1. We began by reading from this Shabbat's prophetic portion:

    • For your Maker is your husband; YHWH of Hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called…For a little moment I have left you; but with great mercies I will gather you. In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with eternal covenant-love I will have mercy on you, says YHWH your Redeemer…For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My covenant-love shall not depart from you, nor shall the covenant of My peace be removed, says YHWH who has mercy on you.

      Isaiah 54:5, 7-8, 10

    • Thank You for Your eternal covenant-love towards Israel and toward us (Jeremiah 31:3).

    • We rest secure in the truth that our God never changes (Malachi 3:6).

    • We bless You that the hardship and trials we endure are nothing compared to the greatness of Your love and mercy and the eternal destiny that You have promised us (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

    • Hallelujah! Our Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel! (Isaiah 47:4)

    • We are encouraged as we realize that in wrath You do remember Your mercy (Habakkuk 3:2b).

  2. As we are in the month of Elul, the month of repentance in which Jews prepare for Tishri, the following month with the high-holy days, we began by interceding for "all Israel" to be saved.

    • Lord Yeshua, we thank You that You declared You will build Your Church (Matthew 16:18).

    • We bless You that You are doing that here in Israel as well in many other parts of the world.

    • Open our hearts and mouths as You provide opportunities for us to share with others (1 Peter 3:15).

    • Please touch and save unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews (Acts 16:31).

    • We specifically ask for You to touch: Holocaust survivors; all others for whom this will be their last year on earth; medical professionals; teachers and university lecturers; all trauma victims – whether from wars, terrorism, traffic or other accidents; the Israeli LGBT community; rabbis of all sorts; the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox communities; the Religious Zionist settlers; Israel's children and pre-IDF youth; IDF soldiers and commanders; Israelis living outside of this land; Israelis trapped in drug use; all prostitutes; anyone with any connections to abortions; etc.

    • For I will take you from among the gentiles, gather you out of all lands, and will bring you into your own land. And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and your idols, and I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments and do them.

      Ezekiel 36:24-27

  3. According to the Ezekiel quote above, before God saves "all Israel," He brings them back to the land. So we prayed next for aliyah – the immigration of Jews from exile to Israel.

    • Abba, help the Houston Jewish community to not rebuild on sand, but to come home and build upon the Rock of Israel in Your/their land (Deuteronomy 32:1-4; Ezekiel 36:5).

    • Open up the eyes of Messianic Jews in exile that they are physically – according to Your Word – still living in exile and captivity (Ezekiel 12:11; Deuteronomy 30:3)!

    • Stir up Messianic Jewish leaders to lead the way home (Jeremiah 50:8).

    • Wake up Jewish communities who now face waves of terrorism – like in Europe (Isaiah 51:17-52:6).

    • Wake up Jewish communities who now face natural disasters – like many in America right now.

    • As the UK Jewish community celebrates the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Balfour Declaration, cause them to question why they are still there and not here!

    • During Elul, Jews who attend synagogue hear the shofar being blown every morning. To those still in exile, place in them a deep stirring of heart to hear the shofar here in Israel. Make them homesick.

    • Convict all who will say at the end of Yom Kippur, "Next year in Jerusalem," and yet they do not really mean it (Ecclesiastes 5:4-7; Matthew 5:37).

    • Open even wider the doors in Israel to receive all Jews (Isaiah 60:11; 62:10).

    • May the new immigrants to send back good reports from the land.

    • Aid all "hidden Jews" – whom You see as really Jewish – be able to return home (Isaiah 43:5-7).

    • Touch the hearts of the tens of thousands of young Jews who visit Israel through various programs. May hearts on Birthright tours see that there is the aspect of Birth-Responsibility as well (Isaiah 62:4-5).

  4. For Jews to be restored to the land – the land needs to be available for them to settle on. So any kind of "peace" deal that involves dividing this land is obviously not of God.

    • For in those days and at that time when I will bring again the exiles of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations…into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will fight with them there for My people and for My inheritance Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided My land.

      Joel 3:1-2

    • Since You have restored us to this land, do not permit the rule of the wicked to reign over it any longer.

    • YHWH is King forever and ever; the gentiles have perished out of His land.

      Psalms 10:16; see also 125:3; Jeremiah 30:8-10

    • Concerning all plans of man against this nation and its land, we declare, YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He breaks the plans of the people. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. (Psalms 33:10-11)

    • Lord God, You have set the boundaries of this nation and we trust You to fulfill Your promise to Father Abraham – in Your way and timing (Genesis 15:18).

    • Thank You for all Israeli government ministers who see the importance of the physical land of Israel (Nehemiah 2:20).

    • Remove all ministers who would sell their birthright for the proverbial porridge (Genesis 25:29-34).

    • With the American administration preparing a final peace agreement to be presented before the end of 2017, prepare the Israeli government to very clearly say "No!" if it involves the division of this land or the creation of a Palestinian entity on this – Your land (Leviticus 25:23).

    • This past week's visit by UN Secretary General Guterres showed a man who is so weak that he only says what those around him want to hear. Therefore, hedge him in from doing any further damage to Israel.

    • Use PM Netanyahu at the UN later this month to declare Your Word concerning this land and nation.

    • I will turn back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the cities which are desolate, and shall live in them. And they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine. They shall also make gardens and eat their fruit. And I will plant them on their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, says YHWH your God.

      Amos 9:14-15

  5. While we understand the world not seeing the importance of this land in God's plan, yet for His born-again children to not see this is a huge mystery. After all, it is not like God promised this land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants a few times – but over 200 times in the Old Testament and confirmed it many times in the New. Exactly what Bible are these blind believers reading? It's not the same Scriptures that Yeshua and the early Jewish believers read. So we prayed for these, our family.

    • …Yeshua the Messiah has become a minister of the Jews for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob], so that the gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written, 'For this cause I will confess to You in the nations, and will praise Your name'.

      Romans 15:8-9

    • Lord Yeshua, set Western believers free from any spirits of nationalism that interfere with them seeing that You call Yourself "YHWH, the God of Israel," and do not link Yourself like this to any other nation.

    • God said to Moses again, You shall say this to the sons of Israel, YHWH the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My title from generation to generation.

      Exodus 3:15

    • Lord Yeshua, send You Spirit into all seminaries teaching replacement theory and either straighten them out or chase all their students out.

    • Messiah Yeshua, You said that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. May He be exactly that in a very powerful way in every part of Your Body – so that You might be glorified (John 16:13-14)!

    • As You promised to Israel, so also grace Your Body with shepherds after Your own heart (Jeremiah 3:14-15; 23:3-4).

    • Pour out a deep hunger for the truth of Your Word on the younger generation of believers (John 17:17).

    • Use the 500th anniversary of the Reformation to start a back-to-the-Word movement again.

    • In this age of instant gratification, draw many to meditate, study and eat Your Word (Jeremiah 15:16).

    • Yet through this all, we believe and confess that You, Lord, are building Your Church (Matthew 16:18).

  6. We prayed next for Israel's security since for all Israel to be saved – they need to be alive.

    • Forbid that intercessors become complacent with the relatively quiet year Israel has experienced.

    • Forbid that Israel's military become complacent with the relatively quiet year Israel has experienced.

    • Expose all of Iran's plans – especially what they are planning in Syria and Lebanon (Job 12:22).

    • May the ties between Iran and Hizbullah, between Iran and Hamas, between Iran and Syria and between Iran and Russia be cut off completely (Psalm 129:5; cp. Isaiah 19:2).

    • Keep not silence, O God. Hold not Your peace. Be not still…For behold Your enemies roar; those who hate You have lifted up their head. They take shrewd counsel against Your people, and plot against Your hidden ones. They have said, Come, let us cut them off from being a nation, so that the name Israel may be remembered no more. For with one heart they have plotted together; they have cut a covenant against You;

      Psalms 83:1-5

    • As we see Israel surrounded by enemies who are saying exactly this, we ask for You to deal with them as the Psalmist prayed in 83:16-18: Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, YHWH. Let them be ashamed and troubled forever; yes, let them be put to shame, and lost; so that men may know that You whose name is YHWH are the Most High over all the earth.

    • Make Israel's leaders courageous and not intimidated by the world (Psalm 3:1-3).

    • Bring a deep sense of unity into the security cabinet (Psalm 133:1).

    • Hold PM Netanyahu to his declared red-lines (1 Kings 2:36-46).

    • Press Israel to pre-empt if and when You direct them to (2 Samuel 5:24).

    • Thank You for all the previous smaller preemptions that Israel has already done in Syria.

    • While we do trust You, we do also thank You for all the chariots and horses that You have provided to the IDF (Psalm 20:7; Isaiah 41:15-16; Micah 4:11-13).

    • Please provide all the finances needed to send forth those chariots and horses to defend this nation.

  7. We prayed for the September 25th Kurdish referendum on Kurdish independence from Iraq. As the Kurds have been historically and presently very open and friendly towards Jews and the State of Israel, we see a "yes" vote as a way of blessing those who bless God's people (Genesis 12:3; Numbers 24:9). But it also relates to what we just prayed about as it would definitely "set the cat among the pigeons" in the Middle East. Please intercede about this – especially as we get closer to that date.

  8. And as we are approaching the autumn, it is always good to start praying for rain and snow so that Israel will receive all it needs from heaven to quench this land. While its desalinization plants provide all that Israelis need to drink and wash, still the agriculture and the ecology could sure use a very wet fall, winter and spring.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

The IFI team