1. Praise: This Shabbat's Torah portion starts with the verse upon which all the rest of the Bible is founded. All other doctrines and everything else that God reveals to us are based on the truth of this one verse. And that is exactly why Genesis 1:1 is where it is in Scripture.

    • In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen. 1:1) Thank You Lord!

    • Because You are the Creator, we agree with what Jeremiah said, Ah Lord YHWH! Behold, You have made the heaven and the earth by Your great power and stretched out arm; there is nothing too hard for You: (Jer. 32:17)

    • We rejoice in the revelation that You sustain by Your Word what You have created (Col. 1:16).

    • Praise You for creating and redeeming Israel – for Your glory (Isa. 43:1-7, 21), and for using Your creation as proof that Your eternal covenant with Israel is still valid today (Jer. 31:35-37).

    • Bless You that nature witnesses to Your amazing character and majesty (Psa. 19:1; Rom. 1:19-20).

    • We praise You that nothing takes You by surprise, or as You say in this Shabbat's prophetic portion: Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. (Isa. 42:9)

  2. Salvation: God is returning the Jews to His/their land so that He can turn them to Yeshua, their Messiah and Lord, and through Him – God the Father will be glorified.

    • Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour?' But for this I came unto this hour. 'Father, glorify Your name.' Then there came a voice from heaven, saying, 'I have glorified it, and will glorify it again'.John 12:27-28

    • Abba, as no one comes to Yeshua, Your Son, unless You draw them, we ask for You to draw multitudes of Jews to Messiah Yeshua during the rest of 2020 (John 6:44).

    • May Your heaven-sent amazing grace be shed abundantly upon Your people (Zech. 12:10).

    • Pour out the gift of repentance, a desire to turn, or return, to You, on Your nation (Psa. 80:3, 7, 19).

    • Remind all Your people that no one is righteous in Your sight (Gen. 6:5; Psa. 14:1-3).

    • Use the beauty of Your creation found in the land of Israel to draw Israelis to You (Psa. 19:1-6).

    • As they begin to see You in nature, then let them seek You in Your Word (Psa. 19:7-14).

    • Use the current upheaval in Israeli society in almost every area to turn many away from looking to man for answers and instead to start looking to and crying out to You (Psa. 50:15).

    • As You did with Paul, capture the hearts of some anti-missionary zealots at this time (Acts 9:4-6).

    • Use Israeli believers to impact their surroundings, especially students of every age (Matt. 5:13-16).

  3. Aliyah: Thank God for every Jewish person who has met Messiah Yeshua in exile, yet the Scriptures tell us that when "all Israel" gets saved – it happens on God's land. Therefore, praying for aliyah and helping the Jews come home is one way to work with God for their salvation.

    • For I will take you from among the gentiles, gather you out of all nations, and bring you into your own land. And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness, and your idols…I will also give you a new heart, and a new spirit…And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to live according to My [teachings] …Ezek. 36:24-27

    • We again ask for massive aliyah, as You said this was for Your glory and praise (Isa. 43:5-7, 21).

    • Implant in Jewish hearts in exile, especially in the West, a deep yearning to come home (Jer. 50:5).

    • Wake them up to see that their gilded cage is still captivity and not their true home (Jer. 30:3).

    • Use the current tearing down of a once secure life in America to shake up US Jews (Judg. 5:12).

    • Cause the "leeks and onions" which hold many Israelis in exile to rot and stink (Num. 11:5).

    • May the results of the US elections stir up more American Jews to return home.

    • Open the eyes of the Jews in the West to recognize the rise of radical Islam and anti-Semitism and to not hide their heads in the proverbial sand (Est. 8:6).

    • Thank You for all the Christians who love the Jews. Yet many still do not see the need to pray for, help and encourage the Jews in their nations to return to Israel. Please change that (Isa. 49:22).

    • Wake up Messianic Jews who are very comfortable in "Babylon" to suddenly consider aliyah.

    • Show all the well-meaning Jews who are in the nations because they think You want to use them to fix the world [tikkun olam] that those days ended when Israel was reborn (Jer. 51:9-10).

    • Let them see that today You want tikkun olam to come out of Zion (Psa. 50:2; Isa. 2:3b).

    • Push Israel to prepare everything that is needed to receive and absorb the hundreds of thousands of Jews who are about to come home (Isa. 60:8-9).

    • Thank You for the governmental approval this week for more than 5,000 homes to be built in Judea, Samaria and the Jerusalem suburbs (Psa. 147:2; Isa. 58:12; Jer. 32:41-44). Please make it happen.

  4. Covid-19 & society: The recent lockdown over the high holydays has been at least partially successful. The government is now figuring out what is the best exit strategy for Israelis to return to whatever the "new" normal might end up being.

    • Thank You Lord for helping to decrease the morbidity rate in Israelis over the last month (Jer. 33:6).

    • We ask for Your exit strategy and not just another attempt by man to figure this out (Prov. 16:1).

    • Enable the true facts to be presented to the nation and not any twisted, politicized, lies (Prov. 14:25).

    • Forbid any lockdowns or guidelines whose aim is controlling the population – as opposed to all the guidelines whose aim is to protect the people (Rom. 13:1-4).

    • Forbid all special interest groups from rebelling against a godly exit strategy (1 Kin. 12:16; Tit. 3:1).

    • Hedge in the anti-Bibi demonstrations that insist on their democratic rights to demonstrate yet ignore the rights of others to be shielded from their sickness and their violence.

    • Thank You that more Haredi – ultra-Orthodox – rabbis are now telling their followers to obey the government guidelines. May their "disciples" now obey their rabbis (Heb. 13:7).

    • Lord God, some of Your people are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. Please give them that garment of praise for their spirit of heaviness (Isa. 61:3b).

    • Guard over marriages and those who are alone (Psa. 121:3).

    • By Your creative power, enable Israeli schoolchildren to blossom at this time (Isa. 54:13).

    • Restore to Your nation all that the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:21-27).

    • Anoint Yisrael Katz to be the perfect Finance Minister for Israel at this time (Psa. 80:17).

    • Use this microscopic virus to humble the pride of man worldwide (Jer. 13:18; 30:3; Jam. 4:6).

    • Watch over these verses from this Shabbat's prophetic portion: But now thus says YHWH who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned…For I am YHWH your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… (Isaiah 43:1-3a)

  5. Government: We are not convinced that the continuation of Israel's disunited "unity" government is to be preferred over holding new elections. Yet God knows, and so we pray.

    • Whether we see Your hand or not, we know that You are orchestrating things behind the scenes – just as You did in the book of Esther (Est. 6:1-11).

    • Lord, make the current government less dysfunctional or bring Israel to new elections (Prov. 20:24).

    • Create in Israel a government that is righteous in Your sight (Prov. 15:34; Isa. 1:25-26).

    • God of Israel, we ask You to bring to nothing all the counsel of Israel's current government that does not line up with You counsel (Psa. 33:10-11).

    • Abba, send out Your light and Your truth, to the ministers and lead them (Psa. 43:3a).

    • Thank You for the newly released reports that seem to vindicate that there was a plot to replace PM Bibi Netanyahu. With this revelation, let some – if not all – of the charges against him be dropped.

    • Guard Bibi's mind from distraction and focus him on Your will for today (Psa. 119:34; Prov. 4:23).

    • Remove from him all spirits of paranoia, even if well-founded, and help him to delegate (Deut. 1:9).

    • It is obvious that You raised Netanyahu up for this time; give him all the grace he needs to complete his race (1 Cor. 9:14; 2 Tim. 4:7).

  6. US elections: The outcome will have a tremendous impact on the world at large, as well as on Israel. Most Israelis favor a Trump victory, yet the Iranian leadership hopes Biden wins. That alone should show believers worldwide what is really going on behind the scenes.

    • Lord, we ask that the outcome of this election would result in You receiving the glory (Psa. 29:1-3).

    • Lead American believers to pray Psalm 115:1 over this election, regardless of how they will vote.

    • Help them to vote based on policies and not on personalities (Psa. 107:33-34; Prov. 14:34).

    • Wake up more US believers to see that America is reaping what its previous leaders have sown, with every president since the late 1980s pressing Israel to divide Your land (Ezek. 22:30; Joel. 3:1-2).

    • Over the next two plus weeks, let all candidates express what is really in their hearts (Matt. 15:18).

    • We ask You to honor Trump with much favor as he has been a blessing to Your nation and Your people – and in many ways, to Your Church (Num. 24:9b).

    • Prepare the US Church for the day after the elections. May they fix their eyes on You (Heb. 12:2a).

    • Prepare Israel for the day after the elections – especially if Biden wins (Psa. 124:1-8).

  7. Security – internal: Palestinian leaders continue to reject any compromise on their demands. They want a state on all of the pre-67 lands; they demand Judea, Samaria and Gaza to be "Judenrein", (a Nazi term used today by the Palestinian leaders), which means the total expulsion of all Jews from these areas, and insist on a return of all of their so-called refugees, now more than 5 million, to areas inside of what is left of a truncated Israel. In other words, they do not want peace with Israel but they want to replace all Israel, "from the river to the sea" with what will be another Islamic terrorist state. And the UN, the EU, and the US Democratic Party are in lockstep with them.

    • Thank You that the PA leadership is so drunk on their proud waters of deception that they "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity" [Former Israeli UN Ambassador Abba Eben]!

    • Use their hard hearts to block any chance for a "Palestine" being created on Your land (Lev. 25:23).

    • Continue confounding all the various Palestinian groups who hate Zion (Psa. 129:5).

    • Oversee Israel's preparations and strategy for the day after Abbas dies (Prov. 21:31).

    • We rejoice that many Arabs and their nations now see how ungrateful the Palestinians are – and are openly talking about it. Use this to divide the Islamic spirit in the Middle East (Mark 3:25).

    • Protect and bless and multiply the true Church among the Palestinians (Psa. 118:6).

    • Root out all replacement theology teachings and all anti-Semitism from it (Rom. 11:18).

    • Raise up many like Jethro and Uriah, Rahab and Ruth in its midst (Ruth 1:16-17).

  8. Security – external: Turkey is now a major threat to Israel and the West. With Iran weakened, Turkey has appeared on or intercessory radar screens as an increasingly dangerous enemy. Yet we dare not ignore all the other "wonderful" neighbors Israel has as well.

    • From Shabbat's prophetic portion: YHWH shall go forth as a mighty man; He shall stir up jealousy as a man of war…He shall prevail against His enemies. 'I have held My peace for a long time; I have been still, and refrained Myself. Now will I…destroy and devour at once'. (Isa. 42:13-14)

    • Lord, bring forth an agreement between Israel and Lebanon on their maritime border (Psa. 147:14a), and use this agreement to weaken Hizbullah's hold on, and reputation in, Lebanon (Psa. 83:16-18).

    • Increase the conflicts between Turkey and Iran, Russia and Syria (Psa. 129:5).

    • God arise, and rebuke that anti-Christ spirit at work through Turkey's President Erdogan (Psa. 68:1; 82:8; 1 John 2:18, 22).

    • As You did with Haman – work behind the scenes to trip up Erdogan by his own devices (Est. 7:10).

    • As You did with Nebuchadnezzar, use Erdogan's excessive pride to bring him down (Dan. 4:28-37).

    • Please show the Turkish Church how to pray about their demonic leader (Psa. 50:15; 91:15).

    • Create out of this very dangerous situation a Kurdish state (Acts 17:26).

    • Give the IDF all it needs to defend this nation – in intelligence, strategy and tactics (Ezek. 37:10).

  9. The Israeli Body of Messiah: It is a reality on the land today!

    • What a joy to pray for a growing, maturing Body of Messiah in Israel (Matt. 16:18).

    • Protect it from all deceptive voices and theologies which would make Your Body sick (Eph. 5:6).

    • Add to the Body daily – especially in the current uncertainty of Israeli life (Acts 2:46-47).

    • Thank You for Zoom meetings and other social media outreaches.

    • Anoint those who teach truth when using these platforms (Psa. 86:11).

    • For believers who are older, alone, and technologically-challenged, meet with them in a very special way (Psa. 71:9).

    • Prepare all of us for the day when we might only be able to meet in smaller groups (Rom. 16:3-5).

  10. Late news: These two events were reported last night. Here are a few prayers we can all agree on concerning these issues, but there was no time to search out any biblical references.

    • Lord, thank You for the overwhelming approval in the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, to accept the Israel-UAE normalization treaty.

    • As only the Arab Joint List voted against it, we ask for You to cast a vote in Your throne room against them and remove them from the Knesset.

    • Create an Israeli-Arab party that actually supports Israel and not the Palestinians' terrorist leaders.

    • God, stop the Trump administration from manipulating nations – Sudan in this case – to normalize relations with Israel.

    • Let Sudan agree to diplomatic relations with Israel and vice-versa, only if it is 101% Your will.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion