[These alerts go through a final editing process before being sent out Friday morning Israel time. So all explanations, and at times even some of the prayers, all come under the timing of "as of this writing".]

  1. Praise: Despite the very dangerous and chaotic Israeli situation – it is always good to praise God.

    • Praise YHWH, all you gentiles: praise him, all peoples. For His covenant-love is great toward us: and the truth of the YHWH endures forever. Hallelujah!Psa. 117:1-2

    • In the confusion that swirls in our world today, we rest in that hope that You are sovereign over all and worthy of all glory, honor and praise (Psa. 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1).

    • Thank You for the hope – the expectation – that You are working all out for Your glory (Psa. 19:1).

    • We desire You to be glorified in our lives as we live by the faith of the Son of God (Gal. 2:20).

    • Lord Yeshua, we confess that You are the Way, the Truth and the Life to God the Father (John 14:6).

    • We bless You Messiah Yeshua, as the King of Israel, the King of the Jews, today (Isa. 33:22; Matt. 2:2).

    • While Hamas thinks that Israel is without a leader, we know that You, Yeshua, sit on the right hand of God the Father and carry the government upon Your shoulders (Psa. 110:1; Isa. 9:6).

    • While we are hugely grateful for the IDF, we trust ultimately in You (Psa. 20:7; 121:4).

    • In this conflict, we give You thanks for Your goodness, as doing this is Your will (1 Thess. 5:18).

    • We enter into Your gates with thanksgiving and into Your courts with praise, for You are good and Your covenant-faithfulness endures forever (Psa. 100:4-5).

  2. New government negotiations: The war with Hamas in Gaza – and it is a war – with the rocket attacks, and also the riots in Israel's cities, has slowed down the progress of the "government-for-change" coalition negotiations. We prayed during this past week that this would change the hearts of Naftali Bennett and other right-wing leaders who were willing to join hands with left-wing parties backed by an Islamic party to form a government of change – i.e., basically an anti-Bibi government. And late yesterday, Bennett backed out from the negotiations recognizing that this type of "unity" government was very dangerous as the Israeli Arab party could bring it down during a time of war.

    • Thank You for using the timing of this war to bring about Your will in the coalition negotiations and to impact the formation of the next government (Psa. 33:10-11).

    • May this be a dividing sword to keep those out of the government whom You do not want to be in it (Isa. 5:10-21; 28:14-18).

    • Wake up the other right-wing leaders – Gideon Sa'ar and Benny Gantz – to also recognize the dangers of a left-wing coalition as they watch the left-wingers reaction to this escalation of violence (Matt. 7:15-20).

    • May this very dangerous crisis strip off all self-serving attitudes and lust for power and turn the hearts of Israel's leaders to desire the good of the nation under Your hand (1 Chr. 11:10).

    • Waken all who will be in the new government with the need for genuine unity (Psa. 133:1).

    • Continue to purge the dross to make way for Your chosen leaders (Isa. 1:25-26).

    • Prevent any hidden agreements that are not of You from being made while the nation and the media are distracted by the current crisis (Job 12:22).

  3. The current government: PM Bibi Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz are still the ones responsible to fight this war against Hamas. As of now, they seem to be working in unity.

    • Lord, thank You for hearing our prayers that in a war situation all leaders would work in unity.

    • We also bless You that in Your sovereign foresight, You have kept Israel's most experienced leader, PM Bibi Netanyahu, as its head at this time (Dan. 5:21).

    • Do not allow him to be distracted from the needs of Israel's security (Jam. 1:8).

    • Forbid him from using this situation for political gain or his legal battles.

    • Grant courage to Israel's leaders to do all that is needed to end this battle victoriously (Josh. 1:6).

    • Give wisdom from above in deciding policy regarding Gaza and the rest of Israel (Prov. 19:8, 21).

  4. Operation Guardian of the Walls: Israel is today in another war with the terrorist gangs ruling in Gaza – Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad [PIJ] – both backed by Iranian money and arms. With the postponement of Palestinian Authority elections by President Abbas, Hamas has found another way to control the situation in Judea and Samaria, and to gain a foothold in Jerusalem. Using the riots on the Temple Mount during Ramadan as their excuse, they and the PIJ have shot over 1,500 rockets indiscriminately – deep into Israel. Among the dead are an Arab-Israeli father and daughter – proving once again that terrorists do not care who they murder. Israel is striking back hard and destroying much of their weapons supplies, tunnels, headquarters, and killing many of their leaders.

    • PIJ has publicly thanked Iran for providing the rockets that they are using. Lord, could this be that which You declared in Micah 4:11-13? Now also many nations are gathered against you, saying, 'Let her be defiled; let our eye look upon Zion'. But they do not know YHWH's thoughts, neither do they understand His counsel: for He shall gather them as sheaves into the floor. 'Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze, and you shall beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto YHWH, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

    • If this is so, please make sure that the IDF will be prepared to "arise and thresh" Your enemies!

    • We bless Israel's enemies, asking You to allow them to see a complete failure of all their plans, so that they will come to know that the Allah of the Koran is not God and that they cannot win against You, the Lord God of Israel (Ex. 14:25; Psa. 83:17-18).

    • Let Your terror fall on the leaders of the terrorist gangs in Gaza, causing them to panic and make great mistakes in their strategy (Josh. 2:9).

    • Provide relevant intelligence to the security forces as to Hamas' and PIJ's plans and weapons depots and where their leaders are hiding (Job 28:11; Matt. 10:26).

    • Direct the information to the correct people to bring about a correct and timely response (Prov. 20:18).

    • We ask that those who are responsible to plan strategy would fear You, and not man (Deut. 6:24).

    • May all the demonic plans of Israel's enemies come back on their own heads (Psa. 35:1-8; Gal, 6:7).

    • Grant the IDF a clear chain of command, wisdom to know what targets to hit, and a strategy for the incendiary balloons that are being used again (1 Chr. 14:10-16).

    • Protect the elite units who go out on special missions, enable them to be very successful (Psa. 44:4-8).

    • Enable the Iron Dome soldiers to remain alert and respond quickly and correctly (Psa. 140:7; Isa. 31:5).

    • Maintain the IDF's alertness along the border with Lebanon and Syria at this time, and do not allow any distractions or vulnerabilities in the north [Three rockets were fired from Lebanon yesterday but all fell in the Sea] (Prov. 21:31).

    • Place Your angelic protection around Israelis under attack along the Gaza border area (Psa. 34:7).

    • Give to all Israelis Your peace, comfort, and safety – and move on many to cry out to You (Psa. 50:15).

    • Thank You for the relatively few deaths in Israel compared to the many missiles fired on it (Jer. 31:10).

    • Protect all the believers in Gaza, as well as in Israel (Psa. 91:14-16).

    • Strengthen them and grant them Your peace and the anointing to pass on that peace to their neighbors and friends (Psa. 46:1; John 16:33).

    • Motivate people to provide places of shelter for those communities that are at risk.

    • Have mercy on the children, the elderly and the handicapped as the missiles fly (Isa. 40:11).

    • Bless, protect, provide for and anoint all of Israel's first responders and medical personnel (Acts 5:12).

    • Lord Yeshua, place Your hand of healing and comfort on all the injured – and let them know that it is You who are touching them (Acts 10:36-38).

    • Comfort those who have lost loved ones (Isa. 40:1; Jer. 8:22).

    • Use the rocket and missile strikes – and well as the internal riots [see below] in the Tel Aviv and Gush Dan areas to wake up many of these very liberal, left-leaning Israelis to the true radical mindset of the Muslims with whom they think Israel should make peace (Jer. 8:11, 15: 1 Thess. 5:3-8).

    • Arise and deal with all the critics in the nations who hate to see Israel defending itself (Psa. 9:19-20).

  5. Riots and even some pogroms have broken out inside Israel. This is a result of some Israeli Arabs supporting the Palestinian cause with violent riots, which has been met by some Jewish violence in cities with mixed Arab-Jewish populations. This issue could be more dangerous than what this nation is facing from Gaza.

    • Since this all started with Arabs rioting on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, we recall that You have set Your King upon Your holy hill of Zion, and so we ask for You to take control of it today (Psa. 2:6; 3:4).

    • We declare with Nehemiah, that the Jews have returned to build Jerusalem and these other entities have no part in that whatsoever (Neh. 2:20; Psa. 147:2).

    • Send You angels to separate the Jewish and Arab rioters in Israeli cities (Psa. 68:17).

    • Grant the security forces who are in charge with keeping the peace internally, the police and the IDF's border patrol units, wisdom to know how to deal with the rioters (Eccl. 8:11).

    • Protect the security forces physically, emotionally and spiritually (Psa. 91:5).

    • Give a greater influence to all Arab Israeli leaders who are speaking peace into this situation (1 Kin. 5:7-12), and send a dumb [silent] spirit on all who are trying to incitement the conflict internally even further.

    • Stop the radical Jewish zealots who are taking advantage of this situation to hurt Arabs (Deut. 32:35).

    • We thank You that most Israeli Jews do want to live in peace with their Arab neighbors (Lev. 19:18b).

    • Use this situation to spread that desire for peace among all Israeli citizens – both Jewish and gentile.

    • Thank You for the beginnings of public demonstrations of Jewish and Arab Israelis who are standing together against this internal hatred (Eccl. 3:8).

  6. Aliyah: We recall that during a prayer conference, while Saddam Hussein was launching missiles at Israel, God spoke to Gustav Scheller and told him that now was the time to help bring the Jews home from Russia. And that was the start of Operation Exodus/Ebenezer Emergency Fund, which since then has helped hundreds of thousands of Jews return.

    • Your ways are not our ways and so we ask for an increase in immigration even at this time (Isa. 55:8-9).

    • Thank You Abba for the 220 new immigrants who have arrived just this past week in the midst of the war (Isa. 43:5-7)!

    • We again bless and thank You for the 21,000 plus immigrants who arrived during all the coronavirus restrictions in 2020 – and all for Your holy name's sake (Ezek. 36:23-24).

    • We are trusting and asking You for twice that number this year (Luke 11:9-10).

    • Give to all new immigrants in Israel, who are facing their first war, courage in the battle (Josh. 1:1-9).

    • Use the events of this week, especially the demonstrations in the nations against Israel defending itself, especially as these demonstrations are basically anti-Semitic, to stir up an urgent desire for the Jews in exile to make aliyah (Jer. 16:16).

    • Keep the physical ways open for the new immigrants to arrive (Isa. 62:10).

    • Bless all those NGO's – both Jewish and Christian – who are bringing Your people home with all they need to finish this holy work (Isa. 49:22).

  7. Messiah Yeshua's Body: God often waits for believers to pray before He does that which is His will. This is the lesson of the first part of what is known as "the Lord's prayer".

    • Our Father in heaven; sanctified be Your name. May Your kingdom come, and may Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (Luke 11:2) [Why did the Lord Yeshua tell us to pray this unless the coming of God's will on earth waits for our prayers?]

    • Lord, pour out on Your worldwide Body a deeper hunger for Your Word (Jer. 15:16).

    • As they read Your Word let them see the centrality of Israel to Your second coming (Zech. 14:1-4).

    • May those with this understanding be like leaven in the places where You have planted them.

    • Remove all deception and false teaching, replacing it with a hunger and thirst after righteousness – in us and in our brothers and sisters in the world (Matt. 5:6).

    • Forbid the Church from being silent or, God forbid, even standing against Your nation and people at this critical time (Jer. 31:7).

Shabbat shalom and may His shalom rest on all Israel

For the IFI team