1. We began by reading some verses from the special prophetic portion over Chanukah.

    • Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion. For behold, I come, and I will dwell in your midst, says YHWH. And many gentiles shall be joined to YHWH in that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that YHWH of Hosts has sent Me to you. And YHWH shall possess Judah, His portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

      Zechariah 2:10-12

    • Lord, thank You for possessing Judah and choosing Jerusalem again – despite what the UN says.

    • This land is Your land and we bless You for caring for it always (Deuteronomy 11:12).

    • You are sovereign and we trust in You (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 103:19).

    • Thank You for Your protection over us and Your nation (Psalm 91:1-11; 121:4).

    • While we are upset over what happened at the UN last week, we rest in the fact that nothing takes You by surprise. Remember the former things…for I am God, and no other is God, there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from the past things which were not done, saying, My purpose shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure; (Isaiah 46:9-10)

    • We exalt You, O Lord.

  2. With the double betrayal from the Obama administration this past week – in not vetoing UN Security Council Resolution 2334 which basically says all of Judea, Samaria and biblical ["East"] Jerusalem is illegally occupied by Israel, and then being lectured by an arrogant Secretary of State Kerry in a speech filled with false facts and even falser innuendos, Israel's leadership is furious and frustrated – and rightly so! We prayed for them to know how to respond. Yet also knowing that at some stage all nations come against Jerusalem and Judea (Zechariah 12:2-3), we first asked God to give us His view and His wisdom on how to pray into this.

    • Lord, You said if any lacked wisdom to ask You for it (James 1:5), and that is what we are doing.

    • Make us like those sons of Issachar who understood the times and had wisdom to know what Israel needed to do (1 Chronicles 12:32).

    • We bless and thank You for Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and the rest of the government ministers who called the world on its hypocrisy and called Obama on his betrayal. [Obama had promised to not support any UNSC resolutions that interfered with direct face-to-face negotiations with the Palestinians.]

    • You have called this government to lead Israel at this time. Now please equip them (Psalm 32:8).

    • May this verse from this Shabbat's prophetic portion help them to regulate their responses: Be silent, all flesh, before YHWH; for He has risen out of His holy dwelling place. (Zechariah 2:13)

    • Let them call out to You for help (Psalm 50:15).

    • Overrule Bibi and his government in what they say, think and even write (Psalm 21:1).

    • We thank You that the real deed for this land rests in Your hands (Leviticus 25:23)!

    • Abba, increase the fear of You and decrease the fear of man in Israel's leaders (Proverbs 29:25).

    • We bless You for answering our specific prayer to have Israel's spokesmen use the Bible more often.

  3. A concern we have is that many in Israel and in the American Church seem to be looking to Donald Trump as the answer to all these problems. Yet he is only a man and not God, and putting him on a pedestal is dangerous for Trump himself and for those who hoist him up there.

    • Protect Israelis and the Church in America from looking to Trump and not to You (Isaiah 45:22).

    • Thus says YHWH, Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from YHWH.

      Jeremiah 17:5

    • Meet with Trump in a real way and reveal to him that You are the One who raised him up (Daniel 5:21).

    • Help America's next president to take on a godly spirit of humility (Proverbs 22:4; Matthew 23:12).

    • Raise up godly counselors to surround him – and to warn him of the existential danger to himself and his nation of trying to divide Your land (Joel 3:1-2).

    • May our brother in Messiah, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, be an anchor for the next administration.

    • Wake up the American Church to not be sucked into this danger of looking to Trump – but to look to You, Lord Yeshua, and to pray for their leaders (Hebrews 12:2; 1 Timothy 2:1-3).

  4. Obama just lit another fire as he leaves office, ejecting dozens of Russian intelligence operatives and placing sanctions on Russian intelligence agencies over their supposed hacking and interfering with US elections. Is any of this true or is Obama just really upset that he did not get elected for a third term – vicariously through Hillary Clinton? Only God knows. Yet Israel has good relations with both Russia and most other American leaders, and needs to tread carefully.

    • Abba, keep Israel out of this conflict. He who passes by enraging himself over strife not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears. (Proverbs 26:17)

    • Give its leaders wisdom to avoid all traps (Psalm 141:9-10).

    • Hedge in Netanyahu, Liberman, Bennet and all the rest from being drawn in, especially as they feel so betrayed by Obama.

    • Impart to Israel's government a unity in wariness over this (Psalm 133:1).

    • Place a guard on their mouths (Psalm 141:3).

  5. Ever since the Oslo Accords of 1993, no matter what is offered to the Palestinians, God always hardens their hearts to refuse – and so there is still no "Palestine" today. This is exactly what they have done this week after Kerry's speech laying out the parameters of what he and Obama see as the "final solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And while most Arab nations have agreed, they have rejected it! The Palestinian leadership refuse to resettle their so-called "refuges" in their state – wanting all these millions to return to pre-67 Israel. They will not accept Jerusalem as the capital of the two states and they continue to refuse recognizing Israel as the Jewish State.

    • Abba, thank You for continually hardening our enemies minds, and thus protecting this land and Your people. Let them all be confounded and ashamed and turned back who hate Zion. (Psalms 129:5)

    • We bless You that with the conditions that they insist on are so radical that not even the most radical liberal Israeli would make a deal.

    • I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

      Psalms 120:7

    • Help the Israeli government to use the Palestinian refusal to expose the idiocy of Kerry's proposal.

    • Help the Israeli government to use the Palestinian refusal to expose the idiocy of all peace proposals.

    • Somehow move on the media to report widely this outright rejection of Kerry's plans.

    • Enable Israeli spokesmen and women to speak of their unreasonable conditions continually.

    • Expose the lies that Palestinians use to deceive the world – such as Jesus being the first Palestinian martyr, that there was never a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, and that they are Israel's indigenous people.

  6. Security: The UN resolution has put over half million Israelis into the category of international war criminals – including some members of the IFI team. One concern is that terrorists will see this as an additional reason to kill more Israelis. And while the danger has increased, Israel is still the only nation that is winning the war against terrorism – and is able to maintain itself as a democracy.

    • Lord, we look to You as the One who always guards Israel (Psalm 121:4).

    • Thank You for exposing the large weapons factory that the Arabs in Hebron had built (Job 12:22).

    • Expose all terror tunnels as well and aid the development of anti-tunnel detection devices.

    • Lord Yeshua, with the aid of Your angelic hosts, help the IDF to seal all of Israel's borders against enemy infiltration (Psalm 35:4-6; Matthew 25:31).

    • Anoint the Israeli Navy to protect Israel's seacoasts (1 Kings 9:26).

    • Anoint Israel's Air Force to protect Israel's skies (Isaiah 31:5)

    • And while we thank You for the IDF, we look to and trust in You as the ultimate Shield over this nation (Psalm 20:7-9; 121:1-4; Jeremiah 31:10).

    • Impart a heighten sense of alertness to all Israelis – soldiers and civilians.

    • Prevent all successful kidnappings and sniper attacks.

    • May the fear of being killed by a female security person, stop jihadists from attacking Israel.

    • Use Israel's winter weather to destroy tunnels and wreak havoc on all the enemy's plans (Job 38:22-23).

  7. Israel is receiving more rain and snow than was expected – and that is an answer to prayer. Yet this nation still needs lots more.

    • Lord, thank You for the rains and snows. More, Lord!

    • Since You control the elements, open up the heavens over exactly the right places (Psalm 68:9).

    • While Israelis are doing much better on conserving water, help us to do even more.

    • Thank You that Your rain does not depend on our righteousness, but on who You are (Matthew 5:45b).

    • Again, we ask for You to speak to the Sea of Galilee and say, "Arise"!

  8. Aliyah – the immigration of Jews from exile back home to Israel – was down this past year, yet was still a significant number as around 27,000 scattered Jews were regathered.

    • Thank You God for bringing home all of these 27,000 Jews.

    • We are asking that 2017 would see a huge increase from 2016.

    • As this is for Your glory, we are persistently praying for You to do this (Isaiah 43:5-7).

    • Lord, wake up the Jews in the West to see the need to return quickly (Zechariah 8:7).

    • Use the immigration of Muslim masses and the rise of right-wing political parties to help them move.

    • Remove all stones of stumbling that are preventing Your people from returning (Isaiah 62:10).

    • We specifically ask for an increase among Ethiopians, Indians and American Jews.

    • Challenge our Messianic brothers and sisters with this verse: How can we sing YHWH's song in a foreign land? (Psalms 137:4)

    • Lord Yeshua, open up the doors of the Interior Ministry in Israel to receive all Jews (Revelation 3:7).

    • Provide more finances for the regathering and reintegrating of Your people in this land (Isaiah 60:9-11).

    • Abba, as You shake the nations – shake the Jews in those nations out (Joel 3:16: Amos 9:9).

  9. God brings His people home to bring them to His Messiah. As there are only two more nights of Chanukah, we prayed for the Light of the world to fill the hearts of many of His people – as the lights on the Chanukiah grow brighter.

    • Abba, only You can give the revelation of Messiah Yeshua to Your people (John 6:44).

    • We desire for Yeshua to be glorified in this land – so move by Your Spirit on many hearts (John 16:14).

    • Open up the eyes of all the new immigrants who have returned home recently (Ezekiel 36:24-28)..

    • Lord, bring unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews into Your kingdom at this time (Acts 16:15, 31-34).

    • As there are many IDF soldiers who will remind on their post, please come and celebrate Chanukah with them, giving them the greatest gift of all – eternal life in Messiah Yeshua (John 6:54; 10:28; 17:2).

    • Touch many of the Orthodox, the teachers and judges, government ministers and the poor and widows.

    • 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

We finished by praying for IFI's International Prayer Conference, Jerusalem starting in a few weeks. Please cover us and the entire multi-national congregation with your prayers for: health, strength, wisdom, unity, discipline, a clear leading by God's Spirit – especially so that we discern His priorities, a lack of distractions, and the grace to co-labor with God in prayer. This week's prophetic portion ends with two verses that sum up very clearly how we need to operate: This is the Word of YHWH to Zerubbabel [lit: stranger in Babylon], saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says YHWH of Hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings, Grace! Grace to it! (Zechariah 4:6-7)

Shabbat shalom and blessings,

The IFI team