1. Hodu l'Adonai ki tov, ki le'olam chasdo - Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. For His mercy endures forever.

    Psalm 118:1

    I will lift up my eyes to the hills - From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

    Psalm 121

    • Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness.

    • Thank You that Your ways are higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:9)

    • Thank You that You are in the midst of Your people. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. (Psalm 46:5)

    • Thank You that You are Yeshua the light of the world. I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. (John 8:12)

    • Thank You that Your word stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

    • Thank You that Israel shall be saved. But Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation (Isaiah 45:17)

    • Lord, we are glad to come into Your house today. (Psalm 122:1)

  2. Purim

    We are in the second day of Purim celebrations recalling the events of the Book of Esther. A deadly plot to wipe out the Jewish people was turned over and transformed into a time of rejoicing. However, as we came to prayer in Jerusalem this morning it was easy to see how the enemy has sought to turn this celebration to his own purposes. In Israel Purim has come to look rather like Halloween with lots of ugly fancy dress costumes. A spirit of drunkenness prevails especially among young people.

    • Lord, drive back the darkness. Turn Israel away from the darkness and back to the light. … open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light… (Acts 26:18)

    • Turn Israel back to Your word. Make them thirsty for You.

    • May they get drunk, not on alcohol but on Your Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

    • Have mercy on the young people who are abusing alcohol to hide from their fears. Drive away their fears in Your perfect love. (1 John 4:18)

    • While much of this behavior has been imported by new immigrants from the nations eg Russia, thank You that you brought them back home to Israel to wash them with clean water and turn them to Yourself. (Ezekiel 36:24-27)

  3. Israeli Elections

    With less than 2 weeks before the March 17 elections we prayed that in the aftermath of Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech this week to the US Congress the campaigning would turn away from candidates and parties focusing on personality and on knocking each other down and focus on the serious issues facing the nation.

    • Thank you for Netanyahu's speech in the US and for the enthusiastic response he received there. Thank You for the way he represented Your land and Your people and delivered his warning to the world.

    • Hold back the media which seems intent only on Bibi-bashing.

    • Undo the enmity which seems to have been placed between the people of Israel and Binyamin Netanyahu.

    • Give discernment to the people of Israel that they would see through the manipulations of the media and look to the truth. Shake up the nation so they may have their eyes opened to the realities and focus on the real issues facing the Israel as they prepare for the elections.

    • Root out corruption and corrupt people from Israeli politics and restore integrity and honor. Give us people who desire the best for the nation.

    • Give us rulers who will rule with righteousness and justice. (Psalm 72:2)

    • I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning.

      Isaiah 1:26

    • All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

      Psalm 75:10

    • You, Lord are the one who removes kings and raises up kings. (Daniel 2:21)

    • Lord, if, as we continue to believe, Binyamin Netanyahu is still Your chosen man to lead Israel, raise up respected voices in these coming days who will endorse Bibi and guide the thoughts and votes of the people on March 17.

  4. Security

    In his speech to the US Congress, Netanyahu referred to the pressured situation in the Middle East with vicious enemies of Israel also fighting bitterly against one another - Iran on the Shiite Islamic side and Islamic State for the Sunni Muslims. As Netanyahu said "The enemy of my enemy is…my enemy." What is Israel to do? We also see Israel being drawn closer to the other nations in the region who share our fears of both these enemies - nations such as Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia who are only too aware that radical Islam is gobbling up the nations round about, eg Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen.

    • Intervene, o Lord! Arise and let Your enemies be scattered! (Psalm 68:1)

    • Give Israel's leaders the wisdom and judgment to know when to watch and wait and see you bringing our enemies into confusion around about us. (2 Chronicles 20:14-24)

    • Put Your angelic guards about Israel to protect her from her enemies round about.

    • In the Book of Esther the plot of Haman was exposed, but the Jewish people still needed a new decree from the king to release them to defend themselves against their enemies (Esther 8:11-13). So, Lord, equip Israel today to defend herself against those seeking her destruction.

    • Empower the IDF to defend the nation against its enemies all around.

    • Give the wisdom and financial resources to create ground-breaking weapons to confound the plans of the enemy. Help us discover and develop ways to reveal any and all tunnels which Hamas or Hezbollah may have built to infiltrate Israel from underground. Expose all that is hidden in darkness! I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. (Isaiah 42:16)

    • Place Your hand on every member of the IDF from Gadi Eizenkot, Chief of the General Staff, to the newest recruits to work in unity with the government for the protection of Israel.

    • Help each soldier to recognize the responsibility placed on them to keep alert to play their part in Israel's security.

    • Keep each citizen alert to the dangers round about - especially from terrorism within the country.

    • **We just heard news of another terror attack at a light rail station in Jerusalem this morning

    • Keep the intercessors alert and watchful. Show us how to pray!

    • Thank You, Lord that You are Israel's security and You have good plans to give her a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

  5. The Body of Messiah

    • Thank You for entrusting Your body with the responsibility to stand in prayer for this nation.

    • Keep us faithful in the belief that our prayer is needful and effective. (James 5:16)

    • Keep us watchful in prayer - to see that You are indeed answering our prayers. (Ephesians 6:18)

    • Raise up more praying people and more prayer groups around Israel who will take this responsibility seriously.

    • Prompt the leaders of Your body to call the people to prayer more and more.

    • Release all whom You have called to leadership in Your body.

    • Protect all in leadership. Protect their marriages. Keep them walking in humility and protect them from building their own kingdoms in place of Your kingdom. Give them respect and honor toward each other. Protect leaders from burn-out.

    • Keep our eyes on You, o Lord and guard us with Your shield. (Psalm 3:3)

    • Thank You that Your body includes Israelis alongside brethren who are visitors from the nations. Let each find their place in the body and recognize the place You have given to others.

  6. IFI

    • Lord, watch over each of us as we gather in Jerusalem, elsewhere in Israel or at our position anywhere in the world.

    • Watch over Chuck as he ministers in Germany.

    • Refresh Eliyahu, just home from the USA.

    • Continue to work in Lance for healing and use him to encourage Your people in prayer.

Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameach (Happy Purim)!

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Messiah Yeshua.

Philippians 4:6-7