1. We started by reading Psalm 135:1-6.

    • Praise YHWH! Praise the name of YHWH; praise Him, servants of YHWH. Those who stand in the house of YHWH, in the courts of the house of our God, praise YHWH; for YHWH is good; sing praises to His name, for it is full of delight. For YHWH has chosen Jacob to Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure. For I know that YHWH is great, and our Lord is above all gods. Everything YHWH pleased, He did in the heavens and in earth, and in the seas and all deep places.

    • We thank You for calling us to Yourself (Ephesians 1:3-6).

    • We trust You to watch over Your Word regardless of opposition from the world and the satanic realm.

    • We bless You for all that You have done and all that You are going to do, as Shabbat's Torah portion says: God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)

    • What a privilege to seek You face here in a restored Jerusalem.

    • Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.

      Revelation 5:12

  2. Israel dealt Hamas in Judea and Samaria a blow, as a result of the kidnapping of the three Israeli teens. Since then, Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza have launched rockets at civilian areas in southern Israel. So far, Israel's response has been via its Air Force hitting Hamas weapons depots and other facilities. As this has not done the job, we prayed for Israel's government to know what to do next. Sadly, but not unexpected, the murder of an Arab teen in Jerusalem a few days ago has drained most of the world's sympathy for Israel's three slain teens. Yet we still do not know who did this. Was it an 'honor killing' or a criminal revenge attack or just a set-up to blame the Jews? Or did Jewish radicals actually do this despicable act? So whatever Israel does at this stage, we covet your covering prayers.

    • Lord, arise and scatter Your enemies in Gaza (Psalm 68:1, 30).

    • Abba, reveal Your will to us and to Israel's leaders - especially Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ya'alon and IDF Chief of Staff Gantz.

    • Guide Israel to respond in Your way and Your timing (1 Chronicles 14:15).

    • If the IDF does attack Gaza, go in with our armies. When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots, a people more than you, do not be afraid of them. For YHWH your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 20:1)

    • Strengthen the government leaders to make righteous decisions - and stay with them.

    • Help Israel's leaders proclaim the truth about the situation that Hamas has created - whether anyone other than Israelis and its friends believe it or not. May truth be declared from Zion (Zechariah 8:3)!

    • Close the mouths of all Israeli politicians who's only goal is to further their own political careers.

    • Lord, impress on many media personalities and politicians who pressed for Israel to leave Gaza - to publically recant and confess this as a grievous mistake.

    • Abba, we confess this as a sin against You, as Israel as a nation divided Your land and despised its God-given inheritance (Leviticus 25:23; Psalm 106:24).

    • Zechariah 9:5-6 refers to the ancient Philistine cities: Ashkelon shall see and fear; Gaza also shall writhe in great pain; Ekron shall be ashamed for her hope. The king shall perish from Gaza. Ashkelon shall not be inhabited, a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

    • Lord, teach us how to pray against this spirit of the Philistines that still rules over Gaza.

    • We remind You that You said You would dry up their root (Isaiah 14:29-32). Lord, do this by drying up all of the Palestinian's finances that are used to fund all schemes against Israel and the Jewish people.

    • Send total confusion and chaos and fear into the enemy camps (Psalm 129:3).

    • Lord, why should Israel continue to supply Gaza with food and medicines, fuel and electricity, when their leaders are warring against our citizens? Forbid Israel from being more merciful than You!

  3. Today is the first Friday (Muslim day of 'prayer') of Ramadan, Islam's holy month. The past few days have seen riots in Jerusalem as a result of this Arab teen that was killed. Security forces are geared up for whatever they need to face today, yet this murder needs to be solved quickly and justice meted out also as quickly as possible.

    • Lord, aid the investigators to find and reveal the truth quickly.

    • Bring forth those who know the truth to tell the truth: Therefore whatever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light. And that which you have spoken in the ear in secret rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. (Luke 12:3)

    • Lord of all, please control how the world-wide media reports this death and do not allow them to stoke any further flames against Your people and nation.

    • During this Arab teen's funeral today, hinder any and all rioting.

    • If rioting does take place, give courage and wisdom to the security forces to deal with it swiftly.

    • Overrule all of the enemies' plans for the Temple Mount on this day.

    • Lord of hosts, release Your heavenly hosts to watch over Your nation. And I, says YHWH, will be to her a wall of fire all around, and will be the glory in her midst. (Zechariah 2:5)

    • Protect Your people who will be praying at the Western wall.

    • Father, help Your born-again children, as well as any in this nation, to stop calling Biblical Jerusalem - 'Arab East Jerusalem'! After all, this was the only Jerusalem that King David and the prophets knew, and it is called in Your Word, 'the city of the Great King' (Psalm 48:2; Matthew 5:35).

  4. Vengeance and retribution belong to Me. (Deuteronomy 32:35a) Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. (Romans 12:19b; see also Hebrews 10:30) Emotions in Israel are running high with the discovery of the bodies of our three kidnapped teens and the release of an audio recording of them being shot and the terrorists rejoicing. Yet, as these verses say, God is the One to repay His/our enemies. Most often, He does this through governments who enforce laws, thus holding back the spirit of anarchy from falling on mankind. Israel needs its government to be one that is in line with God's Word.

    • For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to bad. Do you desire to not be afraid of the authority? Do good, and you shall have praise from it, for it is a servant of God to you for good. For if you practice evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword in vain, as it is a servant of God, a revenger for wrath on him who does evil.

      Romans 13:3-4

    • God, encourage the government to deal justly and righteously with terrorists so that Israelis do not feel that they need to take the law into their own hands in order to see true justice being done.

    • Lord, surround that small radical part of Israel's society and hinder all acts of vengeance.

    • Abba, do not allow a spirit of anarchy to be released in Your nation.

    • We pray against a repeat of what happened among Israelis in the time of the Judges: In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his eyes. (Judges 17:6; 21:25)

    • Lord, if the enemy is cursing this people, we remind You of this week's Torah portion: Surely, there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any enchantment against Israel. According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What God has worked! (Numbers 23:23)

    • Watch over this word and cancel all sorceries, witchcrafts, manipulations, curses, whatever, from over this - Your nation and people.

    • Thank You for the families of the three murdered Israeli teens, who asked Israelis to not take matters in their own hands and condemned the death of that Arab teen.

    • Bless them, and comfort them by revealing their true Comforter, Messiah Yeshua. [One of the names of Messiah according to the rabbis is 'the Comforter'.]

  5. Iran has been meeting with the P5+1 [five permanent UN Security Council members + Germany] to try and come to a deal by July 20th. Most reports say the gap between the sides is still very large. As Israel has said repeatedly, no deal is better than a bad deal.

    • Lord, strengthen the P5+1 negotiators to not bow or bend in this situation.

    • May their demands that are placed on Iran be ones that prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

    • God, go further, as we agree with Israel's position that Iran cannot be allowed to be a nuclear weapons threshold state either, i.e., where Iran has all the components but has just not assembled them - yet!

    • Use Iranians in exile to speak up boldly against trusting the current Tehran overlords.

    • Remove the Israel factor from the thinking of the world and help the nations to see that an Iran with weapons of mass destruction is an existential danger to them as well.

    • Lord, use the rise of this wicked terror group, the new caliphate, the Islamic State, to divide and weaken Iran's attention, economy, army and concentration.

    • Press both Iran and the Islamic State to make huge geo-political errors (Psalm 129:5).

    • Yeshua, You said a house divided against itself cannot stand (Like 11:17). This is Islam today. Please push it over once and for all and set many Muslims free to embrace You as Lord and Savior.

    • Concerning Israel, make Your redlines this governments redlines. There are many thoughts in a man's heart, but the counsel of YHWH shall stand. (Proverbs 19:21)

    • Give Israel plans to deal with this Iranian threat if You do not sovereignly stop Iran's quest.

    • Wake up this nation and government to see that what is said in this week's Torah portion is true today. We are on our own. For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him. Behold, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be counted among the nations. (Numbers 23:9)

  6. Aliyah - the immigration of Jews in exile to Israel - was our final prayer topic today. There is much to be thankful for as there is a significant increase of Jews coming home. We see this especially from France and Ukraine - but not just these nations. We sense that we are in an overlapping time of the fishers still being out there, but the hunters also being released (Jeremiah 16:16). Remember, Aliyah is intimately linked with the national salvation of this people, as well as the glory of our God.

    • And I will again bring Israel to his home, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan [ancient Golan], and his soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead [northern part of the Kingdom of Jordan today]. In those days, and at that time, says YHWH, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and it shall not be found; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found; for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

      Jeremiah 50:19-20

    • 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; yes, I have made him.

      Isaiah 43:5-7

    • Lord, encourage the Jewish Agency and Israel's Interior Ministry to facilitate the return of Your people and not to place any 'stones of stumbling' in their paths (Isaiah 62:10).

    • Use Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar to sweep away all stumbling stones and set up straight paths for Jews who want to return.

    • Protect and return all remaining Jews from Arab nations.

    • Use the Ukrainian chaos to send a flood of returning Jews to Israel this summer.

    • Bless You for all of the French Jews who are setting their sights towards Zion.

    • Lord, what will it take for the American and British Jews to wake up. With as much mercy as possible, do whatever it takes as this is ultimately about the sanctification of Your holy name (Ezekiel 36:23-24)!

    • Abba, deal with the multitudes of Israelis living outside of this land. Make them homesick.

    • Yeshua, Messianic believers need to also set their faces towards Zion, and not just when they pray. Show them that it is hard to sing Your song in a strange land (Psalm 137:4).

    • Bless all the Christian organizations that are helping to bring Your people home (Isaiah 49:22).

    • Who are these who fly like a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, to the name of YHWH your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you. And the sons of strangers will build up your walls, and their kings will serve you; for in My wrath I struck you, but in My favor I had mercy on you.

      Isaiah 60:8-10

Shabbat shalom and thanks - the IFI team