This week starts a series of prophetic readings dealing with Israel's comfort and consolation. These readings start after Tisha B'Av and go on until Rosh Hashanah.
Comfort, O comfort My people, says your God. Speak lovingly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is done, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received of YHWH's hand double for all her sins.
Isaiah 40:1-2We praise You for Your care of this nation.
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those with young.
(Isaiah 40:11)Thank You that Your covenant love and tender mercies are renewed daily (Lamentations 3:22-23).
We take comfort in the truth that regardless of what happens, our God reigns (Psalm 93:1, 97:1, 103:19).
You are always faithful because You cannot change nor deny Yourself. (Malachi 3:6; 2 Timothy 2:13).
We bless You for having chosen Israel – and us – for Your holy name's sake (Ezekiel 36:22-23, 32).
In line with First Timothy 2:1-4, we interceded for Israel's government. First we concentrated on two challenges it faces outside this nation, and asked God to show Israel how to respond to whoever wins the American elections, and to this past week's revelation of the Russian Air Force's use of an Iranian air fields to launch attacks against anti-Assad forces in Syria.
We thank You for giving Israel a government that we can more often pray for – than pray against!
Raise up in Israel's current government many of the children of Issachar
who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…
(1 Chronicles 12:32).Do not allow Israel to be caught in a trap in either of these dangerous situations (Psalm 124:6-8).
Close Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu's ears to all advice that is not from You.
Protect him and his family from
the little foxes that spoil the vineyard…
(Song of Solomon 2:15)Kept Israeli leaders' opinions of the US election scene out of the headlines (Joshua 6:10).
Give Israeli leaders insightful plans on how to respond to whomever is the next US President.
Allow Bibi to take advantage of the open channel he has with Russian President Putin to communicate Israel's grave concerns with Russia's closer military ties with Iran.
May he lay down Israel's red-lines very clearly (2 Corinthians 1:17-18).
If this that is developing between Russia and Iran is not in line with either Your prophetic plans or Your timing – then bring it to a swift end (Psalm 55:9).
We turned out attention to the Israeli government's handling of its internal challenges.
Lord, give Israel wisdom on how to respond to the upcoming Palestinian Authority elections.
Thank You for this past week's arrest of the Hamas terrorist group's election official that Israel arrested.
If Hamas wins, provide Israel with plans on how to take them down and, if need be, to take control of all of Judea and Samaria (Isaiah 41:10-16).
If this is Your timing for Israel to repossess its possessions (Obadiah 1:17b), give its leaders courage to do just that.
Give Israel courage and wisdom to respond to all the negative reactions from the world whenever it does something in Judea or Samaria or Jerusalem to protect itself (Acts 4:19-20).
Prevent Israel from making decisions that are not in line with Your will (Proverbs 21:1).
Shut the mouth of the EU from its continual drip-drip-drip of anti-God, anti-Israel words (Daniel 7:22).
We rejoice that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is being shown for the farce it is as almost every week another nation/major company/musician/etc., comes to Israel and stands with it.
Abba, please impart wisdom to Israeli officials to know how to bring down the cost-of-living here, and to build affordable housing, so that Your prophetic Word can come to pass fully (Jeremiah 32:41-44).
Another challenge for Israel is Islamic terrorism. There has been a sharp decline in the terror wave that Israel had experienced since last September, and that is a definite answer to prayer.
Lord, we give You thanks for enabling Israel to defeat this latest terror wave (Psalm 144:1-2).
We praise You because we know that it was not by might, nor by power, but by Your Spirit working in the hearts of Israel's security officials (Zechariah 4:6; cp. 9:13-15).
Lord, send Your fear upon the Palestinians to stop them from trying to kill Israelis (2 Chronicles 17:10).
Thank You for the many nations who now look to Israel to help them to fight the terror in their streets.
We bless You for the African nations which see their need to be allies with Israel for many reasons – including security, agriculture, technology, etc. And thank You for Israel's willingness to help abundantly.
Wake up Western nations to call Islamic terror by its rightful name and then to humble themselves and seek out Israeli experience on how to defend themselves.
We bless You for often giving this nation Your miraculous protection (Psalm 121:4; Jeremiah 31:10).
Thank You for also raising up the IDF to protect Your people and to bring You glory (Isaiah 41:15-16; Ezekiel 37:10; Micah 4:11-13).
Thank You for making this nation a leader in the area of cyberwarfare. Now please help to keep us on the cutting edge and ahead of all our enemies in this area – both defensively and offensively.
Place on Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, wisdom, discernment and a big leash.
As Jerusalem is the city of the great King, Lord, we ask You to watch over it at all times (Isaiah 31:5).
Aliyah – the immigration of Jews from exile to Israel – has increased over the summer. Yet there are still many Jews who remain very comfortable in their captivity and then there are others who want to return, but circumstances hinder them. So we lifted up this issue to God.
Again, we declare that aliyah 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; to the south, Do not keep back; bring My sons from far, My daughters from the ends of the earth; everyone who is called by My name; for I have created him for My glory, I have made and formed him
(Isaiah 43:5-7a)Looking out from the top of this tall building in Jerusalem , we see Your prophetic word being fulfilled:
YHWH builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
(Psalms 147:2)Show Jewish "outcasts" that there is no reason for them to remain in exile any longer (Jeremiah 3:14).
Abba, when Jews decide to move, let them not move to any other nations other than Israel.
We thank You for the great work Nefesh b'Nefesh is doing in bringing North American Jews home.
Please provide for all their needs so that they can bring even more (Genesis 12:3a).
Lord, please release the hundreds of thousands of Jews in Germany from the former Soviet Union who are stuck there (Isaiah 62:10).
God, move the Israeli government to be faithful in their decision to bring all the remaining Indian and Ethiopian Jews home.
Abba, stir up the Jews in the UK, France and even New Zealand and China to return to their God-given inheritance (Zechariah 8:7).
Make the process of becoming an Israeli much easier – both in legal terms and in becoming adjusted to this society and its language.
Open hearts in Israel's Interior Ministry to be more welcoming to all Jews who want to come home.
Allow Israel's economy to be strengthened so that it can absorb the multitudes of new immigrants who are prophesied to return.
Send a spirit of "homesickness" on all Israelis who are living outside this nation (Jeremiah 50:4-5).
We asked God to reveal to the Church that today's restoration of Israel is for His glory. Also, if Israel is the apple of His eye, that means God views the world through the filter of Israel (Zechariah 2:8)!
Lord Yeshua, help Your Body to see that the return of the Jews is as vital a part of what must happen in the last days before Your return, as is the gospel going to the ends of the earth.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her, how often I would have gathered your children together…yet you would not! Behold, your house is left desolate. And I say to you, You shall not see Me from now on until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord'.
Matthew 23:37-39Broaden the missionary vision of many churches to line up with what You are doing in these days.
Lord, restore the true place of Israel in the hearts and minds of the Your Church (Matthew 16:18).
Lord Yeshua, we plead with You to replace replacement theory with solid biblical truth (John 17:17).
Lord Yeshua, forbid that "social justice" becomes an idol in Your house. Show to believers that while "social justice" is important, it is not more important than the fulfillment of Your prophetic promises.
These are the things that you shall do. Each man speak truth to his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates.
Zechariah 8:16
Salvation of the Jews was the next burden on our hearts.
And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, 'There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob'.
Romans 11:26Abba, whatever is meant by "all Israel", we ask that You quicken the day of its fulfillment.
Give Your people dreams, visions and revelations out of Your word of who is the true King of Israel (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 26:14-15).
Lord, may the Spirit of Messiah convict many Jews of the sin of not believing in You (John 16:7-9).
Lord, many of us have planted and watered. Please reap a mighty harvest between now and the Jewish high holydays in October (2 Corinthians 3:6).
For Israelis who for years, have known and receive Messianic Jews as part of this nation, even as friends, may this be the time of their salvation.
Amen. Amen, I [Yeshua] say to you, He who receives whomever I send receives Me. And he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
(John 13:10)Lord, use the Messianic believers in the IDF to be salt and light to their companions (Matthew 5:13-16).
Abba, make this the time to bring many believers out of the closet in all of the various communities throughout Israel: Ethiopians, ultra-Orthodox, modern Zionists, secular, etc.
We finished by praying for the salvation of Muslims. We hear of reports of God's Spirit moving greatly in the midst of Islam.
Lord, thank You for making our enemies become part of our family (Colossians 1:12-13).
As many of these reports come out of the Syrian refugee camps, we bless You for hearing our prayers, that You would
Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O YHWH.
(Psalms 83:16)May the Muslims who come to You be set free from the spirit of anti-Semitism and embrace that You, Yeshua, are still the King of the Jews, the Root and Offspring of David (Revelation 22:16).
Do not allow that demonically distorted picture of You that is in the Koran confuse these new believers – but give them a deep hunger to read and believe Your Word (Psalm 119:18, 105, 130).
Use all the various media outreaches to touch hearts in closed Islamic nations.
Draw out the poison of Jew-hatred from Palestinian youth and replace it with Your love of Zion.
Give the Western Church boldness to proclaim the truth to their Muslim neighbors and fellow-workers.
Lord, as the Israeli Druze and Bedouin communities have blessed this nation by sending their sons into the IDF – with many of them dying for this nation – please bless them back by sending them a revelation of Your Son who died for them (John 3:16).
We will be having a prayer tour after the conference in 2017, so note that the dates are from January 16th to 28th – which encompasses both the conference and the tour.
Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion,
The IFI team
Psalm 119:114