1. We read Psalm 20 as we began our time with the Lord this morning.

    • May YHWH hear you in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob set you on high, sending you help from the sanctuary, and uphold you out of Zion…May He grant you according to your own heart, and fulfill all your plans. We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up banners; may YHWH fulfill all your prayers. Now I know YHWH saves His anointed; He will hear him from His holy Heaven with the saving strengths of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of YHWH our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save, O YHWH; let the King hear us when we call.

      Psalm 20:1-9

    • We rejoice in Your name, Your essential nature – and in Your salvation, Messiah Yeshua (Psalm 20:5).

    • You have been so faithful to Israel, and we trust that You will continue to be faithful (Malachi 3:6).

    • I heard as the sound of a great multitude, and as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns!

      Revelation 19:6

    • We bless You Lord for all You are and all You are doing (Psalm 103:1-2).

    • We trust in You – yet we do thank You for the "chariots and horses" that You have given to Israel today.

    • So shall My Word be, which goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but shall accomplish what I please, and shall certainly do what I sent it to do.

      Isaiah 55:11

    • Thank You for being the Living God who actually hears and answers our prayers (Psalm 20:5b, 9).

  2. Another Friday, another "peaceful" mass demonstration by the Hamas terrorists against Israel's Gaza border security fence. These events are supposed to continue until the middle of May when the US Embassy moves to Jerusalem and Israel celebrates its 70th – give or take 3,500 years – anniversary. The first Friday was the "March of Return." Last week was burning tires and today the threat is the firebomb – the Molotov cocktail – which is according to IDF rules of engagement, is a shoot-to-kill offense!

    • Save, O YHWH; let the King – the Lord of heavens armies – hear us when we call. (Psalms 20:9)

    • May Gazans bow down and fall – before You Yeshua, King of Israel (Psalm 20:8; John 1:49).

    • Impart to the commanders and the general staff clear rules of engagement to defend Israel today.

    • Be will all the IDF soldiers. Forbid panic; give Your peace (Psalm 55:18).

    • Protect them from the spirit of hatred that the spirit of Islam uses to attacks them (Psalm 9:13).

    • Block any diversions or distractions from the soldiers at the border (Psalm 91:3a).

    • Be will all the snipers and aid them to make no mistakes in hitting the right targets.

    • If there are any scenarios that have not been planned for, please fill in the blanks (Isaiah 46:10).

    • For the rod of the wicked shall not rest on the lot [inheritance] of the righteous…

      Psalms 125:3a

    • Hinder all efforts to break through the security fence and protect the lot You have given to Israel.

    • Enable Israel's drones to be 100% efficient in all they are to be used for this day (Isaiah 31:5).

    • Hide all Israeli agents that are hidden among the Gazans (Psalm 91:4).

  3. We asked God to wake up the citizens of Gaza to see the utter destruction that Hamas and other radical Islamic groups are bringing on them,

    • Abba, reveal to them that it is not Israel but Hamas; it is not You but Allah, who is destroying them.

    • May more Gazan parents cry out to You over the bleakness of their children's future (Jeremiah 9:21).

    • Redirect their rage from Israel to Hamas.

    • Let the gospel go through Gaza in power once again (Acts 8:26-39).

    • Use the small remnant of believers in Gaza to start a huge spiritual fire (Matthew 3:11).

  4. Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem have not – for the most part – joined in Hamas' call for mass demonstration in these areas. Hallelujah!

    • Thank You for the relative quiet Israel's security forces have faced in these areas at this time.

    • Do not allow this quiet to lull them to sleep (Nehemiah 4:7-9).

    • As so many of them have work permits and earn a good salary working in Israel – let them really consider what it would mean if they or their family members demonstrates against Israel in any way.

    • Continue to aid the IDF's nightly raids to arrest terrorists to meet with great success (Proverbs 21:31).

    • May Palestinian security forces fear a Hamas takeover more than they hate Israel.

    • Thank You for the small true church among the Palestinians (Matthew 13:33).

    • Use it for Your glory – in prayer and evangelism (Ephesians 3:21).

    • Forbid any anti-Zionist/anti-Semitic spirits from finding a home among our brothers and sisters.

  5. Most of the Israeli Arab community do not want to be part of any future Palestinian state, and appreciate their freedom and prosperity they have in the Jewish State. But their governmental representatives are very anti-Zionist and often anti-Semitic. They care more for the Palestinians than they do for their Israeli Arab constituency.

    • Lord, we ask for continued quiet in the Israeli Arab communities (Numbers 24:9b).

    • Give them an increasing understanding that their elected leaders are not concerned about them – but about another people that wants to destroy them and the nation that they are citizens of (Psalm 83:2-4).

    • Forbid Israeli-Arab university students from being part of anti-Israel demonstrations.

    • Let Israeli Arabs really see what is happen in all the surrounding Arab nations and understand the oasis that Israel is today (Psalm 83:13-18; 124:1-6).

  6. For the world, the focus is Syria and the possible outbreak of war between Russia and America – which would also involve Syria, Iran, Turkey, Hezbollah and, of course, Israel. We were led to pray that Israel's leaders would know how to navigate this potentially disastrous situation.

    • Thank You for Israel keeping its red lines and attacking when needed (Matthew 5:37).

    • Maintain this policy and when needed, increase it against the Iranian threat being established in Syria.

    • Behold, I make you [Israel] a new sharp threshing instrument, a master of teeth; you shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff. You shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and a tempest shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in YHWH and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

      Isaiah 41:15-16

    • May there be clear communications between Israel's political echelon and its military leaders.

    • Remind the military that they are under the authority of the elected leadership (Matthew 8:8-9).

    • Keep the opposition in the Knesset supportive of Netanyahu in today's war-like situation (Judges 20:1).

    • Provide Israel's leaders with excellent, actionable intelligence. For by wise counsel you shall make your war; and in a multitude of wise men there is safety. (Proverbs 24:6)

    • Protect the relationship between PM Bibi Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and the IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

    • Continue to give Netanyahu courage as he speaks with Russian President Putin – and thank You that he did not back down from enforcing Israel's red lines re: no Iranian military bases in Syria.

    • Lord, open Putin's eyes to see that both Turkey and Iran are not Russia's allies (Psalm 55:21).

    • Break up that relationship – and even set Turkey and Iran against each other (Psalm 35:26).

    • Continue to allow Netanyahu and US President Trump to have a true friendship.

    • Keep the door open for Bibi to speak truth to Trump about areas in which Donald is just not seeing clearly (Proverbs 27:5-6).

  7. With all the carnage and confusion going on in the world – and in Israel's neighborhood, it might seem that the devil is having his day – but that is a very unbiblical way of seeing things. Only by putting on the Scriptures as our eyeglasses through which we interpret the world, can we be sure that we are seeing correctly. And the correct view – even in the face of what the headlines are screaming – is to believe and declare, "Our God reigns!"

    • The ten horns…are ten kings, who have received no kingdom yet, but will receive authority as kings one hour with the [Anti-Christ]. These have one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the [Anti-Christ]. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings. And those with Him are the called and elect and faithful ones…The waters…where the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues, and the ten horns…on the [Anti-Christ] will hate the harlot and make her desolate and naked. They will eat her flesh and burn her with fire, for God gave into their hearts to do His will, and to act with one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast until the Words of God will be fulfilled.

      Revelation 17:12-17

    • Lord, as we are surrounded by nations and terrorist groups that hate You and are trying to annihilate Your nation, we pray, Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; also let those who hate Him flee before Him. (Psalms 68:1) Amen.

    • Confound all those who hate Zion in miraculous ways (Psalm 129:5).

    • Press Iranian and Turkish leaders into making major geopolitical mistakes (Proverbs 14:22).

    • May the Islamic spirit that sustains Hezbollah be sucked dry in the Syrian quagmire (Psalm 35:8).

    • Lord, deal with Turkey's wicked leader Erodgan. Remove his scepter of authority (Daniel 2:21).

    • Have mercy Lord in Syria, and protect all those who are innocent – especially the children (Luke 17:2).

  8. We prayed for the Israel soldiers along its Lebanese and Syrian borders.

    • Keep them alert and sharp (Habakkuk 2:1).

    • Forbid any successful kidnapping attempts.

    • Draw them closer to you over this Shabbat (Song of Songs 1:4).

    • Impart to them strength and godly expectations (Joshua 1:5-7).

    • Give them a vision for what it means to You to see them willing to defend this nation at this time.

    • May their families, who will miss them over Shabbat, recognize the invaluable ser4vice they are doing for them and this nation (Isaiah 62:10).

  9. Based on Psalm 83:16, we asked for God to save many Muslims as they see what true Koranic Islam is producing.

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

      Psalms 83:16

    • Turn many Muslims from being our enemies into our family (Colossians 1:12-13).

    • Show the believers already in Arab nations to know how to pray and to reach out (Luke 10:2).

    • Show believers who have Muslims as neighbors in non-Arab nations how to do that as well (Acts 1:8).

    • Use the shame of what Islam is harvesting to make Muslims seek for another god and to find You Yeshua – the King of kings, Israel's Messiah and Lord of all (Acts 10:36; Revelation 19:16).

    • And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

      Jeremiah 29:13

We also prayed into the moving of the US embassy in just about a month from now – that nothing would hinder that move, and that there would be many other nations that will swiftly follow in also moving their embassies to Jerusalem. Please pray for your own nation to do so.

May He who created heaven and earth, bless You from Zion (Psalm 134:3).

Shabbat shalom

The IFI team