1. We began our time of intercession reading Psalm 125:1-2 and praising our great God.

    • They who trust in YHWH shall be like Mount Zion, which is not shaken, but abides forever. As the mountains are all around Jerusalem, so YHWH is all around His people from this time and forever.

    • We rejoice in You - our God, our Strength and our Maker (Psalm 95:6).

    • Again, we are so blessed to rest on the truth that You never change (Malachi 3:6).

    • Hallelujah! Your mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

    • Abba, although in these days we may not always understand what You do or allow to happen, yet we trust You because we know who You are through the revelation of Yourself in Your Word (Exodus 34:5-7; Hebrews 1:1-3).

  2. Israel's northern border is in need of much prayer security-wise right now. ISIS has made great gains, taking over many areas in Syria, although so far they are areas furthest away from Israel. Hizbullah is again talking about invading the Galilee and destroying Israel, and there is a concern that Syria's President Assad might decide it is better to die as a hero by attacking Israel than to die at the hands of fellow Muslims. Also, the IDF has just held a large exercise in the north focusing on defending Israel from these threats.

    • Abba, as we cry to You to spare Your people…and do not allow Your inheritance to be shamed, we also ask for You to deal with these threats from the north (Joel 2:17-21).

    • Safeguard all of Israel's intelligence resources in Syria and Lebanon.

    • Lord of Hosts, send an angelic host to guard against kidnappings and other hidden attacks.

    • Strengthen and keep all Israeli soldiers alert.

    • Prevent them from being distracted at critical moments.

    • Especially over this Shavuot weekend [Sat. evening through Sun.], protect Your people and this, Your nation (Psalm 121:4).

    • Impart wisdom to IDF commanders to know how to balance combat training with rest.

    • Impart wisdom to them to know how to prepare for the battles and wars of today and tomorrow.

    • Provide the IDF with all it needs to defend this nation - in money, manpower, equipment, etc.

    • Thank You for all the game-changing weaponry that You have helped Israel to develop.

    • Please speed up the new terror-tunnel detection devices Israel has tested.

    • Lord, use the more than 1,000 Syrian wounded who have been freely treated in Israeli hospitals as good-will ambassadors, or even as collaborators (Exodus 18:11; Joshua 2:9-11).

    • As we see all the chaos in the nations surrounding Israel, we thank You for answering our prayers to confound those who hate Zion (Psalm 129:5).

    • We pray over Hizbullah's wicked leader Nasrallah, Let them be humbled and put to shame, those who seek after my soul; let them be turned back and be brought to confusion, who plot evil against me…let his net which he has concealed catch him, let him fall in it, into destruction. (Psalms 35:4, 8)

    • Lord, as in the days of old, let Your fear fall upon all of Israel's enemies. The fear of YHWH fell on all the kingdoms of the lands around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 17:10)

  3. We extended our prayers for the rest of Israel's borders - in the west, along the Mediterranean, the long eastern border with the Kingdom of Jordan, and of course, in the south along the Sinai and Gaza borders. Praying many of the same requests as above, we also added the following:

    • Lord, please oversee the distribution of Israel's security resources (Psalm 23:1, 5)

    • Thank You for the IDF being not politically correct, and seeing that after several years of testing, women are just not compatible to be placed in tank crews.

    • Yet we do thank You for how the IDF has women in most other areas - including fighter pilots.

    • Watch over the good working relationship that the IDF has with the Egyptian army today.

    • As an aside, please protect and save Egypt's President al-Sisi.

    • Remove all shackles - political, economic, humanistic, etc. - from Israel's security forces so that they can be Your weapon of war - for Your glory (Isaiah 41:10-16; Jeremiah 51:19-23; Ezekiel 37:10; Micah 4:11-13; Zechariah 9:13-17; 12:2-9).

  4. Internal security was next on our spiritual radar.

    • Thank You for helping Israel to stop most terrorist attacks inside our borders (Malachi 1:5).

    • Enable all Israelis to be as alert as the Israeli guard dogs who are trained to sniff out explosives.

    • Do not allow another Palestinians intifada [uprising] to erupt - unless in Your perfect will and timing.

    • Continue to give the soldiers at checkpoints discernment to uncover all terror plans (Psalm 140:5-8).

    • If Israel needs to restore some of the removed checkpoints, let them do it now.

    • Abba, over Shavuot, hinder all plans of the enemy to kill and destroy in Israel (Jeremiah 31:10).

    • Lord, aid us to pray against the spirit of lawlessness being released in most of the world. Have mercy and block it from entering in all its demonic glory into Your land. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest on the lot of the righteous…Do good, YHWH, to the good, and to the upright in heart. And those who turn aside to their crooked ways, YHWH shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Peace shall be on Israel. (Psalms 125:3-5)

    • We bless You that Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed for Israel to be the world's leader in cyber-warfare.

    • Aid the IDF cyber-warfare division to protect this nation and develop the tools it will need in the future.

  5. We focused our prayers on PM Bibi Netanyahu and his family - for protection, salvation, rest, unity among themselves, wisdom and courage to speak truth to the world, whether it hears or not.

    • We bless You for Bibi Netanyahu and we bless him in the name of his Messiah Yeshua.

    • Save him and fill him with Your Spirit and a deep hunger for Your Word (Psalm 119:18, 97, 130).

    • As he reads Your Word over Shabbat and Shavuot, make it come alive to him. So then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)

    • Protect him and his family against all of the lies, slander and other attacks against him (Psalm 31:13-14).

    • Impart to Bibi wisdom, courage and strength to not compromise on any of his red-lines (Psalm 80:17).

  6. As we were sharing about the outward state of Israel's new government coalition - the seemingly weak, not very unified, and small condition of it - several of us thought on Gideon and his small, weak army.

    • YHWH said to Gideon, The people with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel boast themselves against Me, saying, My own hand has saved me…YHWH said to Gideon, The people are still too many…YHWH said to Gideon, I will save you by the three hundred men who lapped, and will deliver the Midianites into your hand. And let all the other people go, each man to his place.

      Judges 7:2-7 excerpts

    • Lord, we asked for a government through whom You could be glorified. Is this Your answer?

    • Use this 'weak and foolish' group to confound all the wise in the world (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

    • YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He breaks the thoughts of the people. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.

      Psalms 33:10-11

    • Place in each government minister Your fear and remove the fear of man (Proverbs 1:7; 29:25).

    • Bring a sense of unity and purpose to this government, and overrule them for Your holy name's sake (Proverbs 16:9; 19:21; 21:1).

    • Hedge in the opposition and stop their continual attacks against this government.

    • Give them a sense of reality and humility to see that they actually lost the elections!

    • To pray specifically for each government minister:
      http://www.timesofisrael.com/members-of-the-new-israeli-governent/
      [sic]

  7. With Shavuot celebrated by both Jews and Christians [Pentecost] this weekend, we prayed for salvation to be poured out from on high on both Jews and Muslims.

    • Lord, continue to save multitudes of Syrian refugees.

    • Let Your voice be heard in Israel again as it was in Acts 2, when in many different languages/tongues the apostles declared the good news of Israel's risen Messiah.

    • This Yeshua God has raised up, of which we all are witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you now see and hear. For David has not ascended into the heavens, but he says himself, YHWH said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I place Your enemies as a footstool to Your feet. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God made this same Yeshua, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

      Acts 2:32-36

    • Abba, reveal Your Son to many unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews.

    • Touch Israelis as they read the story of Ruth this Shavuot and cause them to think about how Ruth is a foreshadow of the gentile members of the Body of Messiah who have a God-imparted love for Israel. Ruth said, Do not beg me to leave you, to return from following after you. For where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May YHWH do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me. (Ruth 1:16-17)

    • Lord, make this weekend another partial fulfillment of Joel 2 as Peter declared in Acts 2:16-21: But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall be in the last days, says God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams…And it shall be that everyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Acts 2:16-17, 21)

We then prayed for the Israeli Body to receive a renewed love for God's Word and a fresh infilling of God's Spirit - with an accompanying desire to look unto Yeshua, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Speaking of the Israel Body, there will be a memorial service for our precious brother Lance Lambert on Wednesday 27th May at 11:00 Israel time, at The Pavilion, Clal Building, 97 Jaffa Road, Jerusalem. It will also be streamed live on the internet. The service will be recorded and will be permanently available to view online at the same link.

  • Thank you, Lord, for Lance's life and ministry.

  • We ask that You would receive all the glory in this memorial service.

  • May Lance's memory bear fruit for Your kingdom just as he bore fruit through his life! Amen.

Shabbat Shalom and hag Shavuot sameach,

The IFI team