1. Shabbat's Torah portion restarts the cycle of the yearly readings with Genesis 1:1. We looked at a couple of the verses out of the accompanying prophetic portion (Isaiah 42:5-43:10).

    • Thus says YHWH God, He who created the heavens and stretched them out, spreading out the earth and its offspring; He who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it. I YHWH have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand, and will keep You, and give You for a covenant of the people, for a Light of the nations;

      Isaiah 42:5-6

    • Lord Yeshua, what a wonder to see such a clear prophecy of who You are spoken around 700 years before You were born (Luke 2:32).

    • You are My witnesses, says YHWH, and My servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me no God was formed, nor shall there be after Me. (Isaiah 43:10) Amen. We are witnesses of the truth that there is no other God than YHWH, God of Israel.

    • Lord Yeshua, You have been given the name above all names and we rejoice in You (Philippians 2:9) .

    • Hallelujah! We serve a God who does not change (Malachi 3:6).

    • We rejoice that since Your covenant with Israel still stands (Jeremiah 31:35-37, Your New Covenant with us stands as well (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

    • We bless You for Your awesome glory revealed in and through Your creation (Psalm 19:1-6).

  2. A new session of Israel's Knesset/parliament is about to start. And again, Israel's current coalition under Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is looking very shaky. Yet God has kept him and his government in office – for His own purposes. And that is another answer to prayer!

    • First of all, then, I exhort that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

      1 Timothy 2:1-2

    • Lord, based on these verses, we do thank You for this current Israeli government.

    • And we bless and thank You for raising Netanyahu up to lead Israel at this time (Daniel 2:21b; 4:25b).

    • Lord, continue to impart Your wisdom to Israel's prime minister (Proverbs 16:9; 19:21; 21:1).

    • May a sense of corporate responsibility come upon this coalition over all its decisions (Psalm 133:1-3).

    • Abba, we remind You of Your promises to raise up righteous leaders for Israel in these days: 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); I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and will bring them again to their fold. They shall be fruitful and multiply, and I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them. They shall fear no more, nor be afraid; nor shall they lack anything, says YHWH. (Jeremiah 23:3-4)

  3. This past week, a soldier on Israel's northern border was injured by weapons fire from inside Lebanon. So we carried in prayer the whole security situation on Israel's northern border.

    • Our trust is in You. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalms 121:4)

    • Thank You Lord that the soldier was injured and not killed. Please bring a quick, complete healing.

    • Use this incident as a wake-up call to the IDF – to soldiers patrolling and guarding Israel's borders.

    • We ask for an increased alertness for all Israeli security forces in that area.

    • Whenever incidents like this occur, grant to Israel's leaders wisdom on how to respond (Proverbs 19:21).

    • Abba, thank You for answering our prayers against successful kidnapping attempts (Psalm 50:15).

    • Since You say kidnapping is a capital crime (Exodus 21:16), release soldiers to do whatever is necessary to prevent any future attempts from being successful.

    • Impart Your guidance to Israel on where and how to build further barriers for protection.

    • As we look at the condition of Israel's enemies in Syria, all we can say is thank You for hearing our cries to confound those who hate Zion (Psalm 129:5).

    • Lord, You have said that You curse those who curse Your people (Numbers 24:9b). Therefore we ask for You to do just that with Hizbullah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and with the current Iranian regime.

    • As Hizbullah gains experience in fighting in Syria, let their growing confidence feed their arrogance and pride, and use it to bring them down to destruction (Proverbs 16:18).

    • Your eyes shall see, and you shall say, YHWH will be magnified upon Israel's border.

      Malachi 1:5

  4. Israel's border with Syria remains dangerous. Also the situation in Syria shows Israelis that there is no one who would protect us if we were attacked – so we must be able to defend ourselves. Of course, believers in Yeshua do recognize that we have a Protector, the Lord God of Israel.

    • Hear the Word of YHWH, gentiles, and declare it in the coastlands afar off. And say, He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep/guard him, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

      Jeremiah 31:10

    • Lord, are You at this time bringing Damascus to utter ruin (Isaiah 17:1; Jeremiah 49:23-27)?

    • May one of the results of this terrible situation be a breaking of the Shiite Crescent [bow] that Iran is trying to build through Iraq, Syria and to the Mediterranean Sea via Lebanon (Jeremiah 49:35).

    • Lord Yeshua, may many Syrians find a "safe place" in You during these ferocious days (2 Timothy 3:1).

    • Thank You for the various reports of salvations that we have heard from this chaos (Proverbs 18:10).

    • All these nations have threatened Your nation Israel. Open the eyes of the Church to see Your obvious judgments in these last days (Psalm 9:16-20). [While we do not rejoice over the death of the wicked, we do see His judgment on wicked nations who want to wipe Israel off the map (Psalm 83).]

    • Lord Yeshua, the house of Islam is divided. We ask for it to be brought to ruin quickly (Luke 11:17).

    • Set many Muslims free to reject a false Islamic Jesus and receive and worship You, the King of Israel.

    • Abba, protect the Kurds. Somehow bring all the various factions into unity and birth a Kurdistan soon.

  5. Russia is filling the vacuum left by the Obama administration's terrible foreign policy decisions.

    • Lord, with thousands of Russian troops and weapons of war now in Israel's neighborhood, please give to Israel's leaders wisdom and guidance from on high to know what Israel needs to do (1 Chronicles 12:32).

    • Lord, we confess that we are unclear about how to pray into this rush by Russia into the Middle East. Please share with us what we need to know so that we can pray in line with Your will (Amos 3:7).

    • We rest confidently in the reality that none of this has taken You by surprise (Psalm 103:19).

    • Please shield Netanyahu from any ungodly influence from Russian President Putin (Numbers 23:23).

    • Forbid that Russia's presence hinder Israel's ability to defend itself from enemies in Syria and Lebanon.

  6. US elections will be held on November 8th. Having no righteous leader to vote for is often a sign of God's displeasure. Still we can pray for Him to have mercy on America. For non-Americans, the most effectively way to do that is to pray for your brothers and sisters in the American Church to wake up, pray and to then get out and vote. Remember, what happens there still impacts all of our nations.

    • Lord Yeshua, wake up Your Body in America to pray much and then to actually vote (1 John 5:14-15).

    • May they seek Your Kingdom and righteousness first, and then what is best for the US (Matthew 6:33).

    • If America has become an idol in the hearts of any American believers, reveal it to them and then show them how to be set free.

    • We remind You of how often in the recent past America has been Israel's best friend, and ask for You to remember that for the sake of that nation in mercy (Genesis 12:3a).

    • Whatever the election results may be, use it to wake up American Jews that it is time to return home.

  7. Israel's huge gas finds were next on our prayer list – although just for a few brief requests.

    • Abba, thank You for unveiling this treasure for Israel for just a time like this.

    • Lord, may Israel decide to export via Cyprus and Greece and not through Turkey.

    • Protect the Israeli oil fields in the Mediterranean from terrorism and all other attacks.

  8. Aliyah – the immigration of Jews in exile back to Israel. [Note from Chuck: Thank you all who prayed for the team who were on a prayer assignment in Germany over the past few weeks. It was a joint venture between IFI-Germany, Ebenezer Emergency Fund-Germany and IFI here in Jerusalem, and there was complete unity throughout the trip. We visited several major German cities, reminded God of His word and asked Him to release the approximately 350,000 Jews who are currently stuck in Germany. Most of them are from the former Soviet Union and have just not traveled far enough south yet!]

    • From this Shabbat's prophetic portion: 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; yea, I have made him. (Isaiah 43:5-7)

    • Lord, stir up the Jews in Germany. Remember for Your holy name's sake all of our recent prayers.

    • Not to us, O YHWH, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for Your mercy and for Your truth's sake. Why should the nations say, Where now is their God? But our God is in Heaven; He has done whatever He has pleased.

      Psalms 115:1-3

    • Cause many European Jews to see that the Islamic immigration into Europe is actually a form of jihad [hijirah] and that their security is not to be found in exile – but in Israel (Jeremiah 31:10).

    • Abba, whatever it takes – with as much mercy as possible – move upon the Jews in America to see that now is the time to return home (Zechariah 8:7).

    • Lord, use the serious issue of anti-Semitism in the UK's Labour Party to wake up British Jews.

    • God, please hinder the successful reestablishment of Jewish communities in exile.

    • Provide all that is needed to organizations that are trying to encourage and bring the Jews home – whether Christian groups like EEF, or Jewish groups like the Jewish Agency and Nefesh b'Nefesh.

    • Abba, stir up the world's Spanish speaking Jews to rise up and return to Zion (Jeremiah 50:4-5).

  9. We concluded by asking God for rain. While Israel has plenty of water via desalinization for drinking and other various uses, ecologically this land is still very thirsty. There was a hint of rain yesterday and we are hoping for more during this next week.

    • Lord, You said You rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45b). Therefore based on who You are – and not on whether Israel as a nation deserves it or not – please send the rain.

    • Ask rain from YHWH in the time of the latter rain. YHWH shall make storm clouds, and He gives them showers of rain, grass to everyone in the field. (Zechariah 10:1) And so we ask for this.

    • We pray for much snow this winter – in all the right places.

    • Lord, cause the Sea of Galilee to be filled to overflowing by next spring.

    • But the land which you are entering to possess it is a land of hills and valleys, drinking water from the rain of the heavens. It is a land which YHWH your God cares for. The eyes of YHWH your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year.

      Deuteronomy 11:11-12

    • As You watch over this land, send that rain from heaven to refresh it.

    • I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water… so that they may see, know, consider and understand, that the hand of YHWH has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.

      Isaiah 41:18, 20

    • We bless You for prophesying that this land will be like the garden of Eden in fruitfulness (Ezekiel 36:35-37)

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion,

The IFI team