1. Praise: This Shabbat's prophetic portion is Ezekiel 36:16-38, where God promises to bring scattered Israel home and save them – and all this is for His holy name's sake!

    • Hallelujah Lord Yeshua. In the face of all the crises that are in the world and impacting Israel today, it is so encouraging to know that You are at work to the glory of God Your Father (Phil. 2:9-11).

    • We rejoice that You are with us so that we can choose not to fear (Psa. 118:6)

    • YHWH has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.Psa. 103:19

    • We rest in the knowledge that nothing – even this coronavirus – has taken you by surprise.

    • Your thoughts are higher than ours (Isa. 55:8), so we can praise You regardless of what we see or hear or experience (Psa. 34:3-7).

    • Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.Psa. 63:7

    • Thank You for telling us to come boldly to You in prayer – especially in a time of need (Heb. 4:16).

  2. Israel & the coronavirus: Obviously, this virus impacts Israel greatly. PM Bibi Netanyahu and the health officials have laid down some very strict guidelines, some even being enforced by the police. Israel is taking this virus very seriously and Netanyahu has been ahead of the curve of almost every other national leader in pro-actively dealing with this. This will continue to greatly impact the economy, tourism, families and children and almost every other area of life. We prayed first for the people.

    • Lord, forbid that panic descend on this nation (Gen. 15:1).

    • Abba, as we see the struggle between health and safety vs. personal liberty – we ask You to guide Bibi and the other officials to strike the right balance for this crisis (Job 12:13).

    • Thank You that Israelis have faced national crises before and know how to operate as one (Psa. 133:1).

    • Please use this situation to drive Your people to Your Word and back to You (Psa. 50:15).

    • Enable believers to have a word in season and an answer for the hope that we have (1 Pet. 3:15).

    • We do thank You for the very clear directions that are coming from Netanyahu (1 Cor. 14:8).

    • We also thank You for Bibi's warning of the magnitude of this dangerous contagion.

  3. Israel's economy & coronavirus: The economic implications from this crisis can be staggering, especially as so much of Israel's income is tourism based. Yet God is still on the throne!

    • Lord, You did not bring Your nation back to see it destroyed! Please shepherd it today (Jer. 31:10).

    • Abba, sustain supernaturally Israel's economy – as You have been doing for many years (Deut. 28:12).

    • May Israelis develop new, cutting edge businesses and inventions to add to Israel's economic growth.

    • We thank You for the very strong economy that Israel has had going into this crisis (Jer. 32:42).

    • May Israel be a witness to the world of Your divine interventions in it economy (Ezek. 36:8-15).

    • Lord Yeshua, help parents – especially those who have jobs outside the home – who now have their children at home as Israeli schools are closed down (Psa. 72:4; 127:3; Luke 18:16).

    • Bless the economic well-being of tour guides, hotels and their workers, bus companies and drivers, the airlines and their employees, and all others who are impacted by the disappearance of the tourism industry in Israel at this season (Deut. 28:3-6).

    • [We are also aware that an economic global shaking like what we now see, including the sudden oil-price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, could clear a path for someone, like the Anti-Christ, to come with a plan that solves all our economic struggles, if only we bow the knee. So we watch and pray.]

  4. Israeli politics & coronavirus: The talk now is that Israel needs an emergency unity government to deal with this virus-crisis. But Blue & White's leader Gantz wants the anti-Zionist, pro-terrorist Arab Joint List to be part of that. Bibi Netanyahu and Likud refuse – thank God! [note from Chuck: As I was contemplating the fact in which several B&W parliament members are refusing to agree to have this Arab party back them up for the minority government, I had the sense of a hand writing on the wall over B&W – "Titanic"!]

    • Lord, if this is of You, let B&W sink suddenly as more of its members jump ship (Prov. 24:21-22).

    • Lord, we bless and thank You that Netanyahu is still Israel's prime minister at this time (Psa. 80:17).

    • Continue to pour out Your anointing on him to know what to do in the face of this crisis (2 Chr. 1:10).

    • Watch over Netanyahu as his indictment trail begins this coming week (Psa. 3:4-6).

    • Let truth rule in these proceedings. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen. 18:25)

    • We bless You that by prayers You have sustained this man (Ex. 17:12).

    • Continue to use his historian background to allow him to learn the lessons of history and not make the same mistakes in the future (Prov. 1:5; 9:9).

    • Protect his overall health – mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually (Psa. 84:9; 105:15).

    • For any believers who can speak to him, please guard them from giving ungodly advice (Psa. 141:3).

    • Concerning the Arab Joint List, we ask You to confound those who hate Zion (Psa. 129:5).

    • Abba, allow Israel to have a strong Zionist government that will look to You at this time (Psa. 59:9).

  5. Security: All the issues that we are praying into today impact security. We hear almost nothing about what is happening in Gaza. Reports from Judea and Samaria indicate draconian measures to contain the coronavirus, including locking of people suspected of contact into their homes, with whole buildings on lockdown. These severe restrictions can result in repercussions from those who are being restricted.

    • Lord, grant both sovereign and military protection for Israel at this time (Psa. 36:7)

    • We ask that the IDF leadership will be prepared for whatever crisis may arise (Prov. 21:31).

    • Give wisdom to know where to intervene and where to stand back (Prov. 26:17)

    • Lord, provide Israel with accurate, actionable intelligence for both Area A [under total Palestinian Authority control] and for Gaza.

    • Protect Israeli intelligence gatherers from deceptive information (2 Kin. 6:12).

    • Grant to the IDF leaders wisdom to know how to respond in this shifting reality (Jam. 1:5-6).

    • As Creator and Healer, guard the health of Israeli military and security people at this time (Psa. 103:3).

    • Thank You for the effectiveness of the military in stopping recent terror attacks (Mic. 4:11-13).

  6. The IDF budget: Aviv Kochavi, the IDF's Chief of Staff, is working on a long-term plan which will shift the focus of the IDF to prepare to fight and win the next war, rather than preparing to fight the last. With Israel still having only a transitional government, we prayed for the military's economic situation.

    • Lord of hosts, help the IDF financial planners to cut all unnecessary expenses, and find creative ways to stretch and use all available funds (Rom. 8:28).

    • Please prevent destructive mistakes and theft.

    • Lord Yeshua, You multiplied the loaves and fishes, please expand the budget of the IDF to cover resources beyond expectations (Matt. 14:17-19; 15:34-36).

    • Anoint those You have chosen to invent new weapons and other needed items which will also be cost effective (Ex. 35:30-31).

    • We ask especially for the area of cyberwarfare that Israel would discover game-changing ways to win this war – both now and in the future.

  7. Iran: We have been praying into this Shi'ite nation's constant threats to Israel's existence for a long time. Is what has been happening in Iran recently at least a partial answer to our prayers?

    • We thank You for hearing our prayers to totally shake this enemy nation – politically, physically, economically, and socially (Hag. 2:7).

    • Lord, have mercy on the innocent Iranians who are infected by the coronavirus (Job 8:20).

    • Continue to destroy the king and it princes (Jer. 49:38b) – the Ayatollah and the mullahs – and set Iran free from these wicked overlords.

    • As You did with Haman, deal with the Amalekite spirit in Iran that hates the Jews and plans on Israel's annihilation. Hang it on its own gallows (Est. 7:10; cp. Psa. 35:7-8).

    • Hinder any demonic plans the Shi'ite leaders may have as they are being backed up to the wall, to start WW III and bring in their 13th Iman, the Muslim Mahdi [Messiah] through a global conflagration as per Shi'ite doctrine (Psa. 140:1-2).

    • Bring to light any intelligence information about Iran's nuclear plans that is hidden from Israel (Job 12:22).

    • In fact, please bring to light any and all of Iran's plans against Your nation at this time (Job 28:11b).

    • Cut off from Hamas, Hizbullah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad all support from Iran (Isa. 14:30)

    • Abba, be preparing the next set of leaders and please add some believers in the mix (Dan. 4:25b).

    • We bless You for setting Your throne in Elam through the salvation of many Iranians (Jer. 49:38a).

    • Continue to protect and use Your Iranian Body to witness to Your glory (1 Pet. 5:1; 2 Pet. 1:16-19).

  8. Passover & Aliyah: The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt in one night in response to the outcry from His people. Today we stand in the place of His people who are not crying out to Him to bring them out of exile and captivity.

    • Tear apart the gilded cages of Your people in the affluent west and bring them home (Deut. 32:10-12).

    • Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their roosts?Isa. 60:8

    • As You have placed the times and seasons in hearts of birds, do the same thing in Jewish hearts in exile, and give them the urgency to return home (Jer. 50:4-5).

    • Lord, we know that diasporavirus has infected most of the Jews living outside of Israel. Send the only cure – aliyah – and draw them back (Ezek. 36:23-24).

    • Again, we ask for the next Israeli government to open wide the doors to aliyah for any Jews who want to return – regardless of their belief, skin color, bank account balance or anything else (Josh. 1:2).

  9. Israel's health system: Israel deals with a chronic lack of medical personnel and hospital beds. Some of the measures instituted by the government concerning the coronavirus have had the purpose of slowing the spread of the virus, so that Israel's already overloaded system will be capable to meet the demands made on it by the increase of patients requiring hospitalization.

    • In faith, we thank You for answering our prayers for wisdom to our leaders in this crisis (Psa. 50:15).

    • Lord, help hospitals have wisdom to know how to support staff before they reach burnout (Psa. 55:6).

    • Aid them also in providing child care for medical staff as the school system has closed down.

    • Enable the health ministry and other government agencies to prepare for today and the coming week.

    • Abba, pour out a special portion of grace and protection on those health care workers who are caring for the virus victims (2 Cor. 9:8).

    • As many are being placed in quarantine themselves, protect them (Psa. 91:1-13).

Please pray for us to hear our Shepherd's voice on whether we should continue to have these open public meetings or whether we need to take a break for a period of time. Even if the meetings were cancelled, these Friday Prayer Alerts would still be sent out.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion,

The IFI team