1. This Shabbat's prophetic portion ends with these verses from Isaiah, which considering all the excitement in Washington DC with Netanyahu and Trump's meetings, seem very appropriate.

    • For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of YHWH of Hosts will do this.

      Isaiah 9:6-7

    • Lord Yeshua, we praise You that ultimately the government rests in Your more than capable hands.

    • Thank You for always being faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).

    • Praise You for revealing to us this very encouraging truth: For I am YHWH, I change not. Because of this you sons of Jacob are not destroyed. (Malachi 3:6)

    • Abba, we trust in Your renewed mercies to carry us through each day (Lamentations 3:22-23).

    • What a privilege to be brought into Your kingdom for just this time in history (Esther 4:14b).

  2. This past week over 100 Beni Menashe, Jews from India, returned to Israel. By the end of the year, the total number will be around 700. This further fulfillment of prophecy should encourage us as we see God's total faithfulness to His Word. It also led us to pray for aliyah in general.

    • Thank You for watching over Your word to accomplish it (Jeremiah 1:12).

    • 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

    • Give Israeli citizens a big heart to receive and help them and all other new immigrants.

    • As with the Indian Jews, also release the Ethiopian Jews to come home and be received with open arms.

    • Bring back all the Jews who are still under Muslim rule – like in Iran, Turkey and Morocco.

    • Lord, we have heard what Marie LePen said she would do if elected to lead France [no kippahs; no dual Israeli-French citizenships]. May French Jews see that life-as-usual is over for them and set their eyes on Zion (Jeremiah 50:4-5).

    • Open the eyes of Jews throughout the West to no longer linger in areas with growing anti-Semitism.

    • May many American Jews who are furious with Trump – come home. Let them not waste their time, efforts and finances to tear Trump down when they could use those same resources to build Israel up.

    • Dissolve the bonds that tie the Jews in the UK to that nation.

    • As Jews return home, show the government how to provide homes, jobs and all that is needed to integrate them into this society.

    • Who are these who fly like a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, to the name of YHWH your God – the Holy One of Israel – because He has glorified you.

      Isaiah 60:8-9

  3. While things seemed to go well for PM Bibi Netanyahu in America, he will likely be facing much more pressure now that he is back in Israel. Whether it is from the rest of the world insisting on a commitment for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or from the right wing in his government to increase settlements and annex much of Judea and Samaria, or the various investigations he is being subjected to, he needs the wisdom of Solomon to steer through these rough waters.

    • Lord, we bless and thank You for Israel's current leader (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

    • Since You have raised him up at this time, please strengthen and guard him (Psalm 80:17).

    • Abba, please put a stop to the continual media and political war of attrition aimed at him (Psalm 3:6-7).

    • Give him all the physical and emotional protection and strength that he needs (Psalm 3:1-3).

    • Pour out Your grace upon him. This is the Word of YHWH to [Bibi], saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says YHWH of Hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before [Bibi] become a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings, Grace! Grace to it! (Zechariah 4:6b-7)

    • Surround him with faithful and godly counsel and friends (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22).

    • Give him a forehead of flint to be as stubborn as needed when needed.

    • We do thank You for what appears to be a genuine friendship between Netanyahu and Trump.

    • Use this Shabbat's closing verses of the prophetic portion (Isaiah 9:6-7) speak deeply to him.

  4. While Netanyahu has said he is willing to settle for a two-state solution, his definition of what a 'Palestine' would look like is more like a Palestinian Autonomy than a full-fledged state. As he said in America, he has consistently insisted on two prerequisites for any peace deal: 1) That the Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish State and stop aiming for its demise; 2) That Israel maintains security control of all the area for the foreseeable future. Obviously, this is a minimum of what is needed to secure Israel's future and yet is so far beyond what any Palestinian leader would, or could, accept that basically it finishes off the peace process even before they sit to negotiate. Thank You Lord!

    • Thank You for Netanyahu's overriding concern for Israel's security. Strengthen this even more.

    • Thank You that Bibi has been very consistent about these prerequisites for many years.

    • Lord, prevent any manipulation or threats to pull him away from this stance (Numbers 23:23).

    • God, just like You did with Pharaoh, thank You for continuing to harden the hearts of the Palestinian leadership – both political and religious (Romans 9:14-18).

    • Cause his coalition to protect and support Netanyahu as opposed to backstabbing him.

    • Lord, please protect Bibi from pride after his successful time in America (Proverbs 16:18).

    • Abba, if possible, please have Trump say 'yes' to Netanyahu's prerequisites.

  5. We have been pleasantly surprised by the maturity with which Avigdor Liberman has handled the job of being Israel's Defense Minister. He has also come up with some interesting plans to make life easier for the Palestinian in the street – including a proposal to Hamas in Gaza, that if they give up their terror tunnels and rockets, Israel will help them build an airport, seaport and an industrial zone. Hamas will not do this, proving once more how little they care for their people.

    • We thank You for the maturity we see in Liberman.

    • Continue to guide him to know what is best for Israel at this time (1 Chronicles 12:32).

    • Continue to give him creative ways to reach the common Palestinian man and woman to show them who is more concerned for their overall well-being – Israel or their wicked leaders.

    • We bless You for apparently restoring the strong relationship between Liberman and Netanyahu.

    • Also, protect Liberman's relationship with the IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot.

    • Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment on the head that ran down on…Aaron's beard, and went down to the skirt of his garments; like the dew of Hermon that came down on the mountains of Zion; for there YHWH commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

      Psalms 133:1-3

  6. Hizbullah has become a more dangerous army because of its experience in fighting in Syria.

    • Give to the IDF all the accurate intelligence it needs to pre-empt any and all Hizbullah attacks.

    • Protect all of Israel's undercover agents and spies in Hizbullah areas.

    • Lord, while it seems a crazy thing to ask, set Hizbullah and its main supporter Iran, against each other. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor together, those who magnify themselves over me.(Psalms 35:26); Let them all be confounded and turned back who hate Zion. (Psalms 129:5)

    • May all traps set against Israel rebound on their own heads (Psalm 35:8).

    • Since they are more of an army today, give the IDF wisdom to know how to fight them in the next war. He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of bronze is bent by my arms. (Psalms 18:34); Blessed is YHWH my Rock, who teaches My hands for war, my fingers for battle. (Psalms 144:1)

    • Draw Hizbullah into the trap of Your making and pull down Iran with them.

  7. That last prayer led us to pray into the continuous Iranian threat. There is hardly a week that goes by when Iran does not openly speak about annihilating Israel. And the response from the world – other than the new Trump administration – is silence.

    • Thank You that Netanyahu and Trump were in complete agreement about the dangers of Iran and the terrible deal that was made with it by the P5+1 nations.

    • Use this unity to send Your panic onto Iran's leadership, causing them to make major geo-political mistakes (Zechariah 14:13).

    • Thus says YHWH of Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam [ancient Iran], the chief of their might. I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven on Elam, and will scatter them toward all these winds, and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not come, for I will cause Elam to be afraid before their enemies…I will bring evil on them, even My fierce anger, says YHWH, and I will send the sword after them until I have destroyed them, and I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy the king and the rulers from there, says YHWH.

      Jeremiah 49:35-38

    • Lord, break Iran's bow and make them terrified before their enemies.

    • Continue to set Your throne in Iran as You are reaping a mighty harvest of souls for Your kingdom.

    • Lord Yeshua, bring down the king and the rulers and set the Iranians free.

  8. We prayed for the churches in our birth-nations to see the connection between God blessing their nations and how their leaders – political and religious - deal with Israel. The nations represented in our prayer meeting this morning that we prayed for were: America, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, the UK, Canada, South Africa, Sweden and Germany.

    • or the nation and kingdom that will not serve you will perish, yes, those nations will be completely wasted.

      Isaiah 60:12; cp. Numbers 24:9; Zechariah 12:9

    • Lord Yeshua, send to Your Body a profound hunger for the Word of God – all of it from Genesis to Revelation. "So shall My Word be, which goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall certainly do what I sent it to do. (Isaiah 55:11)

    • Lord, we know that not only can You do this (Jeremiah 32:17, 27) – but that this is in line with Your will (1 John 5:14-15), so we pray with great expectation that this very week many of our brothers and sisters would have a deep ache to know Your Word in a deeper way.

    • Wake up the Church in America to see that it is one thing to pray for Trump to become president and another thing to pray for him to be a blessing as president to America.

  9. We then prayed for the Israeli Body of Messiah.

    • Thank You for the Body in Israel – that it is growing in numerical strength.

    • Help us to grow in spiritual maturity as well (Ephesian 4:12-14; Hebrews 5:14).

    • Also give to us a deeper hunger to know and study Your Word – for Your name's sake (Psalm 115:1).

    • May there never again be a famine of hearing Your words in this land (Amos 8:11).

    • Give us a unity of the Spirit and help us to guard that and not any man-made unity (Ephesians 4:3).

    • Impart wisdom to Israeli believers to know when and how to share Messiah with unbelievers.

    • Increase the effective outreach of Israelis via social media.

    • Pour out the Holy Spirit upon the Body so that we become witness unto You, Lord (Acts 1:8).

    • We do bless You that it is still legal to share the gospel in Israel.

    • Prepare us if there is a time coming when it will not be legal – to know how to do it anyway.

    • Lord Yeshua, keep out of Israel all ministries who are not sent by You, and bless all those who are.

    • And give to the local Body the discernment to know the difference (Ezekiel 44:23).

We still need more water and rain. Thank you for praying with us on this vital issue.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Jerusalem,

The IFI team