1. We looked at the first part of Psalm 118 to start our prayer time together.

    • O give thanks to YHWH; for He is good; for His mercy endures forever… I called on YHWH in distress; He answered me, and set me in a large place. YHWH is for me, I will not fear; what can man do to me? …It is better to trust in YHWH than to trust in man. It is better to trust in YHWH than to trust in princes. All the nations surround me, but in the name of YHWH I will destroy them…They surround me like bees; they are put out like the fire of thorns; for in the name of YHWH I will cut them off. You have thrust hard at me so that I might fall; but YHWH helped me. YHWH is my strength and song, and He is my salvation.

      from Psalms 118:1-14

    • Thank You that in this world that is being severely shaken, we can safely trust in You (Proverbs 3:5-6).

    • Bless You for being so steadfast in watching over Your Word to do it (Jeremiah 1:12).

    • Hallelujah! You are good – according to Your definition of "good" and not man's.

  2. It has been a rough week for Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu. So in line with First Timothy 2:1-4, we lifted him up in prayer first.

    • Thank You for him and all that he has done worthy of Your calling on his life. Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of the calling… (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

    • Keep Bibi in the calm center of the political storm that seems to be always around him (Isaiah 26:3).

    • Lord, use this pressure to draw him closer to Yourself (Psalm 69:18; 73:28).

    • Place Psalm 50:15 on his heart: Call on Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

    • Give him shalom biet – a peaceful home in which he can find the rest and love that he needs.

    • Impart to Netanyahu wisdom in what to say or not to say – and when to say it (Psalm 141:3).

    • Allow Bibi to access godly counsel – both from Your Word and from his advisors (Jeremiah 23:18).

    • May his priorities fall in line with Your priorities for Israel at this time (Psalm 147:2; Amos 9:15).

    • Shield his heart from accepting the vicious and continual media attacks (Psalm 28:7).

    • Continue to develop a healthy political relationship between Bibi and the Trump administration.

  3. While we are hoping that Netanyahu will continue in office for a long time, we also recognize that there is no real candidate to succeed him. And that is concerning.

    • Lord, if there is a person whom You are preparing to take Bibi's place, and it would please You for us to pray for this person, then reveal it to us (Amos 3:7).

    • Give Netanyahu an understanding of his responsibility to help raise up the next generation of leaders.

    • Whomever it is, may they have a sensitive heart to heart Your voice (1 Samuel 3:1-10).

    • When it is Your time for Netanyahu to step down – do not allow pride to hinder it (Psalm 36:9a).

    • At this time, give Netanyahu the gift of an ability to delegate responsibilities (Exodus 18:13-26).

  4. An official report on Operation Protective Edge, the 2014 war against Hamas in Gaza, was released this week. It has caused a flurry of activity from those defending themselves and those who want to take political advantage of it. The report criticized Netanyahu, as well as a number of others who were responsible in both the government and the IDF during this time.

    • Lord, thank You for all constructive criticism in this report (Proverbs 27:6).

    • May it find a willing reception within Israel's leadership (2 Chronicles 7:14).

    • Let Bibi be a statesman and not over defend himself (Proverbs 15:33; 18:12; 22:4).

    • Expose all lies or unfair statements and delete them from the findings.

    • Abba, please seal the cabinet leaks – both during a war and on a daily basis. Debate your cause with your neighbor; and do not uncover a secret to another, (Proverbs 25:9)

    • Use the report to teach both government and military the lessons they need to learn.

    • Although difficult for man, You can show the IDF how to prepare for the next conflict (Proverbs 21:31).

    • Give Israel an ability to hold itself to Your standard and not mans – which are often more merciful and man-centered than You ever want us to be (Zechariah 9:13).

    • Rid Israel of the extreme humanistic spirit which sees war as wrong – always (Zechariah 9:14-15; 10:5).

  5. Praying into the report of that Gaza war lead us to pray for security in general.

    • Impart to Israel's government and security forces wisdom on how to defeat Palestinian radicalism.

    • Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, YHWH.

      Psalms 83:16

      Let them all be ashamed and turned back, those who hate Zion.

      Psalms 129:5

    • Help Israel to know how to differentiate between Palestinians who really want to live in peace and those who are terrorists at heart.

    • May the good news of Messiah Yeshua to permeate Palestinian areas (Isaiah 42:6; Luke 2:32).

    • Protect Israel's spies and collaborators in these areas and bring to their attention actionable intelligence.

    • Remove all man-inspired fear from Israel's leaders in considering any pre-emptive action.

    • Bless and protect all the Muslim Arab-Israelis who are beginning to want to serve in the IDF.

    • May You be a shield around all the IDF soldiers – and may they know it is You (Deuteronomy 33:29; 2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 91:4; 140:7).

    • Prohibit any further successful kidnapping attacks.

    • Protect all Israeli citizens living in what is now called the "Palestinian Occupied Territory"– according to UN Security Council Resolution 2334 –– that is, Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem (Psalm 121:4).

  6. One of the good things that has come out of the Trump election in America is how people are now empowered to speak out against anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and the totally unfair treatment Israel often receives in most international forums.

    • Thank You for the new American UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has confronted the UN Security Council's "breathtaking" anti-Israel bias. May You use her to confront the UN hypocrisy (Psalm 26:4).

    • We also thank You for America's new UN Human Rights Council representative, Erin Barclay, who has also confronted the HRC over its "obsession" with Israel (Romans 12:21).

    • Whether the UN is worth saving – or is even able to become "fair" – we do thank You for encouraging us through the courage of these two women who are confronting wickedness in its own den.

    • Use the relationship between Haley and Israel's UN ambassador Danon for Your glory (Psalm 115:1).

    • Continue to press the Trump administration to speak out against anti-Semitism in America.

    • Thank You that Britain's government and PM Teresa May are also standing against this spirit.

  7. The Iranian threat grows more dangerous as time goes by. Despite all the anti-Iranian legislation that has recently come out of Washington, Iran just held a major military exercise in the Arabian Gulf and continues to threaten both Israel and America with destruction.

    • Lord, when Bibi meets with Russian President Putin in the next few weeks, may he be very clear that Israel will not accept a permanent Iranian presence in Syrian under any circumstances (Matthew 5:37).

    • Thank You that after eight years of Obama, there is now an American administration that sees eye-to-eye with Israel concerning the dangers of Iranian nuclear weapons and Iran's sponsorship of terrorism.

    • Yet where are the rest of the West's leaders in seeing this? Has the love of money blinded them to the danger an empowered Iran presents to them and their nations? (1 Timothy 6:10)

    • As per Your prophetic promise in Jeremiah 49, deal with Iran's evil, boastful leaders. I will…destroy the king and the rulers from [Elam – ancient Persia/modern Iran], says YHWH. (Jeremiah 49:38b)

    • As the first part of that verse says, set Your throne in Elam by continuing to save multitudes of Iranians.

    • You said You would break the bow of Elam. (Jeremiah 49:35) Do it by breaking the Shi'ite Crescent Iran is establishing through Iraq, then Syria and ending on the Mediterranean shore in Lebanon.

    • May the fear of the uncertainty of what Trump might do, press Iran's leaders into making major geo-political mistakes.

    • Prepare Israel to deal with the threat of a nuclear Iran militarily if it gets that far (Psalm 20:7-9; 144:1).

  8. Israel's economy is being blessed. It grew at an even higher rate the last quarter of 2016 than was projected. Israel has now opened many inroads to nations – particularly in Asia – that will provide a further windfall, and its unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since the modern state was recreated.

    • Lord, thank You for the gas deal Israel has with the Kingdom of Jordan (1 Kings 5:10-12).

    • Continue to sustain Jordan's King Abdullah in his quiet relationship with Israel.

    • May part of the monies earned go towards the protection of this nation – including all that the Israeli navy needs to protect the oil fields and the shores of Israel (Ezekiel 37:10).

    • Give Israel wisdom to know how to use its ability to export gas to build better relations with other nations – yet to not help enemy nations become stronger just because of money.

    • Show Israeli leaders how to use the money to help the poor in this nation (Exodus 22:25; Job 29:12).

  9. Aliyah – the return of the scattered Jews back to Zion – is a central part of God's end time prophetic scenario.

    • Lord, use Israel's economic blessings to prepare houses and jobs for the huge influx of Jews who are about to come back from the West and other parts of the world where they are exiled (Isaiah 43:5-7).

    • Use the rise of anti-Semitic acts in the West to wake up the Jews there to come here (Jeremiah 16:16).

    • Thus says YHWH of Hosts: Behold, I will save My people from the east country, and from the west. And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

      Zechariah 8:7-8

    • Lord Yeshua, in Your name may all the bureaucratic stones of stumbling in Israel be removed from the path of Your people to return to Zion (Isaiah 60:10).

    • Abba, whatever it takes, release the Jews in Germany, France, the UK and other European nations.

    • God, we also ask for the Jews still residing in Asia and Islamic Arab nations, in Central and South America, as well as those in Africa – for them all to be set free to come home (Jeremiah 31:10).

  10. We finished by praying for the Churches in the nations to see their role in standing with and praying for the full restoration of the Jewish people to this land and tho their Messiah – the Lord Yeshua. Please stand in the gap for the Church in your nation.

Germany: Chuck Cohen, one of IFI's directors, will be embarking on a three week ministry trip to Germany with IFI Deutschland. Please keep him and Heinz-Jurgen Heuhsen, IFI-D's director and Chuck's translator, in prayer for anointing, safety and a unity that will demonstrate to all who are in the meetings that in Messiah Yeshua the middle wall of partition is truly torn down. Also, pray for open hearts so that people hear the truth of what God is doing in Israel today – for His holy name's sake.

Thanks, Shabbat shalom and blessings

The IFI team