1. Praise: We began our time with the Lord by updating Habakkuk 3:17-19:

    • Though the fig tree shall not blossom, and fruit is not on the vines; the labor of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food. The flock is cut off from the fold, and no herd is in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in YHWH, I will joy in the God of my salvation. YHWH the Lord is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk on my high places.Hab. 3:17-19

    • Praise You that Your throne is settled in the heavens today (Psa. 103:19)

    • Abba, we will enter into Your gates with thanksgiving today (Psa. 100:4)

    • Lord, nothing takes You by surprise. You have known of all things from the beginning and know what You are doing and going to do (Jer. 1:3).

    • You have commanded us to give thanks in everything; so we thank You in the face of the third Israeli elections because You are in control (1 Thess. 5:18).

    • Thank You that as we trust in You and pray, You change our perspective to line up with Yours!

    • We rejoice to know that You answer prayers that are in line with Your will (1 John 5:14-15).

  2. Elections: Israel is heading towards its third election in less than a year, to be held on March 2nd, 2020. This is not what we wanted or prayed for – yet we know that our God is still in control.

    • Please direct our intercession during this season and led us as we pray (1 John 5:14-15).

    • Lord, raise up those whom You have ordained to lead this nation at this time (Dan. 4:17b, 25b).

    • Give them much wisdom and an ability to communicate to Israel what is Your will (Prov. 16:1).

    • Please Abba, watch over this nation and supply all its needs during this governmental void that negatively impacts so many areas (Psa. 121:4).

    • As You did in creation, let Your Spirit bring order and light out of this chaos (Gen. 1:2-3).

    • Lord, clear out the sin from Israel's political scene and then give us those counselors and judges as in the beginning (Isa. 1:25-26).

    • Return, O backsliding sons, says YHWH; for I am married to you; and I will take you one from a city, and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. (Jer. 3:14) Lord, we see You doing this, so please fulfill the rest of this promise: And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. (Jer. 3:15)

  3. Elections: Bibi Netanyahu's Likud party will hold primaries on December 26th to vote for its leader and the rest of the candidates. Gideon Sa'ar is openly challenging Bibi for the top spot.

    • Lord, thank You for the wonderful job Netanyahu has done as Israel's Prime Minister (Prov. 21:1).

    • Show us if it is time to have someone else lead this nation as this is not very clear to us.

    • Show us of there is someone other than Sa'ar for whom we should be praying (Rom. 8:26).

    • You alone know the heart. Expose all that is needed so that the right leader is chosen (Jer. 17:9-10).

    • Is there a David who is not even seen whom You have for just a time like this (1 Sam. 16:7)?

    • Anoint people on this Likud list to desire what is best for Israel and not for themselves (Prov. 14:34).

    • Prevent Likud from dividing regardless of the primary results (Mark 3:25).

    • Hedge in the media and the judicial system from interfering with this process (Deut. 33:29).

  4. Elections: Can you imagine how Israelis must be upset, some even feeling betrayed? Twice this past year, they were asked to vote and because of proud politicians and stubborn stances, Israel still does not have a new government. We prayed for them and for God to give us the kind of government He has promised in His Word.

    • Comfort Your people Lord. Use their frustration to lift their eyes to You (Psa. 121:1-2).

    • Remove all discouragement and gently lead them to who You want them to vote for (Neh. 9:19-20).

    • Give us a government through whom You can be glorified (Ezek. 36:32).

    • Give us a government that will throw open the gates of Israel for all of Your scattered people to be regathered (Isa. 43:-5-7; Jer. 31:10).

    • Give us a government that will recognize security as its top priority (Rom. 13:3-4).

    • Give us a government that will resist global pressure to divide this land. (Lev. 25:23; Prov. 22:28).

    • Give us a government that is free of corruption (Prov. 12:28; 16:12).

    • Give us a government that makes it harder for abortions to be obtained in Your nation (Deut. 30:19).

  5. Government & security: Israel's temporary government must deal with vital issues, especially with security. While there are other areas that need to be tended to as well, we focused prayer on that.

    • Again, we thank You that during all this time when Israel has a temporary government, it is Bibi Netanyahu who is still the prime minister. Let Your hand be on the Man of Your right hand, on the Son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself. (Psa. 80:17)

    • Continue to guide him to see Israel's security issues clearly – even in the face of the huge onslaught against him in both the legal and media realms (Psa. 31:3; Luke 1:79).

    • Hedge in Defense Minister Bennett to make the right decisions and not to make any decisions that are only for his own political future (Prov. 14:12; 16:25) .

    • We bless You for the IDF Chief of Staff Kochavi and ask for Your anointing to protect him from any political ambition (Prov. 2:7).

    • Give him wisdom form above to know what to share with Bennet and Netanyahu (Eccl. 3:7a).

    • Make these three one in all decisions about what the IDF should – or should not – do (Psa. 133:1).

    • Lord, at this time of inner turmoil – distract Israel's enemies (Psa. 129:5).

    • Continue to provide all the finances that the IDF and its intelligence branches need to enable Israel to protect itself.

  6. Security – IDF: We do not trust in the IDF – Israel's Defense Forces. We trust in another IDF – Israel's Divine Father – and we thank Him for the IDF as it is a fulfillment of His prophetic Word.

    • So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the Spirit came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Ezek. 37:10) Thank You Lord that out of the graves of the Holocaust, You raised up in a resurrected Israel this exceedingly great army.

    • Direct the IDF as to where to look and where to place its soldiers and weapons (Prov. 21:31).

    • Continue to provide supernatural intelligence to Israel's security services (Ex. 35:31; 1 Kin. 3:28).

    • Any enemy plans that are still hidden, reveal them quickly (Job 12:22).

    • Help Israel's military industries to develop new cutting edge weapons systems.

    • Thank You for going out with the IDF to battle (Deut. 20:1; 1 Chr. 14:15) .

    • Take the IDF's financial resources and multiply them as You did the loaves and fish (John 6:11-13).

  7. Security – Iran: The Iranian regime is facing an increase of resistance from most nations in which it has its deadly tentacle – Lebanon, Iraq and in Iran itself. This makes it more dangerous for Israel as Middle Eastern dictators/dictatorial regimes often use attacks against Israel as a means of rallying their people – whether through their peoples inbred hatred towards Jews or their fear of being called a traitor in the face of a "holy jihad" against the Jewish State. Yet we rejoice that God is shaking the Islamic Republic of Iran and that the Church in Iran is growing greatly.

    • Lord, thank You for the growing body of Messiah in Iran; we bless them from Zion. (Psa. 134:3)

    • Give them courage to stand for You (Acts 4:49) and to be watchmen on Iran's wall (Jer. 51:12).

    • Send confusion on Iran's leaders resulting in major geopolitical mistakes (Psa. 7:15; Prov. 19:21).

    • Destroy the weapons caches that have been prepared for use against Israel (Isa. 54:17).

    • Lord of Hosts, we rely on You to give wisdom to our leadership to know when and how we need to act against this threat. May the outworkings of these actions be effective (Prov. 11:14)

  8. Security – Gaza: Today we reminded the Lord of prayers prayed in the recent past over this area.

    • We ask You to end these demonstrations. Cut them off, root and branch. His roots are dried out below, and his branch withers above (Job18:16).

    • Protect all of those along the border fence, both soldiers and civilians, against the spirit of hatred that comes across from the demon-strators (Psalm 91:4)!

    • May the orders of engagement for the IDF be so well defined that our soldiers are free to act within that clear set of commands (1 Cor. 14:8).

    • Encourage all the residents within the Gaza border communities today with the same encouragement that David found when in dire straits (1 Sam. 30:6).

  9. Antisemitism & aliyah: There was another anti-Semitic attack this past week – in New Jersey at a kosher supermarket – resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. Yet many Jews who live in exile refuse to see what we in Israel see so clearly – it is time to return home, to make aliyah! Add to that the results of the UK elections, and the executive order signed by Trump declaring that there will be financial consequences for anti-Semitic behavior on campuses, and we are concerned that the impetus for aliyah will be reduced. Our prayer is that the Lord will continue to draw his people home.

    • Abba, our hearts' desire is for the young students, young families, young lone soldiers and the young veterans of the Birthright program to spearhead the move to return to Israel (Jer. 30:3, 17; 50:4-5).

    • You have begun to loosen the roots of Jews in the nations. Do not allow them to reestablish themselves, but bring them home (Jer. 31:10, 28).

    • Speak to Your people in exile: Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. (Hos. 2:14)

    • Move on the hearts of the Body of Messiah worldwide to understand that the support of the return of Your people to Israel is part of Your plans and purposes for these days (Isa. 49:22; 60:4-10).

  10. Hanukkah: The story of Hanukkah, at its foundation, is the battle against the humanistic spirit, which replaces God with man. While we remember the lights and oil, in fact, the conflict was between those who wanted Israel to be like all other nations and those who desired to worship the God of Israel and follow Him. That battle continues in Israel and much of the rest of the world today.

    • Take the blinders off the eyes of Your people that they may recognize the humanism that steeps our society and stands against the knowledge of You (Eph. 4:18).

    • Let You Spirit blow through Israel and Your Church and cleanse the stench of humanism (John 3:8).

    • Thank You for Your Body in Israel. Build it up and strip away all humanistic spirits (Matt. 16:18).

    • Grant it- especially the elders – discernment to recognize it in its every form (1 John 4:1).

    • During Hanukkah, reveal Messiah Yeshua to many unsaved Jews (John 1:9; 8:12; 12:46).

    • Light the light of Yeshua in the hearts of the orthodox communities as they faithfully light the Hanukkah lamps (John 10:42)

    • Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. (Matt. 9:12) Lord, move in those communities that have turned away from You and are steeped in sin.

Please continue to pray for rain and to rejoice with us with the rain that has fallen recently.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

The IFI team