1. We read Isaiah 54:7-10 from this Shabbat's prophetic portion:

   • 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 everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says YHWH your Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah to Me; for as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn to not be angry with, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall the covenant of My peace be removed, says YHWH who has mercy on you.Isa. 54:7-10

   • Thank You for Your mercy, lovingkindness, covenant-love, grace and faithfulness to us and to Israel.

   • We bless You that You never change (Mal. 3:6).

   • Your relationship with us depends on You and not on how we feel. Hallelujah!

   • It is good to give thanks to YHWH, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to show forth Your loving-kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night;Psa. 92:1-2

   • Lord, as You told us to do, we declare to Zion that Your God reigns! (Isa. 52:7b)

   • We praise You that Zion's God has also become our God as well.

2. We are grateful for the US Embassy move to Jerusalem and America's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Yet we have been concerned with the quid-pro-quo US President Trump said he will expect – or extract – from Israel. And this past week, he said it was now the time for the Palestinians to receive their great gift. This should put the fear of God into every American believer. While many in both the American and Israeli governments tell us not to be concerned over this, we are – and so we prayed.

   • Lord God, please intervene and divert all efforts that will be against Your will (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • There are many purposes in a man's heart, but the counsel of YHWH shall stand. (Prov. 19:21); The king's heart is in the hand of YHWH as the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He will. (Prov. 21:1)

   • May the fear of God come upon Trump's Christian Advisory council to understand the grave danger of any attempt by the US to divide Your land (Joel 3:1-2).

   • Do the same with all of Trump's Jewish advisors.

   • Wake up the evangelical church in America to stop looking to Trump and instead to start judging all things, including what their president does, by the standard of Your Word (John 17:17).

   • Give Israel's leaders an ability to resist all ungodly suggestions (Matt. 24:4).

   • Although the current US administration is the most pro-Israel one in history, do not allow that fact to cause Israel's leaders to look to America more than to You (Isa. 30:1-3).

   • Strengthen Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to not be manipulated in anyway (Num. 23:23).

   • Do not allow Israeli leaders to depend on the stubbornness of the Palestinians – although we do thank You for continuing to harden Palestinian leaders' hearts (Rom. 9:12-13).

   • We thank You for the Palestinians' total rejection of any peace plan coming from America. Continue to let the arrogant pride of Palestinian leaders to reject all things Trump (Prov. 16:18; 18:12).

   • Forbid Israel from giving any further unilateral concession or gift to the Palestinians (Deut. 16:19).

   • Let Israel's negotiators learn from both history and from Your Word.

3. Municipal elections are being held throughout Israel in October. Jerusalem is going to elect a new mayor and right now, there are so many candidates, that it is hard to choose the right one.

   • Lord, Jerusalem is Your city (Psa. 48:1-2, 8; Matt. 5:35). Arise and overrule these elections.

   • We thank You for the current mayor Nir Barkat, and ask You to bless his going out (Deut. 28:6).

   • Please let all candidates with no chance to win – withdraw from running.

   • In these crucial days, please show us the one whom You have chosen to run this city (Amos 3:7) so that we can pray for Your kingdom to come and will to be done in the elections (Luke 11:2).

   • We ask for a mayor who will consciously prepare this city to receive its King Messiah (Matt. 23:39).

   • And I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning; afterwards you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.Isa. 1:26

   • Place in all Israeli cities shepherds after Your own heart (Jer. 3:15; 23:3-4).

4. We lifted up the turmoil in the Australian government and asked for a God-ordained result.

   • Lord, we remind You that this nation has supported Israel often in international forums and ask that this transition to a new leader would be smooth and godly (Num. 24:9b).

   • If Julie Bishop is Your choice, make all opposition to her dissipate (Dan. 2:21).

   • Raise up the leader who will move the Australian embassy to Jerusalem (Isa. 2:3-4).

   • Reveal to the Australian Body of Messiah why that nation is experiencing the worst drought in its recorded history and how to pray into that situation.

5. That last prayer request reminded us of Israel's need for rain as well.

   • Lord, as we approach the rainy season, we ask for a mighty outpouring of water upon Your land. Ask rain from YHWH in the time of the latter rain. YHWH shall make storm clouds, and He gives them showers of rain, grass to everyone in the field. (Zech. 10:1)

   • Open the heavens above and the floodgates below and soak this land – for Your glory's sake.

   • We ask in line with Ezekiel 36:35-37, that You would make this land like the Garden of Eden as a witness to all the nations around us that You – and You alone – are God.

   • While there is much unrighteousness in Israel, still Your Son said You pour out Your rain on the just and unjust – and so we ask for You to do just that (2 Chr. 6:26-27; Matt. 5:45b).

   • Help Israelis to do all we can to conserve and produce water, but we ask You to do all that only You can – to miraculously produce water (Isa. 41:17-20).

6. Today is Friday and that means "peaceful" demonstrations on the Gaza border from terrorists who only want to tear down Israel's security fence so that they can tear out the hearts of all Israelis they find. And yes, that was the declared goal for these demonstrations as spoken by Hamas leaders.

   • Abba, we Israelis confess the grievous sin against You of rejecting our inheritance and forsaking Gaza.

   • This was the lot of the tribe of the sons of Judah by their families…Ashdod with its towns and villages; Gaza with its towns and villages, to the river of Egypt, and the Great Sea, and its coast.Josh. 15:1, 47

   • We ask for clear redlines to be expressed from Israeli leaders towards any "cease-fire" agreement.

   • May these redlines be made public, and be righteous. …do not swear; neither by heaven nor by earth, nor any other oath. But let your yes be yes, and your no, no, lest you fall into condemnation. (Jas 5:12)

   • Halt all of Hamas' manipulations against this nation and its leadership (Psa. 120:7).

   • Forbid that Israel's leaders refrain from doing what is needed to protect Israelis in the south because of the threats from Iran in the north (2 Chr. 14:11).

   • Continue to allow there to be very close coordination with Egypt re: Gaza.

   • Give Israel wisdom on what to allow in to Gaza and what to prohibit (Job 12:13).

   • Lord, Israel is being vilified by fake headlines. Please arise and deal with these lies of Satan (John 8:44).

7. We then prayed for Israel's security forces along the Gaza border.

   • May the soldiers be alert and sharp and experience Your hand of protection (Psa. 144:1; Prov. 21:31).

   • Encourage them that what they are doing is very important for Your nation (Isa. 41:10-16).

   • Thank You for these literal intercessors who stand in the gap for this land (Ezek. 22:30).

   • Protect them from enemy fire, from friendly fire and from all kidnapping attempts (Psa. 140:7).

   • Also protect them from the spirit of bitterness and rage that comes at them from the Gazans.

   • Pour out Your strength, Your courage and Your godly fear upon the IDF today (2 Chr. 32:7).

8. We turned our prayers northward – towards the Syrian and Lebanese borders.

   • We are so grateful that the Golan remains in the hands of Israel (Prov. 22:28).

   • We proclaim the Golan as part of Israel's God-given inheritance (Deut. 3:1-3; Bashan = modern Golan.)

   • May plans to increase the number of Israelis settling on the Golan go ahead with all speed (Jer. 50:19).

   • Give supernatural alertness to the IDF on the Syrian and Lebanese borders this week (Neh. 4:9).

   • Enable Israel's intelligence agencies to receive and decipher all that is vital and recognize all that is not, or even that is purposeful disinformation (1 Kings 3:9).

   • Expose all enemy deceptions – especially Iranian soldiers in other nations' uniforms on Israel's border.

   • Reveal to Israel how to deal with the Russians along our Syrian border.

   • May this day come soon: He makes peace in your borders and fills you with the finest of the wheat. (Psa. 147:14); Violence will no more be heard in your land; wasting nor ruin within your borders; but you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. (Isa. 60:18)

9. PM Netanyahu is on an official visit to the Baltic nations this weekend – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. While these nations have had a history of antisemitism, yet there were also major Jewish communities there and today, they all tend to support Israel more than the Western European nations.

   • Anoint Netanyahu to be bold and speak the truth in love as needed (Gal. 4:16).

   • Give him insight to know whether these nations are friends or not. Draw me not away with the wicked, and with workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, yet evil is in their hearts. (Psa. 28:3)

   • Let him call the Jews in these nations to return home (Isa. 43:6).

   • May Your Spirit move upon leaders of these nations to confess the sin of antisemitism in their histories.

   • Use this trip to encourage all Baltic nation churches that what You said is coming to pass before their eyes (Isa. 42:8-9; 44:8; 46:9-10).

   • Deal with any remaining anti-Semites. Save them and wash them in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14).

10. This is the month of Elul, the month of repentance in Judaism in preparation for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Many Jews go to synagogue every morning and pray prayers of repentance. Also the shofar is sounded each morning as well. This is a great time to pray for all Israel to be saved!

    • Lord, is now not the time to lift that divine blindness off the heart of the Jew (Rom. 11:25)?

    • As they read the repentance prayers – replace the rote with reality (Joel 2:28).

    • Yeshua Lord, walk in the synagogues in this land once again – teaching and healing (Matt. 4:23).

    • Thank You for the effective provoking to jealousy of our Christian brothers and sisters (Rom. 11:11).

    • Use the believers to continue to provoke – in a good way – many Jews, both in Israel and in exile.

11. We finished by praying for the Israeli Body of Messiah. The very fact of a living, growing Body in Israel in 2018 is an incredible miracle – and another proof that Yeshua really is the King of Israel, its Redeemer, as well as being the Savior of the world.

    • Thank You for bringing us to this time of seeing this miracle before our eyes (Isa. 35:10; 51:11).

    • Continue to protect Your Body from all end time attacks – deceptions, division, demonic principalities, discouragement, the wearing out of the saints, etc. (Matt. 16:18)

    • Raise up elders with a burden to disciple and mentor young Israeli believers (2 Tim. 2:1-2).

    • Heal the relationship between Jewish and Arab believers in this land – but may it be healed by the acceptance of truth about the nation of Israel and not through humanistic compromise (John 17:17, 20).

    • During this season, purge from us all lies and deceptions (Jude 1:24-25).

    • Pour out on Your Body a deep hunger for Your Word (Psa. 119:18, 105, 130).

    • Your Words were found, and I ate them; and Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart – for I am called by Your name, O YHWH, the God of Hosts.Jer. 15:16

For all of you who prayed for Chuck's ministry trip in Norway, thank you so much as while it was a hard trip personally, it was an excellent time of ministry of God's word. May everything that He spoke during this time bring forth much fruit for His glory. Amen.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

The IFI Team