today looks at the chaos surrounding it and thinks that its enemies are so busy fighting one another, they will not attack Israel. While we tend to agree, yet this can be a very dangerous mindset.

    • Lord, we ask that You would remove all arrogance and presumption from Israel's current leadership.

    • Specifically, allow Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ya'alon and IDF Chief of Staff Gantz to be alert and aware of the dangers so that the nation's security forces will be ready for any scenario.

    • We thank You that You are using the terrible situation in Syria to break the idolatry of America in the hearts of many Israelis - especially the leaders. Guard this breakthrough.

    • Help all of Israel look to You and not to our army (Psalm 20:7-9).

    • Yet we bless You for raising up the IDF as a new sharp threshing instrument and weapon of war to protect this nation at this time (Isaiah 41:15; Jeremiah 51:20)!

    • Raise up leaders after the same spirit as King Hezekiah, who received the letter from the courier's hand, read it …went up to the house of YHWH and spread it before YHWH. He then prayed, YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel…You are He, God, You alone to all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth. Bow down Your ear YHWH, and hear…all the words of Sennacherib which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, YHWH, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations…and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands…YHWH our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are YHWH, You alone. (Isaiah 37:14-20)

    • Help us in the Body of Messiah to be ready as well. But the end of all things has drawn near. Therefore be of sound mind, and watch unto prayer. (1 Peter 4:7)

  5. Another lesson that our leaders must learn is from the hesitancy of the 1973 Golda Meir government, who knowing that an attack was on the way, feared pre-empting because of what the response would be from the world - and especially from America. That hesitancy and fear must be gone from Israel's current government as it faces the possibility of both a nuclear Iran and a chemical weapons attack from Syria or Hizbullah.

    • Lord, if You are not going to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program sovereignly, then overrule all of Israel's leaders fears and hesitancies, and in Your timing let Israel deal with this threat (Proverbs 21:1).

    • Root out all fear and indecision from Israeli leaders and prohibit the fear of man from entering into any of the planning sessions or decisions (Proverbs 29:25).

    • Deliver Israel from the fear of offending America and restore the fear of God to our leaders.

    • Speak to Netanyahu as You spoke to Joshua: Only be strong and very courageous so that you may be careful to do according to all the Law which My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may act wisely wherever you go. (Joshua 1:7)

    • In the spirit realm, we hold his arms up in this battle as did Aaron and Hur with Moses (Exodus 17:10-12).

    • We trust You to go out to war with Israel's armies (Deuteronomy 20:1).

    • We believe Your Word: Hear the Word of YHWH, O gentiles, and declare it in the coastlands afar off, and say, He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him, as a shepherd keeps his flock. (Jeremiah 31:10)

    • Lord of heaven's hosts, release Your angelic protection to go forth with every Israeli soldier, fighter jet, naval vessel, all of its spies and collaborators. Do it all for Your holy name's sake.

    • Not to us, YHWH, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for Your mercy and for Your truth's sake. Why should the nations say, Where now is their God? But our God is in Heaven; He has done whatever He has pleased.

      Psalms 115:1-3

    • We proclaimed Psalm 3 corporately, standing in the gap for this nation.

  6. We are still not sure as to what the will of God is concerning the current Syrian situation.

    • We affirm that You are on the throne and nothing is impossible for You (Jeremiah 32:17, 27).

    • We know that You are watching over Your word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).

    • We want to pray in line with that which You are doing, so please reveal to us specifically what that is.

    • Abba, we lift up the innocent Syrians, those who are caught up in this terrible situation and have not had a hand in adding to it. Please hide and comfort them.

    • Lord, have mercy on the widows and orphans.

    • Use the Syrian Body of Messiah to be salt and light wherever they find themselves (Matthew 5:13-16).

    • Thank You for the reports of Syrians coming to Yeshua in the refugee camps - especially in Jordan.

    • YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He breaks the plots of the people. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. (Psalms 33:10-11) Do this with Syria.

    • Give much wisdom from on high to Israel's leadership as we are seeing a weakening of US influence and a rise of Russian influence in this neighborhood.

    • Strengthen and protect the Syrian Kurds from the Islamic fundamentalists in the so-called rebel army.

  7. We already see Israel being prodded into a trap by the Syrian situation. There were US Jewish organizations lobbying Congress to support Obama's plans to attack Syria. This opens wide the doors for the false accusations that Israel is pushing America into another war to defend Israel. This is a very serious situation.

    • God, hedge in the America Jewish organizations from foolishly following Obama's lead to nowhere.

    • Prevent Syrian President Assad and Russian President Putin from making Israel a major issue.

    • Lord, impart real understanding to Israel's leaders concerning the current situation.

    • Make Netanyahu, Ya'alon and Gantz absolutely unified and determined to defend this nation regardless of what the rest of the world says or does.

    • Abba, we need You to release Israel from this trap and are trusting You to do just that. Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of YHWH, who made the heavens and earth. (Psalms 124:7-8)

    • Let them be confounded and put to shame, who seek after my soul; let them be turned back…who plot evil to me. Let them be as chaff before the wind; and let the Angel of Jehovah drive them away. Let their way be dark and slippery; and let the Angel of Jehovah pursue them. For without cause they have spread their net for me in a pit…Let his net which he has concealed catch him, let him fall in it, into destruction.

      Psalms 35:4-8

  8. Yom Kippur is a divinely appointed time for God to meet with His people. It is not a 'Jewish" feast per se, but a feast of YHWH. As Christians are also His people, then it would be good for you to at least take some time over Yom Kippur to spend with our High Priest Yeshua. Also, since this is a day when many Jews are asking God to save them, it is a perfect day for many Christians to also fast and pray, asking God to save His people - the Jews! Please consider joining with us in this most holy endeavor.

We finished by praying for Israel's security over this weekend. It is extremely hot and many of Israel's soldiers and police, while on duty to protect the rest of this nation, will still be fasting. They need supernatural strength and alertness. But ultimately, we asked God Himself to be a very present help in this time of encroaching danger.

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…
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 ruins on the earth; who makes wars to cease…
He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God! I will be praised among the nations, I will be praised in the earth.
YHWH of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Psalms 46:1-2, 6-11

Shabbat shalom, hag sameach and blessings from Zion,

The IFI team