1. The feast of Passover starts tonight. In Israel and in most other places where Jews are, families and friends will be sitting down to the traditional festive meal - the Passover Seder. Today is also 'Good Friday', the day when believers in Messiah Yeshua remember the crucifixion. We used the timing of these events to guide our prayers. First though, we praised our most wonderful God Almighty.

   • …Praise the LORD from the heavens: praise Him in the heights. Praise Him, all His angels: praise Him, all His hosts. Praise Him, sun and moon: praise Him, all stars of light…Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded, and they were created. He has also established them forever…Praise the LORD from the earth, sea creatures, and all deeps, fire, and hail; snow, and vapor; stormy wind fulfilling His word. Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl, kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth, both young men, and maidens; old men, and children - let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is excellent; His glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalts the horn of His people…His saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise the LORD.

     Psa. 148:1-14 various

   • We bless You for being all things to us.

   • Thank You for being able to pray freely and openly here in Jerusalem - as there are too many places in the Middle East where believers in Yeshua cannot pray like this.

   • We declare that Yeshua is Lord of all (Acts 10:36b).

2. Israel is on one of its highest alerts ever. Most IDF soldiers are not being released to be with family during this Passover, which is very unusual. There is also an intensification of IDF preparation in the north against any possible attacks. Or is Israel planning to attack Iran and this is preparation for any counterattack? Thankfully, our God knows exactly what is going on and what will occur in the future.

   • Lord, we cry to You from Psalm 118:25a, which is part of the seder tonight: Save now, we beseech You O LORD.

   • We thank You that You who are committed to Israel's protection are never caught unawares (Psa. 121:4).

   • Abba, keep all of Israel's security forces on alert.

   • Encourage all the soldiers who will be watching over Israel tonight and will not be with their families. Encourage the families as well.

   • Protect this nation from death during these feast days [Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits]. Let death pass over Israel again (Ex. 12:13).

   • Abba, send legions of angels to protect and defend this nation (Matt. 26:53).

   • Release the fear of Israel's God on the neighboring Islamic nations (Psa. 83:15-16).

   • Lord of hosts, if this is Your time for Israel to deal militarily with Iran, let it do so with precision, courage and a total destruction of all the nuclear sites.

   • Continue to provide Israel with all of the intelligence it needs to make the right decisions concerning all of its enemies - especially Iran.

   • Impart to Israel's leaders the ability and courage to make tough decisions.

   • Asa cried unto the LORD his God… LORD, it is nothing with You to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power. Help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.

     2 Chr. 14:11

3. We prayed for Prime Minister 'Bibi' Netanyahu. As seen in God's Word, leaders are a very important factor in determining whether a nation walks in God's will or not, and thus whether a nation is blessed or judged.

   • Lord, we bless and thank You for Bibi Netanyahu.

   • We ask - in accordance with Your Word - that You turn his heart towards Your will at all times (Prov. 21:1).

   • There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

     Prov. 19:21; cp. 16:9

     Amen!

   • During this feast, speak very clearly to all of Israel's leaders - especially those who need to make security decisions.

   • Surround Bibi with those who will give him advice from You (Prov. 11:14; 15:22).

   • Encourage and strengthen all those in leadership who have a heart to do Your will.

4. We then asked God to deal with Iran sovereignly.

   • Lord, at Passover, You sovereignly judged the gods of Egypt.

     For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn…and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

     Ex. 12:12

   • Do this again with Iran. So strike them that the false god of Islam will crumble and multitudes of Iranians - and other Moslems - will come to a saving knowledge of You through Messiah Yeshua.

   • As You opened up the Red Sea and swallowed the enemy army, so open up the earth and swallow all of Iran's nuclear facilities!

5. Passover speaks into aliyah and salvation. Israel was protected from God's righteous judgments by the blood of the Passover lamb and then was thrust out of Egypt to head back to the land God promised to Abraham. Today, multitudes of Jews need to be protected from God's judgment. That happens by hiding under the blood of Yeshua, the Lamb of God. We prayed for God to reveal to many of His people His Lamb - the Lord Yeshua.

   • Thank You for Yeshua, the precious Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5-6).

   • We bless You for every Jewish believer who is in the kingdom today. Increase our number exponentially during this feast.

   • Lord, reveal Yourself to many Jews as they break the unleavened bread [matzah] and retell the story of the original Passover.

   • LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.

     Jer. 31:7

   • Watch over Your word as it is read in the hagadah- the telling of the Passover story. May Your words shine as bright lights compared to all the words of men.

6. We prayed for specific groups. Allow the Holy Spirit to direct you in praying this way as well. Here are some of those we lifted up before the throne:

   • Unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews; holocaust survivors; young reform rabbis; IDF soldiers - especially those on patrol tonight; Israeli government leaders and workers; Israeli youth; those in the media; neighbors of believers; Jews (like the apostle Paul before he met Yeshua!) in anti-missionary groups; those who have lost loved ones this past year; emergency aid and health care professionals; the Jewish community in Hebron; Ethiopian Jews; Russian Jews; all new immigrants celebrating Passover in Israel as citizens for the first time in their lives.

7. We then prayed for aliyah - the immigration of Jews from exile to Israel. At the end of the Passover seder Jews proclaim, "Next year in Jerusalem!"

   • Abba, make multitudes of Jews who say this - mean it!

   • Lord, bring home the families of Messianic Jews who have already made aliyah.

   • Yeshua, convict by Your Spirit all those Messianic Jews in exile who will be saying 'next year in Jerusalem,' but who do not mean it. May they mean it or refrain from declaring it (Matt. 5:37).

   • Use the seder to make Israelis living outside the land homesick.

   • Wake up the Jews in the UK and France that now is the time to flee (Jer. 16:16)!

   • Enable Jews to see that now they can return with all of their wealth - but that may not be an option in the near future (Isa. 60:9).

   • We are pressing in to You for a huge increase in aliyah because this is for Your glory:

     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; and 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, I have formed him. Yes, I have made him.

     Isa. 43:5-7

8. Since this is 'Good Friday', we sensed that this would be a good time to ask God to reveal to His Body the true nature of their Savior, Messiah Yeshua.

   • We bless You Yeshua, King of the Jews and Savior of the world.

   • Thank You for the increased interest in the Body concerning their biblical roots.

   • Raise up quality teachers to teach this while avoiding all excesses.

   • Quicken to those who are still blinded to all of this that they are grafted into Israel's cultivated olive tree and that the root of that tree - God's faithful promises to Israel's forefathers - support them (Rom. 11:17-24).

   • Arise God and destroy all false theologies about Your Son's true nature.

   • Give to the leaders of the anti-Christian Zionism movement a vision of Yourself as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root and Offspring of David (Rev. 5:5; 22:16)

May the blessings of the King Messiah of Israel be with you both now and always.

Hallelujah - Yeshua is Risen!

The IFI team