1. We began by reading Psalm 62:

    • For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor, my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.Psalm 62:5-7

    • Bless You that You are good and faithful.
    • Thank You that You are our refuge and strength. (Psalm 46:1)
    • Your mercies are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:23)
    • We rest in the certainty that You are the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and that You are the Alpha and Omega. (Revelations 1:11)
    • All power belongs to You. (Psalm 62:11)
    • We exalt You and worship at Your footstool. (Psalm 99:5)
  2. New elections – After several weeks of praying for the formation of a coalition government following elections in April, and praying for the right people in the right places, it would seem that the right people are not yet in the right places. As the coalition negotiations failed on Wednesday night, we were greeted with the news that a new election will take place on September 17th at a cost of some 500 million shekels. While we do not trust in polls, the first polls indicate not very much has changed in the way that the voting population plans to vote at this time.
    • Lord God, we have seen how in the time of the first covenant You stepped into messy situations to bring about Your plans and purposes. Please step into this very messy situation.
    • You raise up leaders for Your purposes and our need. We hope in You. (Judges 2:16)
    • The government is upon Your shoulders. Manifest Your government. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
    • Restore to the candidates a desire for the good of this nation.(Jeremiah 23:3-4)
    • Thank You for this time to allow those to arise whom You want.
    • Have mercy on us. Give us what we need, not what we deserve. Bring humility, not pride. (Proverbs 16:18)
    • Shake our nation at this time to bring about Your purposes. (Haggai 2:7)
  3. Benjamin Netanyahu – We have been commanded to pray for our leaders. (1Timothy 2:1-4) Our prayer for Netanyahu is that the events of this week will bring him to his knees before the Lord.
    • Abba, we believe he is here because You raised him up. Give him a real understanding of Your word.
    • May he humbly seek You. (Proverbs 21:1)
    • Strengthen him and bring him good counsel.

    • Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way. Though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.Psalm 37:23-24

    • Give him a new season of seeking You. (Psalm 80:17-18)
    • Preserve him from snares. (Psalm 124:6-7)
    • Lord Most High, we bring before You the proposed immunity law, which would protect him from prosecution. If his pursuit of this law is what is preventing him from prospering at this time, help him to recognize his error and lay it aside. (Proverbs 28:13)
    • We ask You, Father, for a cleaner election this time. Help Netanyahu not to be goaded into unnecessary or inappropriate responses.
    • We want to thank You for his years of outstanding service and ask that this season may be the time when he meets his Messiah.
  4. Ramadan- Al-Quds day – The last Friday of Ramadan is Al-Quds day, a day dedicated to supporting the Palestinian cause and opposing Zionism and the State of Israel. Today is the 40th anniversary of the establishment of this day.
    • May the prayers on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem remain peaceful. Harness the passions that are high at this time of the year and keep them in check.
    • Be with our security forces who are on duty today. Give them a calm and alert spirit.

    • Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle,  my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge,     who subdues the peoples under me.Psalm 144:1-2

    • Let every evil intent be revealed and dealt with. (Psalm 21:11)
    • Place Your angels about the city of Jerusalem, and especially at the gates of the city. (Psalm 147:13)

    • Like birds hovering overhead, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it, he will spare and rescue it.Isaiah 31:10

  5. Jerusalem Day – Sunday is Jerusalem Day, a day when we celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem that happened in 1967. One of the big events of the day is a parade through the streets of Jerusalem.
    • Thank You for the reason that we have to celebrate.
    • Protect all those who take part in the festivities who often come from out of town for the event. (Psalm 125:2)
  6. Gay Pride Parade – Jerusalem’s annual gay pride parade is scheduled to take place on Thursday. In the last few years there have been violent confrontations between the ultra-orthodox and the parade participants, one of which ended in murder.
    • Forgive us for the sin that walks our streets and for the grief that we cause You by dishonoring Your name in this way. (Daniel 9:4-7)
    • May the rod of iniquity not rest on Jerusalem. (Psalm 125:3)
    • Give an emptiness of spirit to the participants. Crush the essence of pride and turn their hearts to seek You.
    • Be with the security forces assigned to this event. Bless them with wisdom, patience and alertness.
  7. “Deal of the Century” – We suppose that the calling of new elections will again delay the presentation of the American peace proposal. However, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt are currently in the region speaking to all parties again. And the conference in Bahrain (June 25-26) is scheduled to go ahead with the unveiling of the economic package of the peace proposal even though the Palestinians have stated that they will not attend.
    • Wake up the kings and judges that they may see Who You are and what You do. May they not take counsel against You. (Psalm 2:2,10)
    • Overrule and annul the plans of men. (Psalm 140:4-5)
    • Man proposes, but God disposes. (Proverbs 19:21)
    • Grant wisdom to our government representatives that they may know how to respond.
    • Thank You for the continued position of the Palestinians. Continue to harden their hearts in this matter.
  8. Gaza – While the undiscussed cease fire with Hamas was said to provide for an end to the weekly demonstrations at the border, this has not happened. The demonstrations continue as do the attacks with incendiary devices. The forecast calls for temperatures of 30 degrees Centigrade today.
    • On this last Friday of Ramadan may the demonstrators feel the effect of the heat and the fasting and stay home.
    • Protect from fires set by incendiary devices. (Psalm 83:14-16)
    • Be with our soldiers as they stand guard. Shelter them in the heat. Protect them, mind body and spirit and may they know that their service is blessed.
    • In this heat, visit the residents of both sides with Your living water. (John 4:11)
    • Abba, be with the residents of the Gaza communities in a special way today. Comfort them and give them the real rest of Shabbat. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
  9. IDF in the north. – Our biggest external threat remains in the north. Behind the armies of Syria and Hezbollah, Iran pulls the strings and pays the piper. The IDF is on constant alert along the borders with Lebanon and Syria. Missions across the borders are carried out quietly to maintain Israeli safety.
    • Give the IDF command wisdom as to placement of troops. With so many areas needing attention, may they have Your sense of priorities.
    • Provide accurate, actionable intelligence on what is happening among our enemies. In particular be with those who work with electronic and cyber surveillance. Help them among all the incoming data to recognize what is of importance and pass it on to the place it needs to go. (2 Kings 6:12)
    • We ask for Your special protection upon the IAF as it flies missions in Syria that we often hear about only much later. May they go and come in safety, both the pilots and the planes. (Psalm 121:4)
    • Bless the Messianic believers who serve in the IDF and use them both in their capacity as soldiers and as Your light is the places where they serve.
  10. IFI team – This weekend, Chuck is at the conference in Red Hill in the U.K. Eliyahu and Heinz-Jurgen are involved in the conference in Geisen, Germany. And next week Chuck and Eliyahu move on to the conference at Blairmore, Scotland. This is a busy and blessed time and we lift them up.
    • Anoint our friends to the bringing of Your truth with power to the places where You have taken them.
    • Provide Your divine appointments outside of the meetings.
    • Bring those to the meetings that You want to be there and keep away those that You don’t want there.
    • We ask You to bring new and young partners to share in the burden and to grow in intercession.
    • Abba, give physical health and stamina to our brothers.

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem and may the Lord bless you from Zion.

The IFI team