Dear Intercessors shalom,
We did not hold our regular prayer meeting last night. Nevertheless, I am sending this Prayer Directions Bulletin (by directions we mean in what direction we are praying). May this inspire, encourage and animate you to pray into the Word of God.

First, a few instructive facts from the Israeli papers

​Terror and security:
The head of Shabak (Israel's secret security services) reported that the Shabak prevented 400 significant terror attacks in Israel this year; 13 of them would have been suicide bombing attacks, eight abduction attacks (mainly of soldiers), and 100 of lone attackers. This year "only" 54 attacks were carried out as compared to 108 last year. The head of Shabak added that underneath the surface, there is a tremendous amount of activity by the Hamas as they continuously try to carry out terror attacks from Judea and Samaria.

Take a minute to consider these numbers!

Iran:
Iran is closing in on Israel; "Iran has completed a land bridge connecting the Iranian border in Iraq with the Syrian Golan Heights and the Mediterranean Sea." Read article here: 

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239757

The water situation in Israel
We have received only 10 to 20 percent of the annual rainfall this year. The deficit is 2.5 billion cubic meters of water. Many of our rivers and springs are drying up. Here is a link to an article in Hebrew, wich I include it here so you can see the pictures for yourself. 

https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5059664,00.html

Now you can see why we keep coming back again and again to the same points of prayer; these matters are existential threats

We must say we are not down nor are we in a panic regarding these issues. If anything they serve to awaken within us a greater zeal to pray into the Word and promises of God. The need serves to rouse us to an earnestness that can sometimes wane in the heart of intercessors as they keep coming back to the same points. 

Here are some of the promises in the Word that serve as the sure ground of our praying:

Security: 
Jer. 30:10  Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.

Isaiah 41:10-15 (too long to quote here)

Water AND Security: 
Ezek. 34:26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
Ezek. 34:27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

Blessing of the land, and security:
Ezek. 34:28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
Ezek. 36:6 Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, 
Ezek. 36:8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.
Ezek. 36:9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:
Ezek. 36:10 And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:
Ezek. 36:11 And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezek. 36:12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.

And what about salvation? 
Is. 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;   those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 

I love this verse. It clearly says that The Light will shine on those who sit in deep darkness. Into the darkness of sin, and of bondage, and of religious blindness, and evil, the Lord will shine His light. The Light will come looking for those who are sitting in darkness. 

Although this verse is written in the past tense (yet it spoke of the future when Yeshua would come the first time), I believe it can be easily understood about the coming revelation of Yeshua in Israel today. 

And what about corruption in government? 
Jer. 3:15  “ ‘And  I will give you shepherds after my own heart,  who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 
Jer. 3:16 And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again.
Jer. 3:17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD,  and all nations shall gather to it,  to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.

What about the Body of Messiah in the land?
Mal.3:1 ....And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
Mal. 3:2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
Mal. 3:3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 
Mal. 3:4  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

This is such an encouraging, hope-creating promise. Are you seeking the Lord? Are you delighting in Him? If so, He has promised that He will not be indifferent to the need of His Body to be refined, cleansed and be made worthy to offer up offerings in righteousness to the Lord. I can't tell you how comforting those words are to pray and believe!

*
Isn't the Word of God wonderful? Isn't your heart thrilled by the Word of God, by the promises of God, but the faithfulness and powerful grace of God? He promised so many amazing things, should we not come to Him and say, "thank you" for them? Should we not approach Him and ask Him to fulfill them for His glory? 

One more thing. The more you pray the Word, the more your heart awakens to it. The more time you spend, reading, praying and waiting on God over His Word and especially the promises, such as been shared, the more your faith will grow, and the more profound the revelation you receive will become.

Shall we pray?

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Zech. 8:1 Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,
​Zech. 8:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
Zech. 8:3 Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.

The background of this wonderfully comforting prophecy is surprising and sobering. If you read Zechariah 7:11-14 you’ll find it comes in spite of our rebellion against God.  “….they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 7:11-12

Wherefore the mercy promised? Wherefore that zeal of God to restore His City and people in spite of their rebellion?

It is birthed in the heart of God! The word, “again” in Zech 8:1 (KJV), although not in the Hebrew, points to this truth. “Again,” is not just a technical word meaning God spoke again, but shows that, again, God’s grace and mercy and love lead Him to pour grace on an unworthy people who have rebelled against Him. As many “agains” there are of our failure, there are more “agains” of God’s grace.

But this is not the whole story, of course.

Note verse 2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury Zech. 8:2

Since God is declaring here that He will restore the City (and the people of course), this verse cannot mean that his fury is against His people. Zechariah 7:12-14 has already dealt with Israel’s punishment for their rebellion; here restoration is prophecied.

So it must be that God’s great fury is against sin itself. And as we contemplate that, we are left with awe and wonder. For it is at the cross, that God’s great fury against sin is seen. What is being prophecied here is that God would turn His full wrath and fury on His Son, till justice is fully done, until Holiness is satisfied. This is what unfolds in the whole book of Zechariah. The restoration of Israel, the reestablishment of Jerusalem all have their root there, at the cross.

We are reminded of Ezekiel 20:33 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you

That is, “I will assert My right over you in spite of your resistance (Ezekiel 20:32), as a master would in the case of his slave, and I will not let you be wrested from Me, because of My regard to My covenant.” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary)
​

• We prayed for the mercies and grace of God to carry out His great purpose and plan of restoration.
• We prayed for the revelation of the Son of God in the midst of the Land
• We prayed for the great work of God to restore Jerusalem to Himself
• We prayed for the grace of God to break our rebellion and hard hearts
• We prayed for God to save our nation from religion and form
• We prayed for the vindication of the glory of God in the Land.

We prayed for the Body of Messiah along the same lines 
(You can pray this for your own church or the Body in your land)

• We prayed for a renewed vision of the Son of God in our midst
• We prayed for a cleansing of the House of God in the Land (we are in the midst of celebrating Hanukkah)
• We prayed for the pure light of the Word of God in the Body of Messiah
• We prayed for the real and authentic anointing of the real Holy Spirit to be in the House of God
• We prayed for the renewed dedication of many believers to the Lord to walk in His ways, to serve Him, to obey Him.
• We prayed that the Body of Messiah would shine a pure light into the midst of our nation and become a beacon of salvation and hope.
• We prayed for the Body to become a “city of truth” (Zechariah 8:3)

We prayed for Jerusalem

• We prayed that God would proceed with all His plans of restoration of Israel with Jerusalem as its capital
• We prayed for the city in light of Psalm 2, where it is clear that the resistance to this city is mainly against God’s own Son (Psalm 2:6), and is a rebellion against God, not just a hatred of Israel
• We prayed for the security of the city and of the Land
• We prayed into the imminent threat of war with Hezbollah (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-chief-warns-of-risk-of-a-new-israeli-hezbollah-conflict/ )

We prayed for rain

see Zechariah 8:12 ….” and the heavens shall give their dew…”
See our desperate need: https://www.timesofisrael.com/shrinking-sea-of-galilee-sees-rising-salinity-endangering-water-quality/

Pray for Aliya - Zechariah 8:7-8
​
Blessings from Jerusalem

Dear Friends, in this prayer points update we share lots of verses and places in scripture that give light and understanding to God's purposes for Jerusalem, Israel, etc. I believe that it is vital to pray from scripture, and as we do that we gain insight, understanding, and more importantly, we gain faith from the scriptures we read and pray. Please take time to read them, or look into them at your convenience. Reading and praying the Word of God will instill in you a sense of His will and give you understanding and give you a solid basis for your intercessions for Israel, beyond just praying for current issues.

Jerusalem
President Trump is set to declare tonight that the United States recognizes Jerusalem to be Israel’s capitol.  No doubt the newspaper people and the bloggers are going to be busy opining, interpreting, explaining.

But our job is to pray and therefore we will confine ourselves to the Word of God regarding Jerusalem.

Though better late than never, the US and the rest of the nations are a little late, God has chosen the city thousands of years ago.

• It is the City of His Son and His King: Psalm 2
• It is the City of His dwelling place: Psalm 132:13
• It is the City of Judgment: Isaiah 2:4
• It is the City of peace: Isaiah 2:4
• It is the City of the issuing Word: Isaiah 2:3
• It is the City of the Light of Salvation for the whole world (future and past) Isaiah 62:1-2
• It is the City of the gathering of God’s people, Israel: Zechariah 12:6
• It is the City of the revelation of Yeshua the crucified King to His people: Zechariah 12:10
• It is the City of the confrontation between God and the nations: Zechariah 12:2-4
• It is the City of His return: Zechariah 14:4
• It is the City of the issuing healing stream for the nations: Ezekiel 47:12, Revelation 22:1-2

Finally, we will quote from Joel 3 as it encapsulates the whole thing.

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!  For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Joel 3:15  The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.
Joel 3:16  The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people,  And the strength of the children of Israel.
Joel 3:17  “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”
Joel 3:18  And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water;  A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD And water the Valley of Acacias.
Joel 3:19  “Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness,  Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land.
Joel 3:20  But Judah shall abide forever,  And Jerusalem from generation to generation.
Joel 3:21  For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted;  For the LORD dwells in Zion.”

No city has ever stirred more emotion and controversy and passions than Jerusalem. Why is that? Because Jerusalem is the city through which God is carrying out His plan and purposes on the earth. If God limited Himself to only a spiritual kingdom, perhaps the nations would have no problem with His plan, but He is coming to rule the earth, and for this, they are not willing.

As  you look at each of these scriptures, you will find a wealth of prayer points to pray into. And when you pray the Word of God, you will be praying in the will of God, and therefore you will be assured that He will answer those prayers; the faster He does, the less suffering for the world. Let us pray earnestly.

You may want to add a prayer regarding the issue of violence that will no doubt erupt, following this declaration. In fact, the Palestinian Street has already begun to mobilize and call for violence.

• Pray with us that the Lord will suppress this violence
• Pray that lives might not be lost
• Pray that any terror plan will fail
• Pray that any plot to carry out an attack will be found out and stopped

The Threat of Eminent War
“Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, said Monday that his country is closer to a full-blown military conflict along its northern border than people think.”

For full article see here: https://www.timesofisrael.com/war-with-irans-proxies-could-be-weeks-away-israels-us-envoy-warns/

How many more wars will this country have to go through? The enemy has been relentless for decades. There is no respite for the Jews; the pogroms before WWII, the Holocaust, and then right on the heels of it, Israel’s war of independence and since then war after war after war.

This time around it's Iran, and I have no doubt in my mind that it is being controlled by the same Prince of Persia who wrestled with Michael and Gabriel when Gabriel was on His way with an answer to Daniel’s prayers. Iran up to now has worked through her proxies; Hezbollah, and Hamas. Now she is in Syria ever edging towards the borders of Israel.  Iran is hell-bent to destroy Israel; such a depth of hatred is hard to conceive and believe. Why such hate? It is for the same reason Jerusalem is so controversial, Israel is the tool in God’s hand to bring about the promised fulfillment of His plans and purpose on the earth.

How should we pray? 

Perhaps we should pray as Daniel did for the restoration of Israel. That prayer unleashed such war in the heavenly realm, that is hard to imagine. We must be relentless in our praying for Israel's restoration, both spiritual and physical. It is interesting to note that from chapter 9 on, God reveals to Daniel the coming of Messiah and the end of days! This book is totally current, and when you pray from it, you are praying into the end times.

• Pray for Israel from  Daniel 9: 3-19
• Pray for Jerusalem as Daniel did Daniel 6:10 (No doubt He prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem and the nation to the land and for the plan of God to be fulfilled.)
• Pray with us from Zechariah 12:9
• Pray for our leadership from Zechariah 12:6
• Pray Zechariah 12:4 as it pertains to Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas
• Pray Zechariah 12:3 for Jerusalem as it symbolizes the whole of the land and its people.

And of course, pray with us that the end result of God’s dealings with those nations will be that they bow to the name that is above all names!

Psa. 83:16  Fill their faces with shame,  That they may seek Your name, O LORD.
Psa. 83:17  Let them be confounded and dismayed forever;  Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
Psa. 83:18  That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD,  Are the Most High over all the earth.

Darkness shall cover the earth……But the Lord will arise over you
Is. 60:1 Arise, shine;  For your light has come!  And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
Is. 60:2  For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,  And deep darkness the people;  But the LORD will arise over you,  And His glory will be seen upon you.
Is. 60:3  The Gentiles shall come to your light,  And kings to the brightness of your rising.
Is. 60:4  “Lift up your eyes all around, and see:  They all gather together, they come to you;  Your sons shall come from afar,  And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
Is. 60:5  Then you shall see and become radiant,  And your heart shall swell with joy;  

We prayed for Israel's restoration and salvation from these scriptures

• We prayed for Him who is The Light - Yeshua -  to shine His face in the Land. John 8:12, John 9:5
• We prayed for the Light of God - Yeshua - to break through the darkness of Religion which has bound our people for so long.
• We prayed for the Light of God - Yeshua- to shine His light and grace in the places of poverty and sin and bondage
• We prayed for the Light of God - Yeshua - to shine His light in the highest places of academia (no less dark, even with all their knowledge).
• We prayed for the breaking of the anti-Messiah darkness which has gripped our nation for two millennia.
• We prayed for the Lamb of God to arise as the morning star
• We prayed for the removal of the veil which has kept our people in darkness.

Israel’s restoration is key to bringing Light to the nations
Israel’s restoration is a great blessing to the nations. Her rising among the nations and her salvation, turns the Light on again, in the earth; the knowledge of salvation goes out of Zion once again. The nations come to her Light (her King and Messiah) see Isaiah 60:3 What a Hope we have in Yeshua!

Just think of how much blessing Israel has been to the world, the first time around. Romans 9:4 enumerates what Israel has meant and will mean again to the world (the Adoption = fullness of Sonship). It all comes to a climax in Romans 11.
(If the Church is ever to pray into this, it must first understand it, and then believe it.)

• We prayed along these lines for the nations
• We prayed for the light of this to once again flood the Church

The gathering of the Jews from the nations and the comforting of Israel
Isaiah 60:4 speaks of the return of Israel’s sons and daughters from afar. It is no secret that there is a large number of Israelis who have left the land to seek a better life elsewhere. They have found that living in the land is too difficult, too hard; this is a grief to Israel. Too many of Israel’s sons and daughters have been lost, whether in the Holocaust or her wars, or in this way. The rising of the Light of God in the Land changes all that! And they return, reconciled to her and their God through Messiah. Israel is comforted. Isaiah 60:5

• We prayed for the Light to dawn on Israel’s sons and daughter in faraway lands.
• We prayed for faith and vision to arise in the hearts of the Jews who are dispersed in the nations, instead of fear.
• We prayed from Isaiah 29:22-23
• We prayed from Isaiah 62:62:4-5 (….so shall your sons marry you….[speaking of the Land!]

Lastly, we prayed from the following verses. (I couldn’t help quoting them in full as they are so exceedingly sweet.)
Is. 49:21 Then you will say in your heart, “Who has begotten these for me, Since I have lost my children and am desolate, A captive, and wandering to and fro?  And who has brought these up? There I was, left alone; But these, where were they?’ ”
Is. 49:22  Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations,  And set up My standard for the peoples; They shall bring your sons in their arms, And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders;

Security and protection of Israel - God’s intervention
We were led to continuing with this theme of light vs. darkness. (not conscious of the fact that it is nearly Hanukkah!)
Ex. 14:19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
Ex. 14:20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

Just as at the time of our redemption from Egypt, so today, the enemy is pursuing us to destroy us. At that time God came between our enemies and us, and what was to us Light, seemed as darkness to the other; so shall it be today as well, if we pray.

• We prayed for God to come between our enemies and us
  
• We prayed for the Lord to intervene on our behalf
  
• We prayed God would throw the enemy’s “wisdom” into confusion as long as they come against His plan and purpose of restoring the Jews to the only haven they have in the world.
  

We prayed for our government

• We prayed for God’s light=truth to shine into the government and parliament
  
• We prayed for the Lord to sweep away the corruption and the pollution in the “house.”
  
• We prayed for renewed vision to overcome self-ambition
  
• We prayed for God to install those who would be good shepherds who would care for God’s people.
  

We prayed for the Body of Messiah

• We prayed for a real and deep cleansing of God’s house
  
• We prayed for much light to fill the Body of Messiah
  
• We prayed for the Word to rise in the midst of the Body, to expose darkness and deception on the one hand and to bring faith, hope, and grace on the other.
  

We long to have another Hanukkah in the Land, for the forces of Light and Truth to defeat the forces of Darkness. We long for the salvation or our people, for the cleansing of our land from corruption, for the restoration of the presence of God to the nation.

May this year be a year of a re-dedication of the House of God, a year of real revival, a year that will see the Son arise with healing in His wings,  in the land and His Body.