1. Praise: We used Proverbs 18:10 as a launching pad to praise our mighty God.

   • The name of YHWH is a strong tower. The righteous runs into it and is safe.Prov. 18:10

   • Knowing that "name" in Hebraic thinking also means essential nature, we thank You for the safety and security we have in who You are and not only in what You do or what You do not do (Prov. 3:5).

   • You are the Alpha and Omega, First and Last; You know the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:9-10).

   • What a blessing to know that Your overriding control of the affairs of mankind are filtered through Your wisdom, foreknowledge and holiness (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Thank You for never sleeping as Your watch over Israel and over us (Psa. 121:3-4).

   • You never change. We can always have trust in who You are (Mal. 3:6).

   • You are the Judge of all the earth, and Your decrees are righteous (Gen. 18:25b)

   • Your love is eternal – without beginning or end (Jer. 31:3).

   • For YHWH will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance. (Psa. 94:14) Thank You!

2. This coming Tuesday, April 9th, national elections will be held. In Israel we vote for a party – not for a person. So for Bibi Netanyahu to continue as Israel's leader – which is what we believe is best for this nation at this time – his Likud party needs to win the elections. Then he will need to form a coalition of several smaller parties and that can get very messy.

   • We thank You for Israel's current Prime minister Netanyahu as ask that he would find favor with You and with many Israelis to continue in that position (Psa. 80:17; Prov. 3:1-4).

   • Surprise us and the polls by giving Likud an overwhelming victory (Prov. 19:21).

   • We ask that the fruit of this election be a stable government in whom You can be glorified (Psa. 115:1-3).

   • May it be a government that helps to further the fulfillment of Your prophetic word (Jer. 1:11-12).

3. Zehut is a radical right religious party lead by Moshe Feiglin. But he is running on a platform to make marijuana totally legal in Israel. For those of us who come from that kind of background, we know that marijuana use opens up people to the spirit realm – and most of the time it is not the Holy Spirit realm.

   • Lord, do not allow this party to have enough votes to even make it into the government (Lam. 3:37).

   • Use Feiglin's drive to build the third Temple right now to turn many Israelis off from voting for him.

   • You have brought Your people back for salvation (Jer. 32:37-40). Forbid that evil spirits gain easier access to them though Zehut being in the government (Gal. 5:20: the word translated "witchcraft" or "sorcery" in Greek [pharmakeia] means drug use, from where we get "Pharmacy" in English.)

4. Security on election day was our next prayer topic.

   • Lord, please keep all security guards and security forces alert on that day.

   • Provide safety for those who need to travel to get to the places where they can vote.

   • Keep the IDF alert to all threats coming from outside the country (Ezek. 37:10).

   • Prevent any riots or threats against Israeli Arabs that vote.

   • Enable there to be security for all those who live in Judea and Samaria (Deut. 12:10).

   • If there are any plans to disrupt this day via terrorism, expose and defeat them (Job 12:22-25).

5. We asked for a large turnout of Israelis to vote. Normally, a larger percentage of Israelis vote in than most Western nations – but recently that has declined.

   • Abba, show Israelis the responsibility that an election gives them and that they need to get out and vote.

   • Remove all hindrances from making this possible (Isa. 62:10).

   • Provide whatever help is needed for all handicapped Israelis to vote (Luke 7:22).

   • Make the weather be such as to to encourage more people to vote (Psa. 147:8).

6. As already mentioned, the forming of a coalition after the elections can be an ugly business. Everyone who joins wants his share of the pie plus, yet there are only so many ministries that the prime minister has to distribute.

   • Lord, we are asking for a miracle. May the coalition negotiations be overseen by You (Prov. 21:1).

   • May the compromises that the leader has to make be minimal and only what is best for Israel.

   • Somehow let the smaller parties be reasonable in their demands (Luke 11:43; 20:46).

   • Bring in ultra-Orthodox parties that will agree to a responsible Orthodox-IDF draft law (2 Chr. 35:3b).

7. Security: A cease fire is trying to be worked out between Israel and Hamas in Gaza via Egyptian intermediators. Normally Hamas gets the better of the deal and then breaks it whenever it wants to. Yet until Israel has a plan on what to do with Gaza long-term this seems to be the way to go. Are we happy with this? No – but…

   • May Hamas stick to its word and may the demonstrations today be less demonic (Psa. 35:4, 26)!

   • If a cease fire is not of You – do not let it come to pass (Psa. 33:9).

   • We do thank You for Netanyahu's soberness in not going to war just because it might be the most popular thing to do. To ever thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens…a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. (Eccl. 3:1, 8)

   • Thank You for Egypt and all the cooperation Israel has with that nation's security forces and it leader.

   • Let this relationship between Israel and Egypt permeate all of Egyptian society, and use it for Your holy name's sake. And YHWH shall be known to Egypt, and Egypt shall know YHWH in that day, and shall offer sacrifice and offering; and vow a vow to YHWH, and repay. (Isaiah 19:21)

   • If Israel and Hamas work out a prisoner exchange, forbid that it be more profitable for Hamas than Israel.

8. Security: Judea, Samaria, and East, or more accurately "Biblical" Jerusalem – is what the world calls the West Bank, or the Occupied Territories. Yet these are the very areas to which God has promised to bring His people back to and to settle them there – on the mountain s of Israel! This area has seen a blessed increase of Israelis living there but is also the most dangerous from the point of view of various kinds of terror attacks.

   • Thank You Lord for watching over Your Word to perform it in the sight of the entire world (Jer. 31:3-5 Samaria; Zech. 12:2-3 Judea and Jerusalem)!

   • Provide a safety net over all who travel the roads and wait at bus stops – especially the IDF soldiers.

   • Thank You that the Palestinian Authority security forces in these areas have a fear of Hamas infiltration which trumps their hatred of Israel!

   • While the first part of Jeremiah 32:37 has come to pass before our eyes, we ask for that last part to also be fulfilled – quickly: Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands where I have driven them in My anger, and in My fury…and I will bring them again to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely.

   • Protect and bless the special IDF units that work to capture terrorists in Arab villages at night and often find large weapons caches (Psa. 140:7; 144:1).

9. We briefly prayed into the soon-to-be-released Trump "peace" plan and asked God to give Israel a government that will not compromise on anything that would place Israel in a dangerous position because it agreed to something that is against God's revealed will in His Word.

   • The land shall not be sold forever; for the land is Mine. For you are strangers and pilgrims with Me.Lev. 25:23

   • For, behold, in those days…when I bring again the exiles of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations and bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat. I will fight with them there for My people and My inheritance Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided My land.Joel 3:1-2

10. We are starting to pray for Turkey to be separated from NATO. After Iran, Turkey under President Erdogan is Israel's most dangerous foe. They have the 2nd largest army in NATO and have an America base [Incirlik] on Turkish soil that houses a few dozen nuclear weapons. With Turkey committed to buying the Russian advanced anti-aircraft system, the US has said it will not deliver to Turkey the F-35s that it has ordered. And that is good news for Israel.

    • Lord, may Turexit from NATO be easier and smoother than Brexit from the EU (Matt. 12:43-45)!

    • Thank You for hearing our prayers about the F-35s being sold to Turkey (Psa. 50:15).

    • May they never be able to obtain them in the future either.

    • Abba, may the US military see what is happening and remove all nukes from Turkish soil (Psa. 120:7).

11. Water: The amount of rain that Israel has received during this winter is much more than the meteorologists predicted. And that is a definite answer to prayer. We thank you for joining with us as we have interceded on this issue. Yet while the Sea of Galilee [Kinneret] has risen more than 3 meters (12 feet), it is still a little less than 3 meters from being full. So let's continue to pray as this is still the time of the latter rains.

    • Lord God, we thank You for all the rain and snow You have so generously poured out on this land so far.

    • Abba, we ask for more rain and snow to fill up both the Kinneret and all of Israel's aquifers. 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)

    • God, we ask this for Your holy name's sake, so that the nations around us will see that this is Your hand fulfilling Your Word (Ezek. 36:34-36).

    • You are in charge of the weather patterns and we pray that You change what needs to be changed so that Your land will blossom, bud and fill the world with even more fruit (Isa. 27:6).

12. Salvation: As we approach Passover [Friday evening April 19th is the Passover Seder – the meal recounting the Exodus from Egypt], we are very aware of how the Spirit of God is moving among His Jewish people both inside and outside of Israel. This is a wonderful time to pray for all Israel to be saved.

    • Lord, may the focus of that first Passover in Egypt – the Lamb – become central again during Seder meals everywhere. You shall eat of [the lamb] this way, with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in a hurry. It [the lamb] is YHWH's Passover. (Ex. 12:11)

    • Open eyes of the Jewish people everywhere to the truth that Yeshua is the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

    • Yeshua, by Your Spirit, visit many Seders in many places and open eyes to behold You (Rev. 5:5-10).

    • Use the children to ask very sharp, insightful questions (Mark 10:14).

    • Lord, thank You for all the Christians who understand that they can celebrate the Passover(Ex. 12:48-49).

    • Yet help them to not forget that the root – Your promises to Israel's forefathers – supports them and not the other way around (Rom. 11:18; 15:8_12; Gal. 3:8).

    • Is it not time for You to remove the veil that You have placed on the eyes of the Jews (Rom. 11:25-26) and to show them the beauty of their King – Messiah Yeshua (Psa. 45:1-7)?

    • For thus says YHWH, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations. Cry out, give praise and say, O YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.Jer. 31:7

We finished by singing,

"You are Lord, You are Lord,
"You have risen from the dead and You are Lord.
"Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that
Yeshua – You are Lord!"

Shabbat shalom and thank you for your precious prayers

Blessings from Zion

The IFI team