1. Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer.
    From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
    When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
    For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.
    I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
    I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

    Psalm 61:1-4

    • Thank You Lord that You are our rock and our refuge, the only One to whom we can cry.

    • You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.

      Psalm 3:3

    • Your name and Your character do not change. Thank You for Your faithfulness.

    • Thank You that we can take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. (Psalm 57:1)

    • As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so You surround Your people. (Psalm 125:2)

    • Thank You for the rain which You have graciously poured out on the land this week.

  2. Presidential Election

    Shimon Peres' seven year term as President ends in June and the Knesset is due to elect a new President. The President is largely a figurehead who has two legal powers: to ask someone to form a government; to pardon criminals. Israel needs a President who will work with the Prime Minister and not against him. Peres recently claimed that Netanyahu had blocked a deal he had negotiated with Palestinian leader Abbas. A President is not elected by the general public but by the members of the Knesset. Pray:

    • For the new President Israel needs, not what we deserve.

    • The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

      Proverbs 21:1

    • Hedge in Shimon Peres as he goes into retirement. Keep him from harming Israel by what he might say in public or in private.

    • Give wisdom to Prime Minister Netanyahu over what part to play in the process of selecting the new President.

  3. Binyamin Netanyahu

    The Prime Minister needs much wisdom as he continues to lead a coalition made up of four or five parties with their own agendas and their own leaders with their own ambitions, all inclined to do their own thing.

    • Please give Netanyahu the wisdom to hold the government together.

    • Give good governance, o Lord, and the corporate vision to know when to speak out and when to keep silent.

    • Give cabinet members the willingness to stand by cabinet decisions and not to seek to undermine them.

    • Give the party leaders, Avigdor Lieberman, Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett and Tzipi Livni hearts for service of the nation rather than hearts for service of self-interest.

    • Bring a culture of respect for each other within the government.

  4. Iran

    Iran continues to be a real potential threat to Israel's existence as a nation as they move ahead with their plans to make a nuclear weapon. The importance of this seems to have been forgotten by the world in the midst of other crises. Only Israel seems clear in opposition to this Iranian plan and Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to speak clearly on the matter which has been a major priority of his for decades. In IFI we continue to pray as we have for many years that God would either act sovereignly to prevent Iran making a weapon or would use the Israeli military to destroy Iran's nuclear capability. Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak has recently spoken of America's ability to deal with Iran.

    • Lord, please would You intervene through accidents or earthquakes. Show Your power, o Lord!

    • Remember Your land and Your people for Your name's sake! Then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land. (Leviticus 26:42)

    • Lord, if You are choosing to use the IDF as Your weapon of war, then make them fit for the purpose. You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: for with you I will break the nation in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms; (Jeremiah 51:20)

    • Give wisdom and provision for all the necessary training and equipping of the IDF, especially the air force.

    • Keep the planners in the IDF alert and watchful, and keep their plans always fresh and relevant.

    • Give Your unity to Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

    • May they know Your perfect timing and not miss Your moment if it comes.

    • Give good, accurate, actionable intelligence from Israel's spies and provide Rahabs in Iran to keep them hidden. (Joshua 2)

    • Protect and watch over the believers in Iran. Give them visions and clarity of understanding to know how to pray for their nation in these times.

    • Break the bow of Elam (Iran). (Jeremiah 49:35)

  5. Defense Budget

    Israel's recent budget cuts have placed constraints on Defense spending. This has brought about changes to training plans. After the Second Lebanon War of 2006 a major review reported that because of cuts in training budgets, the army had been unprepared for the war, with consequent losses. The IDF needs to be on top of its game with everyone ready for what lies ahead. Pray:

    • For Finance Minister Yair Lapid to have Your priorities and an understanding of the needs of the Defense Ministry.

    • For a multi-year budget to allow the Defense Ministry to plan ahead as needed.

    • For Defense Minister Yaalon to see the genuine opportunities for trimming the budget in the IDF, cutting out waste and inefficiencies rather than essential training.

    • Give Binyamin Netanyahu wisdom to find the right solutions.

    • Bring Your order into this disorder, Lord!

    • Give Israel's leaders grace to invest wisely into the IDF so that You would be able to say to them, Well done, good and faithful servant… (Matthew 25: 14-30)

  6. Ukraine

    At least 200,000 Jews in Ukraine need to come home to Israel. Today the Soviet Union's victory over Germany in 1945 is celebrated with parades, etc. There is great potential for violence between Ukrainians and Russians with the Jews caught in the middle. Pray:

    • Bring Your people home.

    • Let the Jews recognize the dangers, how historically they have always been made scapegoats by both Russians and Ukrainians.

    • Many Jews made Aliyah but later returned to Ukraine. Help these "yordim" realize and tell their brethren that they all need to come back to Israel.

    • May they give a good report of Israel. (Numbers 13)

    • Let Israel make all necessary preparations for the evacuation and settling of masses of Ukrainian Jews.

    • Messianic Jews in Ukraine have been resistant to making Aliyah. Lord, turn them around so they may no longer resist the will and the word of God.

    • Hold back the hands of the enemy from causing great bloodshed.

    • Thank You, Lord for using Ukraine to expose the weakness of the US administration vis-à-vis Russia.

  7. Believers in Israel

    The Lord has prayed for His followers, That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (John 17:21) Yet there are such deceptions raging in the world and seeking to lead many away from the truth. We are often being exhorted not to speak against these dangers for fear of disturbing the unity the Lord longs for.

    • Lord, make us one!

    • Give us discernment of every deceptive teaching that seeks to destroy Your body of believers.

    • Help us to recognize the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10)

    • Help Your people to recognize the diverse giftings and callings which are part of Your unity and to distinguish these from the lies we need to flee and expose.

    • Expose the temptations to money, power, position which drive some to make ungodly alliances.

    • So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. (Ezekiel 39:7) - Help us to walk in this calling!

  8. Leaders of the Body in Israel

    We often pray according to 1 Timothy 2:1-4 in relation to the political leaders but today we prayed for the spiritual leaders in the light of these words.

    • Thank You Lord for those You have raised up as leaders in Your body.

    • give them fresh anointing, wisdom, courage, stamina to preach, teach, shepherd, envision,…

    • The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; (1 Peter 5:1-3) Amen, Lord.

Shabbat Shalom!