1. The prophetic portion for this Shabbat is Jeremiah 1:1-2:3. We looked at some of these verses to encourage our souls to bless the Lord.

    • Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the LORD unto me, You have seen well: for I will hasten [watch over] My word to perform it.

      Jeremiah 1:11-12

    • Bless You for being zealous to watch over Your word to do it.

    • Israel, holiness unto the LORD, and the first fruits of His increase. All that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, says the LORD.

      Jeremiah 2:3

    • Thank You for be the same yesterday, today and forever (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8).

    • We love being able to depend on, and trust in, Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23).

    • What a privilege to be alive in these days and see You restoring Israel (Psalm 147:2).

  2. The ultimate goal of God's Kingdom, the ultimate goal of our salvation, is His glory. One of the ways He accomplishes that in the end-times is through all Israel being saved.

    • Great God of mercy and grace, reveal Yourself to Your people.

      I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you.

      Jeremiah 31:3

    • Thank You for all those whom You have saved recently. Guide them to the fellowship of Your choice and help them be built up in the faith.

    • Save Israelis who are in the security forces. As they are willing to lay down their lives to protect/save this people, open their eyes to see that You have already done just that.

    • Lord, Israeli teenagers are being inducted into the IDF this summer. Use any Messianic Jewish youth who are in their units to provoke them to jealousy (Romans 11:13-14).

    • Abba, save multitudes of Holocaust survivors, terror victims, and widows and orphans.

    • God of Israel, reveal Your Son to Israeli politicians, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his family.

    • Abba, many Orthodox Jews know about You, but they do not know You. By Your Spirit, unlock their hearts to see Your Son.

      Yeshua said… I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father, but by Me.

      John 14:6

    • Lord, bring into Your Kingdom unsaved loved ones of Messianic believers (Acts 16:31).

    • Turn us again, O God, and cause Your face to shine; and we shall be saved… Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause Your face to shine; and we shall be saved… Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause Your face to shine; and we shall be saved.

      Psalms 80:3,7,19

  3. While we bless God for the many Jews who are entering Yeshua's kingdom in exile, the Word is clear that "all Israel gets saved" in the land of Israel (Ezekiel 36:23-28; Zechariah 12:2-10, etc). So we prayed for aliyah - the return of Jews from exile back to their land.

    • Thank You Lord for all of the Jews who are coming home this summer.

    • Help those who have come home to get settled, never to be uprooted again (Amos 9:18).

    • We bless You that the numbers of Jews returning have been steadily increasing for the past several years. Increase the numbers exponentially this year. Since this is all for Your glory, we ask You to do this with hearts full of faith that You will hear and answer us.

    • Thus says the Lord GOD; When I have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the nations, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to My servant Jacob.

      Ezekiel 28:25

    • Fear not: for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, Give up; to the south, Keep not back. Bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory…

      Isaiah 43:5-7a

    • Abba, we ask specifically for You to draw home Jews living in New York, in Florida and in California, and all other places in North America.

    • Touch the hearts of Israelis living outside this land, that this is the year to return.

    • Bless all of the programs that bring young Jews to tour and learn about the land. Marry many of these youth to this place (Isaiah 62:4-5).

    • Use the current global economic shakings to shake Jews out of the nations.

    • Bring home Jews who have been financially successful so that they can contribute to the strengthening of Israel's economy (Isaiah 60:9).

    • There are still multitudes of Jews in the former Soviet Union. Please help them to return.

    • We also ask that the remaining Ethiopian Jews, and all Jews in nations being ruled over by Islam, would be released to come home.

    • Speak to all Messianic Jews in exile that Israel really is their home. Help them prepare, so that in Your timing they are ready to make aliyah (Isaiah 35:10; 51:11).

  4. Israel's security situation is precarious. Israel could be attacked by a missile barrage or find herself in a full blown war almost any day. And rockets from Gaza, as well as terror attacks, occur with sickening regularity. We need to lift up in constant intercession those in Israel charged with her safety.

    • We bless You for Israel's security forces and the outstanding job they do in providing protection to this nation.

    • We see them as a fulfillment of Your prophetic word which says that when Israel comes back home, You make her a mighty army (Isaiah 41:10-16; Ezekiel 37:10; Micah 4:11-13; Zechariah 12:2-9).

    • Quicken all of Israel's soldiers, police, etc. to any danger, and protect them.

    • Do not allow for there to be any further successful kidnapping attempts.

    • Set Gilad Shalit free supernaturally.

    • We bless IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz in the name of Yeshua, the Lord of Hosts.

    • Enable there to be clear communication between Gantz, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and PM Netanyahu at all times.

    • Provide for all of Israel's intelligence agencies all the intelligence they need to know the true situation surrounding this nation.

    • Give Israel's leaders wisdom on how to deal with the current threats coming from Gaza's Hamas, Lebanon's Hizbullah, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Syria and Iran.

    • As You have done both in biblical and in modern times, turn Israel's foes on each other.

    • Thank You for enabling Israel to be at the forefront of developing new weapons - both offensive and defensive.

    • Enable Israel's homegrown military industry to not be hindered in anyway from being able to grow and develop whatever Israel needs to defend herself.

    • Thank You that ultimately, whether You do it through the IDF or sovereignly, You are the One who protects this nation (Psalm 121:4; Jeremiah 31:10).

  5. The only "peace" plan the world understands is to divide this land which God has sworn to give to the children of Israel over 40x in His Word, and then to expect an Israel sitting on an indefensible piece of property to live in "peace and security"! What foolishness! And to those of us who see through the lens of scripture, what arrogance to think that man can cut up God's land at will. We prayed for Israel's God and Israel's leaders to defeat this global attempt at trying to prove the Bible is not the Word of the living God.

    • Lord, bring the counsel of the nations to nothing. Make the thoughts of man to have no effect. Lord, watch over Your counsel forever. Make the thoughts of Your heart to stand throughout eternity (Psalm 33:11-12 paraphrased).

    • Abba, bring all of the anti-Israel plans at the UN to nothing.

    • Deal with the Palestinian plans to have the UN unilaterally recognize a "Palestine" this coming September.

      Rejoice not… Palestine… I will kill your root with famine, and he shall slay your remnant. Howl, O gate; cry, O city; you, Palestine, are dissolved…

      Isaiah 14:29-31

    • Enable Israel's UN Ambassador Ron Prosner, to have great wisdom and courage to defend Israel's status before a mostly anti-Zionist organization.

    • Thank You that the recent Middle East Quartet [US, EU, UN, Russia] meeting could not agree on a statement about furthering the Israeli-Arab "peace" process.

    • Do not allow US President Obama's push for Israel to negotiate "peace" by returning to the 1967 armistice line get any traction among Israelis.

    • Lord, do not allow Your land to be divided, but deal with the nations who are attempting to do this.

      For, behold, in those days… when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for My people and for My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided My land.

      Joel 3:1-2

We also prayed for PM Netanyahu and all the challenges he is facing - both internally and externally - as the leader of Israel. We asked for God's protection over him and his family, physically, emotionally and mentally, and for their salvation.

We ended our time praying for the salvation of multitudes of Moslems at this time of upheaval in the Middle East. We asked that in the midst of this God-ordained shaking, the foundations of Islam would come down. Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, is observed this year from around August 1 to August 29. We asked God to give many Moslems dreams and visions of Yeshua during this time, and that ex-Moslems believers would have a deep revelation and love in their hearts for Israel. Our God is able to do all of this and so much more.

Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made
the heaven and the earth by Your great power…
there is nothing too hard for You.

Jeremiah 32:17

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh.
Is there any thing too hard for Me?

Jeremiah 32:27

Please keep Eliyahu and Hannah Ben-Haim in prayer as they minister in the Far East for the next week or so. Thank you.

Shabbat shalom,
The IFI Team

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
unto Him be glory in the congregation by Messiah Yeshua throughout all ages,
world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21