1. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.Psalm 103:1-5

    • Thank You for Your faithfulness, which never changes. (Psalm 89:1)

    • Thank You for Your covenant promises to the nation of Israel.

    • Lord, You neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:4)

    • Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.Hebrews 10:23

    • There is no-one like You!

    • Thank You for setting our feet on the rock! (Psalm 27:5)

    • You forgive our sins and heal our diseases.

    • From the rising of the sun to its going down, Your name is to be praised! (Psalm 113:3)

    • Thank You for the gift of life and especially new life in Yeshua.

    • Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.Psalm 103:1

  2. Gaza – The situation has been getting much more heated in recent days. It seems that the politicians and the journalists have been preparing the population of Israel for war. We really need to have understanding of what God wants and whether Israel needs to do more than putting Hamas into its place to bring relative quiet for a few more years.

    • Lord, give our leaders wisdom, so they may put their trust in You.

    • Turn the hearts of our Prime Minister, Defense Minister and Chief of Staff so they may make Your decisions. (Proverbs 21:1) May they see clearly in the midst of the confusion.

    • Give Israel Your strategies for this conflict. (1 Samuel 17:45)

    • Show us where to strike so that our enemies are caused to panic and flee.

    • Lord, we need Your plan to be Israel’s plan.

    • Prepare our soldiers for what is coming. May they be ready to apply the new ‘rules of engagement’ which are being put into place for handling the rioting at the Gaza border. Give them courage and strength.

    • Blessed be the Lord, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle; my lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge, Who subdues My people under me.Psalm 144:1-2

    • May Israel’s government trust in the Lord with all their hearts and acknowledge Him in all their ways.

    • Give Israel sound Intelligence regarding the plans and threats being made and planned in Gaza.

    • Please protect the undercover agents Israel employs in Gaza and show them what is really going on. (Psalm 83:3,16)

    • Give Israel a solution to the fire balloons being sent to create damage and fear.

    • Bring an end to the present regime in Gaza. (Zechariah 9:5)

    • In any coming conflict, Lord, let there be the minimum number of casualties and no kidnappings.

    • Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save, Lord! May the King answer us when we call.Psalm 20:7-9

  3. Judea and Samaria – have seen an increase in the level of tension and the numbers of terror attacks and attempted attacks.

    • Lord, You see everything. You know what’s going on and You know what we need to do in response.

    • Thank You that Israel’s forces are there. Protect and guide them and give insight to those who are guarding, that they may identify those whose intentions are for evil.

    • All day long they distort my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil. Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.Psalm 56:5,9

    • Give our intelligence services clear information about terrorist cells and individual terrorists and their plans. May they identify those stirring up trouble and remove them. (Psalm 59:2)

    • Please protect everyone waiting at bus stops which are a favorite target for terrorists.

    • Give all the residents of Judea and Samaria a peaceful Shabbat.

  4. The North – Lebanon and Syria – these borders have been comparatively quiet in recent days but they are potentially the most dangerous threats to Israel.

    • Thank You, Lord for the relative quiet. May it last!

    • Keep Israel’s spies vigilant and able to communicate information about movements in Hezbollah’s arsenal of rockets.

    • May there be nowhere for them to hide themselves or their weapons where they cannot be detected.

    • May Israel’s leaders be like the men of Issachar, knowing what Israel ought to do, especially when there is a need to take pre-emptive action against our most dangerous enemies.

    • The sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do.I Chronicles 12:32

    • Put fear of the God of Israel into the hearts of our enemies.

    • Guard our forces against ambushes.

  5. ‘Lawfare’ – International law governing wars prohibits the use of ‘human shields’, whereby fighters hide themselves and their weapons among civilians in order to prevent the enemy from attacking them. However, world public opinion has shifted so that Israel is now considered guilty when civilians are killed and injured as a result of Israel’s attacks on terrorist positions. Thus Israel needs people with legal and public relations expertise to put over her case.

    • Lord, You are the great judge. Please give anointing and wisdom to Israel’s lawyers and spokespeople to close the mouths of Israel’s enemies.

    • Bless and anoint the IDF spokesmen’s unit, so they may speak the truth with power.

    • Expose and correct bad media reporting of situations of conflict.

    • You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those around us.  You make us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples. Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever.Psalm 44:13-14,23

    • Defend Israel in the propaganda war.

    • Lord, expose the evil of Hamas and Hezbollah using their own people as human shields.

    • Guard against every unrighteous attempt by our enemies to bring Israel before the International Court of Justice.

    • No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.Isaiah 54:17

  6. The IDF – While our enemies seem to have a culture which glories in death, Israel celebrates and values life. Therefore, for a soldier to take life in the course of duty can be a hugely traumatic thing.

    • As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.Ezekiel 33:11

    • Lord, thank You that our soldiers do not celebrate killing even those who are our enemies.

    • Abba Father, please minister to those who are traumatized by their experience of taking the life of another human being.

    • Ensure that these young men and women are given suitable counselling.

    • Comfort and heal those who are traumatized by taking life or seeing others killed.

    • Give grace to the believers in the IDF. Make them a light and a protection to those around them and may they turn to You in times of stress.

  7. US Palestinian Consulate – The US Administration announced this week that it was bringing its consular services to the Palestinians under the direct oversight of its Israeli Embassy. Like many nations, the US had established a Consulate for the Palestinians which gave them a direct connection to the State Department, as if they were an independent nation.

    • Thank You for the wisdom and boldness of President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo which prompted them to take this decision. (Psalm 122:6,9)

    • Let other nations take similar decisions.

    • Hedge in the opposition to this move.

  8. Australia – is holding a by-election in which one of the candidates is Dave Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel. The result will influence the survival of the current government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison who, together with Sharma, has spoken of the possibility of moving the Australian Embassy to Jerusalem.

    • Thank You that Australia has been a true friend to Israel in recent times. (Genesis 12:3)

    • Give the government strength and boldness to support Israel even in the face of threats from Islamic neighbors such as Indonesia.

    • Give Dave Sharma victory in this by-election.

    • Let the Australian Embassy be moved to Jerusalem.

  9. Municipal Elections in Jerusalem

    • Please give us a new Jerusalem mayor who recognizes in some manner that Jerusalem is the City of the Great King and will lead the city righteously, making it beautiful ready for Your return!

    • Thank You for outgoing mayor Nir Barkat who came to the job as a wealthy man and took a salary of 1 shekel per year. Please replace him with someone similarly uncorruptable.

    • May he deal wisely with the Arab and ultra-Orthodox residents of Jerusalem.

    • Give us a man of integrity whose ambition is to serve the city and all its citizens rather than serving his own interests.

    • Then I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. After that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful city.Isaiah 1:26

  10. Rain – This is the time for the rains, but we have not yet seen any!

    • This is Your land, Lord. It needs rain! Water Your land so that its inhabitants may live.

    • For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. (Job 37:6) Speak Lord!

    • You send rain on the just and on the unjust. Have mercy on us. We are not a righteous nation, but for Your name’s sake, send rain!

    • Cause Your people to cry out to You.

    • In Your wrath remember mercy!

    • I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.Isaiah 41:18

    • As more of Your people come home to their land, we will need more and more water!

    • But the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.Deuteronomy 11:11-12

  11. Chuck Cohen in the North West of the USA

    • Give Chuck Your anointing to teach and speak what You want the people to hear. Guide him with Your Holy Spirit. Give him health, safe travels, good sleep and watch over his family back in Israel.

    • Bring to his meetings all those whom You want to hear him. Encourage them, embolden them and give revelation of Your truths to many!

Hodu l’Adonai ki tov; ki le’olam chasdo!

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His mercy endures forever!

Shabbat Shalom from the IFI team!