1. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted inHim, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever.

Psalm 28:7-9

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!… Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanks, honor and power and strength, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 7:10,12

  • You are our strength and our song! (Exodus 15:2)
  • You are Lord of all!
  • Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You.
  • Psalm 33:18-22
  • You know the end from the beginning. We want to pray in tune with You.
  • You bring the counsel of the nations to nothing. (Psalm 33:10)
  • Watch over Your word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12)
  • You are faithful and true. (Revelation 19:11)
  • You neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:4)
  • Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb. For You are glorious and worthy to be praised the Lamb upon the throne! (Revelation 5:12,13)
2. Internal Security - this has been a hard week in Israel with more attacks, more deaths, more terror. The government announced a decision to complete the building of the security barrier around parts of Jerusalem where there are gaps. A recent poll published findings that 48% of Israeli Jews support the idea of expelling Arabs from Israel! However, there are some Palestinian parents who want their children to live and are keeping them out of school in order to protect them from this evil infection.
  • Lord have mercy upon this nation! Give our leaders the wisdom to know what to do.
  • We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.
  • 2 Chronicles 20:12
  • Release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:15) Lord, we don't want bondage or fear of death. Please give us the key to pray into this!
  • Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.
  • (Jeremiah 1:9-10)
  • Lord, show Your intercessors how You want us to pray at this time.
  • Give alertness in Israeli society in these days without paranoia.
  • Do not be afraid… I am your shield
  • Genesis 15:1
  • Your covenant with death will be annulled (Isaiah 28:18) Yes Lord! Break this covenant with death which our enemies have made!
  • Thank You for those Palestinian parents taking responsibility for keeping their children away from the incitement in society. Bless them and help them to maintain a firm stand.
  • Give the young people a desire to live and not die and the ability to speak up for life.
  • Silence the evil propaganda of the media, particularly social media.
  • Choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;t hat you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him. (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) May multitudes of Palestinians also choose life and find the living God! Pour out a flood of salvations in the Palestinian areas.
  • Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

    Luke 18:16

  • Where there is hatred bring Your love.
3. Biden Visit - US vice-President Joe Biden was in Israel this week and was close by a terror attack in which an American visitor was killed and several Israelis were wounded. He spoke out against the attacks and against those (PA President Mahmoud Abbas) who fail to condemn the terror. (http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Biden-US-condemns-international-failure-to-denounce-Palestinian-terror-attacks-447349) Abbas, however, continued to defy this challenge, refusing to condemn the attacks.
  • Thank You, Lord for the boldness and clarity of Biden's statement. May he continue to speak out back in America.
  • Comfort the family of Taylor Force, the American who died. Also use his death to open the eyes of the world to the truth of daily life in Israel and the reality of Islamic terror.
  • And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
  • John 8:32
  • May there be consequences in how America treats Abbas and the Palestinian Authority when they continue to defy the call to condemn terror.
4. Israeli Government Reaction - As well as announcing the decision to complete the security barrier, there has been talk about the possibility of expelling the families of terrorists to Gaza. In the past similar actions have backfired when those exiled have returned to Israel more radicalized than before causing an increase in terror.
  • Give sound judgment to Israel's leaders so they may take actions prompted by Your wisdom rather than panic. If they need to wait, give them the courage to wait, even in the face of much criticism.
  • Release wisdom to Israel's government and bring them into unity over their decisions.
  • Give them policies which will reduce terror rather than increase it.
  • The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
  • Proverbs 15:28
  • Oh, that my people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways!Psalm 81:13
  • Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.
  • Isaiah 26:20
5. Use of firearms - In response to government directives there are now more people, civilians and security personnel carrying weapons as a matter of course. However, many of them are not very proficient in using them, having had little training in the use of the weapons they are carrying.
  • Thank You, Lord, that there are more people carrying weapons, taking responsibility, acting as a deterrent to violence.
  • We ask that by Your mercy there would be no more "friendly fire" casualties - innocents killed or injured from the fire of those seeking to neutralize terrorists. Protect arms carriers from panic.
  • Put it on the hearts of those carrying weapons to take responsibility to practice and receive training in the use of their weapons.
  • Set Your angels to guard over this land and all of its people.
  • Protect the innocent Palestinians from fear and from accidentally provoking reactions through panic.
  • But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
  • Psalm 3:3
  • Show Your intercessors how to correctly use our weapons.
  • Keep us in Your peace.
6. Iran - Iran conducted missile tests this week in violation of international agreements (this is denied by Iran). The question is whether the international community has the will to take any real action and apply sanctions to Iran. The recent nuclear deal has opened the way for a huge amount of business between Iran and the rest of the world. The temptation to make money may be too powerful.
  • Open the eyes of the nations to what Iran is doing in defiance of the world.
  • Raise up voices which will speak against this behavior by Iran.
  • Show Israel's leaders if this is the time when Israel needs to strike.
  • Show Your intercessors the responsibility You have given them in this situation to give You no rest.
  • I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold; therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; and My own fury, it sustained Me.
  • Isaiah 63:5
7. Body of Messiah
  • Thank You for raising up a Body of Your people in Israel.
  • Let them teach and seek sound doctrine.
  • Reveal the responsibility they have as priests before the Lord and before the nation, to seek Your face in prayer.
  • Raise up young leaders who are hungry for Your word and Your truth.
  • Raise up prayer in every city, town and neighborhood as Your people gather together to seek You.
  • Give the burden to pray both for the salvation and for the security/survival of Israel.
  • Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.
  • Isaiah 54:2
  • Show IFI our role in equipping Your people, and especially the young people, to pray for the land.
  • Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!… for there the Lord commanded the blessing- Life forevermore.
  • Psalm 133
  • Give a burden for prayer to the young Palestinian believers.
  • Unite isolated believers into fellowship in the Body.
  • Replace all soulish "unity" with real relationships built upon truth and trust.
  • For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
  • Jeremiah 29:11
8. Rain - At this season of the latter rains, Israel badly still needs much water on the land. However, much of the agriculture has come early because of the mild winter, so the rain needs to be gentle and steady but not such as will destroy the crops.
  • We ask You, Lord, for rain which will fill up the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) but not damage this year's agriculture.
  • Please give us abundant steady rain and a magnificent harvest so that Israel's crops will be coveted in Europe despite the BDS campaign.
  • Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
  • Isaiah 27:6
  • Prolong the spring season, Lord, so we may have rain even into the month of June. Also send some more snow on Mount Hermon.
  • Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.
  • Zechariah 10:1
9. Please continue to pray for Chuck Cohen in Germany.
  • Blessed be the name of the Lord most high. The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Shabbat Shalom from the IFI team