1. Praise: The prophetic portion reveals God's heart for Israel – a heart of deep compassion and love. This is also His heart towards all of us whom He has called to Himself through His Son.

    • My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Although they called them to the Most High, none at all would exalt Him. How shall I give you up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver you, Israel? …My heart is overturned within Me; My compassions are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not return to destroy Ephraim, for I am God, and not man, the Holy One in the midst of you… They shall walk after YHWH. He shall roar like a lion… and the children shall tremble from the west… and I will settle them in their houses, says YHWH. (Hos. 11:7-11)

    • Thank You Abba, that for Your children, when sin abounds, grace abounds even more (Rom. 5:20b).

    • Lord, You do deal with us as Your children – and while we do not enjoy Your discipline when going through it, we thank You for loving us enough to discipline us (Prov. 3:11-12; Heb. 12:5-6).

    • We praise You that regardless of how we feel, we are part of Your family (2 Cor. 5:7; 1 John 3:1).

    • Thank You for Your unchanging, uncompromising covenant-love (Jer. 31:3).

    • Precious Shepherd, with joy we trust that we are totally secure in Your hand (John 10:28-29).

    • Because You, our God, are indeed our Helper, we need not fear what man can do to us (Heb. 13:6).

    • Lord, we rejoice to know that You, by grace, are working Your will out in us (Phil. 12:12b-13).

    • We bless You that Your love never fails, but You always sustain us (Deut. 33:27).

  2. Government: The Knesset, Israel's parliament, passed the first of several steps to dissolve itself. If this goes through, Israel will hold new elections in March 2021. While we are praying for God's will to prevail, this government has been so dysfunctional that we lean towards asking for new elections and pleading with God to raise up something better in His nation. Even so, there are still issues that the Israeli government needs to be dealing with today.

    • Lord, may Your will prevail concerning new elections (Prov. 19:21).

    • Continue to clean out the dross and bring about a government of Your choice (Isa. 1:23-26).

    • Destroy all political manipulation that hinders Israel's government from functioning (Num. 23:23).

    • The current government is trapped in a snare of its own pride. Yet as the One who breaks Israel's snare, we ask for You to do that now (Psa. 124:7-8).

    • Let PM Bibi Netanyahu see his need to seek You before he makes decisions (Psa. 105:3-4).

    • Enable him to continue in his position for as long as You have ordained (Jam. 4:13-15).

    • Heal the relationship between Netanyahu and Yamina head Naftali Bennett (Ex. 33:3-4).

    • Raise up leaders in Israel with a biblical love for Your land (Num. 14:6-9).

    • Let the government legalize all the settlements and outposts in Judea and Samaria (Gen. 13:14-18).

    • Thank You that the very first time in Your Word when You are called the God of Israel was in Samaria as Jacob built an altar to El-Elohei-Yisrael – God, the God of Israel (Gen. 33:20)!

    • Give wisdom and courage to Israel in its international relationships to refuse to bow to the will of the nations but instead to rise to Your calling on it at this chaotic period of history (Isa. 60:1-3).

    • As an example to the rest of the nations, set a government in Israel that is both righteous and willing to obey Your will, (Deut. 4:6-8).

  3. Covid-19: Israel and all other nations are still "best-guessing" how to deal with this virus. In Israel, we are looking at another possible lockdown, as well as an availability of vaccines. As of now vaccines will not be made mandatory by law, yet from what some officials say, they might as well be, since the rules of who can do what will depend on who is vaccinated.

    • Since You reign, continue to work out Your plans and purposes in this pandemic (Psa. 96:10).

    • Impart wisdom to the coronavirus committee as they consider another lockdown (Jam. 3:17).

    • Make their decisions wise and their explanations clear (Psa. 119:130, 169: Prov. 2:6).

    • Create a vaccine in Israel that is very effective and without questionable ingredients (Ex. 30:34-35).

    • Bless and protect the hospitals, the staff, and the afflicted (Psa. 91:3-6; Jer. 31:10).

    • Provide hospitals and health care agencies with all personnel, equipment and medications they need.

    • Comfort Israelis who are weary of regulations, masks, restrictions, and no hugging (Psa. 23:4)!

    • Comfort all who have lost livelihoods, savings, and even loved-ones at this time (Lam. 3:17-23).

    • God of Israel, send deep emotional healing from heaven to Your people (Deut. 32:39; Psa. 6:2).

    • Speak to Israelis to be more responsible in protecting themselves and their neighbors (Lev. 19:18b).

    • Lord Yeshua, You said, I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10). Therefore, please use this difficult time to bring Your people to Yourself (Matt. 11:28-30).

    • Lord, again as Israelis come face-to-face with the reality of the frailty and emptiness of life without You – use this vacuum to draw them to Yourself (Eccl. 1:2-9; 12:13-14; Song 1:4).

    • Remove all confusion in Your Body over this epidemic and how we are to respond (1 Cor. 14:33).

    • Lead each of Your born-again children to follow You concerning taking a vaccine (1 Cor. 4:3-5).

    • Thank You for being our Shepherd as we walk in this valley of death's shadow (Psa. 23:4).

    • Show us how to pray and respond to increased government control because of Covid-19 (Acts 4:19).

  4. Security – internal: If Biden does become the next US President – we expect an increase in Palestinian terrorism aimed at pressuring him to force Israel into a "peace" deal. In fact, there has already been an increase in attempted attacks – like car-rammings.

    • From Shabbat's Torah portion: …the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. (Gen. 35:5) Amen!

    • May Your terror fall on all Palestinians who desire to "pursue" after today's sons of Jacob (Gal. 6:7).

    • The fear of God is preferred over the fear of the IDF on all potential terrorists (Psa. 9:19-20), yet if that is not Your will, then by all means allow the other to come into play (Deut. 2:25; 1 Chr. 14:17).

    • Bring to open shame all terrorist plots through spectacular failures (Psa. 35:26).

    • Protect all of Israel's spies and collaborators among the Palestinians (Josh. 2:14).

    • Protect all of the Israelis and communities planted in Judea and Samaria (Jer. 31:27-28).

    • Lord, guard those who are guarding the checkpoints and all areas of transportation (Psa. 121:3-4).

  5. Security - external: M. Fakhrizadeh, father of Iran's nuclear program, was assassinated near Tehran last Friday. Almost everyone, especially Iran, blames Israel. Regardless of who did it, this is a serious blow against Iran's nuclear weapons program. Fahrizadeh, a Brigadier General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp and a close friend of Ayatollah Khamenei, was deeply involved in trying to wipe Israel off the map.

    • While we do not rejoice over the death of the wicked, we thank You that this very clear and present danger to Your nation and Your people has been dealt with (Est. 7:10; Psa. 83:1-5, 16-18).

    • As he was truly a "prince" among Iran's leaders, thank You for watching over Jeremiah 49:38.

    • May Iran find it impossible to replace him or his knowledge in their nuclear weapons program.

    • Continue giving Israel accurate intelligence to know where its enemies are at all times (2 Kin. 6:9).

    • Pour out a tsunami of the fear of Israel's God on all of Iran's kings and princes (Ex. 14:25).

    • Do the same with Iranian citizens as they see You as greater than their god (1 Kin. 18:38-39).

    • Open doors before Iranian believers, and place Your words in their mouth, as well as giving them much courage to take advantage of this situation (1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:3; 1 Pet. 3:15).

    • If reports of Hizbullah's leader Nasrallah fleeing to Iran to hide are true, then use this time to cause great division in Hizbullah's ranks and scatter every one of them (Zech. 13:7b).

    • Protect all of Your people, whether they are in government positions, in security, in intelligence gathering, both inside and outside of Israel, as well as all Israeli embassies worldwide (Psa. 121:4).

    • Strengthen and advance all aspects of Israel's cyber-warfare program (Jer. 32:27; Eph. 3:20-21).

    • Shut the mouths of two-faced nations who always condemn Israel as it defends itself (Ezek. 35:15).

    • Remove the "Chamberlin" appeasement spirit from today's Western Church (Deut. 32:43).

  6. Israel & the US: It is possible that Israel took advantage of Trump still being in office to deal with Fakhrizadeh. Today, nations who are under the threat of a ravenous Iran which cannot be dealt with by another nuclear deal, are trying to warn the likely next US President Biden about Iran. Yet if it is Biden, America and Israel will end up clashing over more than just the Iranian issue.

    • We thank You for all the blessings towards Your nation that has come out from President Trump and his administration and policies (Num. 24:9b; Isa. 44:28).

    • Give those in Israel who are responsible for making and executing any plans during this transitional period from Trump to Biden, Your discernment, wisdom and timing (Prov. 21:1).

    • Prepare Israel's leadership to make the shift to a president who will not be so favorable (Prov. 27:6).

    • If Biden is the new president, show the American Church the importance of praying for his dealings with Israel and how that will impact the very future of their nation (Joel 3:1-2).

    • Raise up Israeli leaders with more of a fear of disobeying You than resisting Biden (Prov. 29:25).

    • Raise up Israeli leaders who obey and trust You more than to bow to any world leader (Psa. 118:9).

  7. Aliyah & salvation: In Shabbat's Torah portion, as Jacob returns from sojourning with Laban to the land of Canaan, God tells him that the land of his forefathers is his as well.

    • God said to him, '…your name shall not be called Jacob any more, but Israel shall be your name… I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your seed. And the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you and to your seed after you…'Gen. 35:10-12

    • Lord, use this verse to show Jews living in the nations that they are living in exile (Jer. 30:3)!

    • Over Chanukah ask Your exiled people, how can they be praising You and recalling the miracles You did while they themselves still live in a strange land (Psa. 137:4-6)?

    • Ask this question to all Messianic Jews who are not even open to obey You re: aliyah (Isa. 35:10).

    • As aliyah is declared to be for Your glory (Isa. 43:5-7), we ask that whatever it takes – yet with as much mercy as possible – You draw Your people home (Jer. 16:16; Ezek. 36:23-24).

    • In many nations Your exiles are trapped by too much comfort. Remove it (Joel 3:16; Hag. 2:6-7)!

    • Replace that comfort with a sense of urgency to flee Babylon (Isa. 48:20; Jer. 51:6).

    • Thank You for the hundreds of Ethiopian Jews who returned to Israel this past week (Isa. 43:5-7)!

    • Provide all the finances that are needed for the organizations that are helping to carry Your people back home – both Jewish and Christian (Isa. 49:22; 60:4-11).

    • May those who are coming or purposing to come not be held back by bureaucracy (Isa. 62:10).

    • Open highways for the return of Your people regardless of all the Covid-19 restrictions (Isa. 54:17).

    • May the period of quarantine that new immigrants to Israel must go through help ease their entry into an Israeli lifestyle (Isa. 46:10-11).

    • Provide housing, jobs and the gift of speaking Hebrew for all new immigrants (Zeph. 3:14-20).

    • Enable the children to integrate swiftly and use them to help the parents (Psa. 147:12-14).

  8. Water: There was serious damage to cities along the coast with the last very heavy rains. This has exposed a lack of proper infrastructure in many Israelis cities. Yet we still need to ask for the rain.

    • Thank You for the rain that has fallen up to now (Psa. 136:1-9).

    • May all the water that Israel needs, and even extra, fall on this land during this season (Jer. 14:22).

    • Quicken the repairs on the infrastructure of cities that are not able to handle the rainfall (Isa. 61:4).

    • Let Israelis come up with creative ways to protect themselves and preserve water – like developing man-made aquifers or huge cisterns near the coast.

  9. Intercessors for Israel: With our January conference cancelled we will miss many of you joining us in Jerusalem, praying for Israel and this ministry. Yet as we treasure and need your prayers for us, we will include a prayer section on IFI during the month of December.

    • Lord, please continue to use this ministry for Your glory (Psa. 115:1-3).

    • Lead us by Your Word and wisdom as we intercede at this time in history (Psa. 119:105: Col. 3:16).

    • Raise up the next generation of intercessors to take their places on the walls with us (Isa. 62:6-7).

    • Also, Lord, raise up the next generation of leaders in IFI (2 Tim. 2:1-4).

    • Provide to all the IFI's leaders all they need to complete the race You have ordained for them (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 4:19; 2 Tim. 4:7).

    • Bless the leadership with unity and guidance in Your path and in Your timing (Psa. 31:3).

    • Strengthen and preserve all of IFI's international co-laborers in intercession (Mic. 4:2b).

    • Give IFI new vision in any area in which it is blind to what You are asking it to pray about – or if it is time for IFI to take on a new burden in intercession (Psa. 32:8).

    • Thank You for continuing to provide financially for this ministry (Rom. 15:27).

    • Bless You for encouraging us all that men ought always to pray and not to be weary (Luke 18:1).

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Jerusalem

For the IFI team