Dear Prayer Partners,

Shalom and greetings from Jerusalem! It’s 2016! It is hard to believe that we have entered into a new year already. God has done so many great and wonderful things in 2015. It is important that we lift Him up in our prayers of praise and thanksgiving. Thank you to all of you who have faithfully interceded with us for Israel and Hope for Israel the past year. We have seen many answers to prayers in the nation and in the work of the ministry. We know that this is in large part due to our unified prayers. We want to begin the New Year with prayers of thanksgiving and supplication in our hearts. Please join us in prayer for what God would want to show us and have us do in 2016. We ask for guidance and revelation for the nation of Israel and the future of the ministry. We ask for a new depth of intimacy with the Father and to see fruit from the seeds God has been planting in Israel and within the believer community. Please pray to see a great harvest of new believers in the Land in 2016. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

Please join us in interceding on behalf of Israel for:

BDS: For the past several months, it has been on our hearts to inform and educate others about the boycott movement against Israel. This is a something that has reached far and wide across the globe in every sector of society – education, politics, media, culture, and more. We believe that the underlying root of this movement is anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic, and thus must be refuted on every level. It is also something we see as a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of the nations in their view of Israel. That is why we want to continue to ask you to become informed in order to stand with us in prayer and intercession. Please pray for the lies of BDS to surface and that a revelation of the heart and plan of God for Israel will come to light throughout the nations. Please also pray for HFI as we have begun to share more about this BDS campaign through articles and social media outlets. We ask for wisdom and guidance to approach this issue in a godly and honorable way. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all people on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:3)

Struggling Families: Please remember to keep in mind and in your prayers those individuals and families in Israel that are struggling financially to make ends meet. The economy is strong in some areas of the country, but there are still over a million people living below the poverty line in Israel as we see the gap between the wealthy and the poor grow. Statistics show that 1 in 5 children are living in poverty and more than 30% of the population. Families living in poverty oftentimes have to make difficult decisions like whether to buy food for the kids or medication, paying the electric bill or buying books for school. This is a growing concern and something that we need to bring before the Lord. Please pray for God’s provision of basic necessities like food, housing, medicine and education for struggling families and children. Please also pray for wisdom for the Israeli government as they address this issue as a society.

Loved Ones of Victims: Since the onslaught of Israel’s most recent wave of terror attacks that began in October 2015, there have been 24 people killed, 283 wounded (24 of them seriously) and the numbers continue to rise almost daily. The attacks affect everyone and their sense of personal safety, but for those who have experienced the terror most intimately are the ones who were wounded themselves in the attacks or those whose lives were taken because of the hatred. We ask that you pray specifically for the friends and family of those who lost a loved one and whose lives have forever been altered because of a terror attack. Please pray for their mourning and healing process as they start a new year. Pray for the healing hand of the Father to comfort and touch them during this very difficult time.

Emotional and Psychological Recovery for Survivors: Over 270 Israelis have been wounded so far during three months of terror attacks, and some are struggling to readjust to life. Some victims need to receive psychological treatment after their bodies recover from the attack. Some victims are truly struggling to continue on with their normal lives from before the attack because of the trauma caused them. Let’s continue to pray for the complete recovery of the victims of terror, not just physically, but also emotionally and psychologically. Please pray for the right doctors and proper treatment to help these individuals deal with and move past the horrible trauma they faced from terror attacks. We know that the Lord is the Healer of the mind, body and soul. Pray for His healing power on each and every victim.

Israeli Soldiers: Please keep the tens of thousands of Israeli men and women who are serving in active or reserve duty in the Israeli army in your prayers daily. These are the men and women who not only have to train and work hard on a daily basis in their every day tasks and jobs within the military, but now with recent attacks over the past couple of months they are working extra hard to maintain and improve Israel’s security. We ask that you cover these men and women, young and old, in your thoughts and prayers for safety, protection, wisdom, courage and faith. Let’s pray the verse from Joshua 1:9 over them, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Prayer for Young Palestinians: The majority of attacks against Israelis have been carried out by young Palestinian men and women, even children as young as 11 years old. They know that such attacks could and most likely will lead to their death. How is it that such young children would risk their lives to murder an Israeli? Where do they get the ideas to partake in such violence and hatred? This is a very disturbing sign of what the young generation of Palestinians is growing up into. We cannot read the hearts and minds of these young boys and girls, but we can pray that God would touch them and bring them to His truth and peace. We pray for an overturn of this generation of Palestinian youth, that they would pave a way for peace, hope, and love first off in their own lives and with Israelis. One of Moran’s recent blogs speaks into this matter: https://hope4israel.org/the-future-generation/.

Winter Sickness: The cold weather has brought with it the flu and a variety of viruses, some minor and some major. In the past couple of weeks, there have been a number of cases of people who caught the H1N1 virus and already a few deaths have been reported. Thousands of people are being treated for the flu – children, the elderly and pregnant women being the most susceptible. We just ask that you cover in prayer those who are already fighting the flu/cold season and especially those with more serious conditions in the hospital. Please pray for health and strength during these winter months in Israel.

Rain: We praise God for the abundance of rain we have already received and we ask for this blessing to continue. However, there is one region in Israel that normally receives a lot of rain, but this year has received very little, the northern Galilee area. Please pray specifically that the Sea of Galilee will be filled and the north of Israel will bloom again. We know in Scripture, oftentimes, that rain is connected to the heart and obedience of God’s people, so we also ask for your prayers for repentance and salvation for the people of Israel. We believe that their turning to God will result in an abundance of blessing on the Land and the people of Israel. “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance,” 1 Kings 8:35-36.

Following are some ministry requests for Hope for Israel:

Moran – Please pray for an increased amount of strength and wisdom for Moran as he leads the staff and ministry into a new year. He asks specifically for wisdom to be able to implement the new goals for 2016 within the different departments of HFI. Each year also brings a new set of travel plans for Moran and he asks for prayer that these plans and preparations will be covered by God’s mercy and grace.

HFI Board – Please continue to pray for God’s hand to cover each and every important decision that the Board faces. Please ask for provisions and protection from any attacks that the Enemy would try to make on the health and well being of the members of the Board and their families.

HFI Staff – Please keep our staff in your prayers continuously for both their work and personal lives. Please pray for guidance, vision and unity in the work place. Pray that God would divinely work in the tasks that each one carries out on a daily basis. Also cover their families in your prayers for health, strength, and wisdom in every area of their lives.

NerYah Youth Group – Please join us in praying for the youth of NerYah to have a greater passion and desire to return to or establish new prayer groups at their schools in order that they can be a light to others and be strengthened in their faith. Pray for courage to step out in faith and pray for their schools. Also, please pray for a fire to ignite within the hearts of the youth to witness the salvation of the people of Israel in the Land and a desire to see the Body of Messiah in Israel grow and move forward.

NerYah Leaders—We ask for prayer for the leaders of NerYah as they are working diligently in God’s graces to lay a strong foundation for NerYah in Jerusalem so that the group can function more independently which will give the leaders an opportunity to start to work on a vision for expanding NerYah to other areas in the country. We also ask for your prayers particularly for a new worker to join us on staff with NerYah in the near future. We ask for God’s guidance and wisdom to find the right person for this job.

Believing Soldiers’ Outreach – The team of volunteers who help to serve the believing soldiers are in need of more help, other people who can volunteer and commit their time for an extended period with a heart wanting and willing to pour into the lives of the soldiers. Please join us in prayer for someone to come on board as a staff member in 2016 who will be in charge of the volunteers and outreach. The team asks for continued prayer for wisdom and the right strategy to reach out to the soldiers in a powerful way. Pray also for their hearts and spiritual walks, that they would be strengthened in their relationship with the Lord during this difficult time. It is easy to become distant in the faith during the time in the army, so we pray that the Lord would flood them with His love and renew the fire from within. There are many new soldiers who have just entered the army who need encouragement and strength as they enter into this new phase of life. Please pray for the strength and love of God to cover them during this initiation period and throughout their years of service.

Experience Israel Tour –Please continue to pray for this next year’s Experience Israel Tour (March 4-20, 2016). We praise God that already a majority of participants have signed up and we continue to pray for the building and unity of this group as they prepare logistically and spiritually throughout the coming months. We ask you to join us in praying for the remaining 4 participants that God wants to bring to Israel. We trust God for provision and grace as we make any adjustments necessary.

Pastor’s Solidarity Tour – In one more month, February 1-9, 2016 we will host next year’s Pastor’s Solidarity Tour. Please keep this unique tour in your prayers, as it is specifically for congregational leaders. We ask for you to pray that God would stir in the hearts of pastors and leaders to come to Israel. It is our heart’s desire to see these pastors come and be renewed in their mind and in their teachings so that they will be able to share with their communities about God’s heart for this Land and His people.

Tour Department – One of the ways that Hope for Israel is able to supplement the ministry’s income is by organizing and leading tours to Israel.  The tours also carry a strong ministry component, as tour participants often have opportunities to bless Israel via tangible acts of service.  As the situation in Israel continues to heat up, it is more important than ever for followers of Messiah to show their support by physically coming to Israel.  Please continue to pray that the LORD will bless this aspect of the ministry and that He would bring more and more people to witness His love on these tours. 

Lastly, please continue to pray for the salvation of Israel & the Jewish people throughout the world; we long for the day when all Israel will recognize her Messiah and receive Him… “For if their rejection [of Yeshua] is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Romans 11:15

In His Service,

The Hope for Israel Prayer Team