1. Isaiah 49:14-51:3, this Shabbat's prophetic portion, helped to jump start our prayers today.

   • For YHWH shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of YHWH. Joy and gladness shall be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

     Isaiah 51:3
     

   • Thank You for Your great and precious promises that enable us to press on (2 Peter 1:4).

   • You are Lord of all (Acts 10:36b) – therefore You know what You are doing!

   • Thank You for being always faithful, merciful, a God of comfort and truth.

   • God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

     Numbers 23:19
     

   • Thank You for engraving us on the palms of Your hands (Isaiah 49:16).

   • We bless You for promising to us – and to this nation – a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

   • Lord of hosts, thank You for contending with all those who contend against this nation (Isaiah 49:25).

   • The name [nature] of YHWH is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe.

     Proverbs 18:10
     

2. Israel's leadership – especially PM Bibi Netanyahu and family – are under constant attacks and having to deal with much turmoil, from the left-wing media and opposition in Israel. We prayed for Bibi and family first.

   • 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. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

     1 Timothy 2:1-3
     

   • Let Your hand be on the Man of Your right hand, on the Son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself.

     Psalms 80:17
     

   • Thank You for Netanyahu and his family. We bless them in Your name (Deuteronomy 10:8).

   • Impart to him Your wisdom and sustain him during this battle (Daniel 2:20, 23).

   • Let him know what to say and what not to say (Psalm 141:3).

   • Watch over Bibi's physical, mental and emotional well-being.

   • For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower before the enemy.

     Psalms 61:3
     

   • Protect him from both arrogance and bitterness (1 Samuel 2:3; Ephesians 4:31).

   • Send him a Barnabas to encourage him and stand alongside him (Acts 4:36; 9:27).

   • Yet we want the truth exposed about the various allegations against him and his family (Psalm 64:6).

   • Protect his family and quickly deal with all the accusations against Sara and his son.

   • Reveal to us the root of this continuous attack so that we can better pray into it (1 Corinthians 14:15).

3. We prayed for the rest of the government concerning their response to the Bibi-investigations.

   • Lord, this has trapped them in a no-win situation where whatever they decide to do – it could come back to haunt them. If they stand with Netanyahu and he is proven guilty… or if they forsake him and he is proven innocent… Therefore make Your way clear before them all.

   • Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of YHWH, who made the heavens and earth.

     Psalms 124:7-8
     

   • Bring Your order out of this chaos and let Your light shine (Genesis 1:2-3).

   • Give Israel a government that is the fulfillment of Your promises (Isaiah 1:26; Jeremiah 23:3-4).

   • Enable the current members of the government to make decisions based on what is best for this nation and not for their own political careers (Nehemiah 1:3-4; Proverbs 14:34).

   • Strip all arrogance from all government leaders and place Your fear in them instead (Proverbs 8:13).

   • Cause someone to be heard who can bring a deep sense of unity to the current coalition (Acts 15:13).

   • Exalt the wise counselors and abase the ungodly ones (Proverbs 15:22; James 4:6).

   • Impart to the government Your priorities for this nation today.

4. The big danger in this mess is that of being distracted by the headlines and failing to see what is of real importance for God's kingdom purposes in Israel today. This is a danger to Israel's security forces, its population and for those of us who are called to be watchmen and intercessors.

   • Security – along the Gaza border.

     • Lord, Israel is digging an underground wall instead of planning to defeat the enemy! Strip this nation of all humanistic, politically correct thought patterns and restore a sense of righteousness to its cause.

     • But thus says YHWH, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall escape, for I will contend with him who contends with you, and will save your sons.

       Isaiah 49:25
       

     • God, whether You do this by Yourself or through the IDF – we ask You to do it (Proverbs 21:31)!

     • Give Defense Minister Liberman an ability to know what the IDF needs to do next.

     • Keep Israel's security forces on our southern border alert as they build (Nehemiah 4:18).

     • Hinder all plans that will not glorify You – whether from the enemy or from the IDF (Psalm 115:1-3).

     • Provide the IDF will the finances it needs to do all it must do to protect this nation.

     • Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those who hate Him flee before Him.

       Psalms 68:1
       

     • Give Israel a government that will terrorize the wicked and protect the innocent (Romans 13:3-4).

     • Lord of hosts, impart plans to IDF military intelligence on how to retake Gaza (2 Samuel 5:24).

   • Security – along Israel's Lebanese and Syrian borders.

     • Lord, show Israel how to deal with – and if need be destroy – the Shi'ite highway that Iran has just about completed from its borders to the Mediterranean Sea on the border of Lebanon.

     • Quicken all of Israel's intelligence services – whether via cyberspace or on the ground in these area – with accurate actionable intelligence so that Israel knows what is happening in these areas (Job 12:22).

     • Forbid that the government or the IDF trust in America or anyone other than You (Psalm 121:1-2).

     • Let the arrogance of Iran and Hizbullah drive them into Your trap (Proverbs 16:18; Isaiah 13:11).

     • Give strength and courage to Israel's leaders to stick by their declared red lines and wisdom to not declare red lines that they are not willing to do battle to protect (2 Samuel 10:12).

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

       Psalms 129:5
       

     • Is it not time Lord for You to bring Hizbullah as an organization down to the grave (Isaiah 26:21)?

   • We prayed for Israeli and the Body of Messiah to not be distracted from what is really important by the loud, mostly empty, noises of the headlines.

     • Your Word is a lamp to my feet – a light to my path. (Psalms 119:105) May this always be true for us.

     • Pour out a deep hunger for Your Word upon Your Body (Jeremiah 15:16).

     • Enable the Body of Messiah to focus on Your lines and not the headlines; to trust in Your words and not be afraid of the media's words.

     • Protect us from deception. Give us Your googles when we Google!

     • Show us our place in the Body and forbid us from envying others their place (1 Corinthians 12:18).

     • Train us to defend ourselves from the Adversary who is wearing out many saints today (Daniel 7:25).

     • His truth shall be your shield, and buckler.

       Psalms 91:4
       

     • Thank You for Your Word – a truth in which we can trust (John 17:17; cp. 2 Corinthians 6:7a).

     • The end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, and watch unto prayer.

       1 Peter 4:7
       

       For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

       2 Timothy 1:7
       

     • Lord, may these verses be etched deeply on the hearts of Your children in these days.

5. The previous burden led us to pray for the worldwide church – especially against the destructive deceptions that are increasing as many move away from the plumb line of God's truth – His Word.

   • Lord Yeshua, we believe that You are building Your Church (Matthew 16:18), and because You are, the Adversary is furious. Please protect that which You are building (Philippians 1:6).

   • Abba, many are celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. Yet most of these very people are in deep need of a new Reformation. Surprise them with the reality of Your Word during this year (Isaiah 55:11).

   • May the true Church prioritize their activities according to Your priorities and timing (Luke 11:2).

   • If any in the true Church do not see Jeremiah 32:41 as a major priority for You today – open their eyes so that they can stand with that which You are doing with all Your heart and soul (John 17:17).

   • Concerning Your remnant according to grace (Romans 11:5) who are still in the church under Babylon, is it not time for You to shout to them, Flee Babylon! (Isaiah 48:20; Jeremiah 50:8; 51:6)

   • Aid all of us to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us today (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22)!

   • Thank You for the Body's growth in nations like Iran, India, China, and on the African continent.

   • Protect them all from deception – especially from the arrogant replacement theory (Jeremiah 33:24-26).

   • Teach them what this means: [Do] not boast against the branches [unbelieving Jews]. But if you boast, it is not you that bears the root, but the root [God's promise to Israel's forefathers that in their seed all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:8)] bears you. (Romans 11:18)

6. We turned out attention to aliyah – the immigration of Jews in exile to Israel.

   • Lord, watch over all the recent immigrants from Ethiopia and grace them to integrate quickly.

   • Clear away all roadblocks from the Jews coming home – whether in their minds or in Israel itself (Isaiah 62:10).

   • Enable the settled communities to reach out and help the new immigrants.

   • Abba, many of us still need to learn Hebrew. Grace all of us with language acquisition skills.

   • Open up doors for jobs and homes to be readily available (Ezekiel 36:8).

   • Help Jews from the West to realign their expectations to the reality of living in Israel.

   • Thank You for responding to the prayers of Your Church to save Your people by bringing them home: For thus says YHWH, Sing with gladness for Jacob; shout among the chief of the nations; cry out, give praise and say, YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the ends of the earth, and with them the blind and lame, the woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; a great company shall return there. (Jeremiah 31:7-8)

7. Salvation was our final prayer target today. We are in the season leading up to the High Holydays which are observed by many Jews – whether they are home in Israel or still scattered in the nations. As usual, we tried to pray for specific groups.

   • God of Israel, open the eyes of the survivors and families of terror victims to Yeshua, their Messiah.

   • Do the same for the survivors and families of the victims of traffic accidents.

   • And looking upon Yeshua as He walked, he says, 'Behold the Lamb of God!'

     John 1:36
     

   • Let multitudes see Yeshua as the answer to their "why?" questions.

   • Touch the hearts of many rabbis as they prepare to give various holyday messages (Malachi 2:7).

   • Lord Yeshua, sit with many in the gay community in Israel – and show them that You are the only answer for the love that they are seeking (Matthew 9:10-13).

   • Lord, invade the halls of Israeli academia and reveal that You are the wisdom that is from above.

   • The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

     Proverbs 9:10
     

   • Fill the void in the hearts of the younger generation with Yourself.

Thank You for your consistent intercession.

Only when we all are before the throne will we see the fruit of that which we are doing in this day.

I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

1 Corinthians 3:6

Shabbat shalom

The IFI team