Praise YHWH, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion.

Psalm 147:12

This has been a very difficult and tense summer for those of us in Israel and, most likely, for you who stand with us and this nation throughout the year. Therefore, as Israel has just entered into the Fall Feasts, I felt it would be encouraging and edifying to send out this IFI Special Praise Report.

  1. Many of you who have been praying with us for a while now, know that the things about which we intercede are long term issues. Consequently our prayers are more often like a marathon race than a quick sprint. As we do not often have immediate answers to our intercessions, this could cause some to question whether we are actually having an impact in seeing God's will being done on earth. This Special Praise Report should encourage you as we step back and look at just some of the answers which we are aware of. Praise God, they cover almost every area into which we have prayed. With this witness, we can press on in faith, interceding into areas that we have not yet seen results in - or into the new challenges that are bound to arise as we approach the last of these last days.

    • Almost at the very end of God's Word, after all of His previous instructions and exhortations to stand in the gap and pray, God's Spirit declares, This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. (1 John 5:14-15) In both the Greek and the Hebrew, the word 'hear' has the meaning of 'to listen with an intent to obey', so this means that all that we pray in line with God's will, will be done - obviously in His way and in His timing.

  2. We have often prayed into Israel's water situation. About a year ago, the Israeli Water Authority said Israel's water crisis was over. There are two basic reasons for this. First, Israelis are now more water-conscience and are using less than before. Second is that God has gifted Israeli scientists to be at the forefront of desalinization technology, enabling Israel to build the world's most effective desalinization plants. While we still pray for water from on high, as it is such a wonderful blessing here in the land, the fear of running out of enough water is basically over.

    • When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none; their tongue fails for thirst, I YHWH will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water…so that they may see, and know, consider, and understand together, that the hand of YHWH has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

      Isaiah 41:17-20

    • Abba Father, we do thank You for hearing our prayers concerning this and we give You all the glory and honor for how You have done it.

  3. Aliyah - the immigration of the Jews from exile to Israel - has been a major burden about which we have consistently prayed. Since it is directly related to God's glory (Isaiah 43:5-7; Ezekiel 36:23-24), and to the return of His Son (Psalm 102:16), we intercede with confidence that He hears our prayers. The good news is that for the past several years, aliyah has been increasing. And this past Jewish calendar year has seen a stunning rise, from about 19,000 the year before to just below 25,000 this year! With the majority of that increase coming from France and Ukraine, the 'push' factor to drive Jews home is in the ascendancy over the 'pull' factor of Israel drawing them. Yet this does line up with Jeremiah 16:16 where God says He will first try to woo His people home - but if they do not respond, He will drive them back.

    • Behold, I will send for many fishermen, says YHWH, and they will fish them. And afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

      Jeremiah 16:16

    • Lord, thank You for the increase in aliyah this past year.

    • We praise You for watching over Your Word to preform it (Jeremiah 1:11-12).

    • Thus says YHWH of Hosts: I was zealous for Zion with great zeal, and I was zealous for her with great fury. Thus says YHWH: I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of Truth, and the mountain of YHWH of Hosts, the Holy Mountain…There shall yet be old men and old women living in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of their age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets…If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be marvelous in My eyes, says YHWH of Hosts? Thus says YHWH of Hosts: Behold, I will save My people from the east country, and from the west. I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

      Zechariah 8:2-8

  4. In line with 2 Timothy 2:1-4, we often start our prayer meetings and the Friday Prayer Alerts, by interceding for Israel's government. With the Oslo 'peace' process, we found ourselves standing against the government's many anti-biblical policies. God mercifully, has heard us, as we still have the Golan and there still is no 'Palestine'. With Bibi Netanyahu as prime minister, we pray more often in line with his government's policies and cover Bibi with prayers of protection, wisdom, strength, comfort, courage, etc. If you have any doubts as to whether our prayers for him has had an impact, read one of the interviews he gave to The Jerusalem Post [article] or Israel Hayom [article] just before Rosh Hashanah. We rejoice that God has raised up for Israel, at a dangerous time like this, a clear-thinking, courageous leader. This does not mean we agree with every jot and tittle that Bibi says or does, but compared to most other Western leaders (Canada's Harper and Australia's Abbot being exceptions), there is no one who sees the truth of the threats facing Western civilization and this nation as well as Netanyahu.

    • Lord, we praise You for this current government that is still together after a very difficult summer.

    • Abba, we bless You for PM Netanyahu.

    • Abba, we thank You also for Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon whom You have raised up to stand with Bibi and lead this nation in a direction that is well-pleasing in Your sight.

    • And 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

  5. Israel's security is always near the top of our prayer agenda. After all, for all Israel to be saved, all Israel needs to be alive! In Scripture, God says that when He brings the children of Israel back from exile, He will protect them - either miraculously or through the Israel's army. We have prayed for both and seen Him work in both ways. This past summer was a victory for the IDF - as they did exactly what the government asked them to do. It was never the government's plan to destroy Hamas, despite the radical fringe wanting that. Of course, only time will tell whether this was the correct strategy or not.

    • Hear the Word of YHWH, O gentiles, and declare it in the islands afar off, saying, He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep [or 'guard'] him, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

      Jeremiah 31:10

    • Do not fear, you worm Jacob and you men of Israel; I will help you, says YHWH, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I make you a new sharp threshing instrument, having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shall make the hills like chaff. You shall winnow them - the wind shall carry them away, and a tempest shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in YHWH and shall glory in the Holy One of Israel.

      Isaiah 41:14-16

    • Lord of Hosts, we praise You for defending this nation against all those in Israel's neighborhood who want to wipe it off the map (Psalm 83).

    • We bless You for the miracles we have heard of during this past summer's war.

    • We glorify You for making out of a nation of dry bones - an exceedingly great army (Ezekiel 37:10).

    • We stand amazed at how You make this small nation strong and powerful in battle (Zechariah 10:5).

  6. 'Peace' negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians has died many times - yet still lives. This summer's war against Hamas in Gaza has opened up more Israelis to see the very real danger of having a Palestinian State next door to Israel - without any Israeli security control on the ground. PM Netanyahu has said several times recently, a full-fledged independent 'Palestine' is totally out of the question. And that is an answer to over 20 years of intercession. Remember that when the 1993 Oslo Accords were signed, most Israelis, most Western nations and a majority in the Church, were for the establishment of 'Palestine' on the very land that God has sworn to give to the Jewish people forever. So we prayed against any division of God's land - and we will need to continue to do so. Today there is no 'Palestine' and the majority of Israelis has seen the light and are against a sovereign Palestinian state next door to us.

    • Lord, we praise and thank You for being faithful to Your word and not the word of man.

    • There were times when we felt it was inevitable that there would be a Palestinian State, yet as we turned to You - being encouraged by Your Word - Your grace enabled us to press on, praying against that which most of the world wanted, and You have heard our cries.

    • 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

    • Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the scales; behold, He takes up the coastlands as a very little thing…All nations before Him are as nothing; and to Him they are thought to be less than nothing, and vanity…It is He [the Creator]…who brings the rulers to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth as vanity.

      Isaiah 40:15, 17, 22-23

  7. We have often prayed for the salvation of Muslims, recognizing that the greatest victory we can see is for our enemies to become our family. We are now hearing reports of a huge number of Muslims who are receiving Yeshua as their Savior - especially in Iran, Egypt and among the Syrian refugee camps. The Lord is appearing in dreams and visions and Arab Christians are also being used mightily in this.

    • We rejoice in You and give You all the praise for turning hearts and opening up eyes.

    • We praise You that many ex-Muslim believers are now strong Christian Zionists.

    • And I heard as the sound of a great multitude, and as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and we will give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.

      Revelation 19:6-7

  8. Finally, we have asked you to pray for 'all Israel' to be saved. The Body of Messiah in Israel is growing - almost daily. There are congregations in Jerusalem praising God and praying in Hebrew, English, Russian, French, Spanish, Amharic [Ethiopian] and most likely other languages as well. Not only that, but many pre-believing Israelis are very open to hear about Messiah Yeshua and they receive us Messianic Jews as an integral part of this nation. Obviously, there is still opposition, but that is to be expected. Nevertheless, what we are seeing in this area is a huge answer to prayer.

    • Lord Yeshua, we bless and thank You for every Jew, both inside and outside of this nation, who has come to know You as their Messiah, Savior and Lord.

    • Abba, we are so grateful that You are drawing Your people to Your Son (John 6:44).

    • And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

      Romans 11:26

    • I will pour on the house of David, and the people of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of 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.

      Zechariah 12:10

Thank you for being an important part of this incredible miraculous restoration which our God is doing with His land and His people.

Chuck Cohen - for the IFI team

But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be of sound mind, and watch unto prayers.

1 Peter 4:7