1. Praise: Shabbat's Torah portion ends with the revelation of why God saved Israel – and why He saves us. I am YHWH your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am YHWH your God. (Num. 15:40-41)

    • Thank You for saving us in order to make us Your children (1 John 3:1).

    • We rejoice that we are accepted by You in the Beloved - the Son of Your right hand (Eph. 1:6).

    • Abba, we praise You for Your incredible plans for us even before the world began (Eph. 1:2-6).

    • We know that You have chosen us, like You chose Israel, for Your holy Name's sake (1 Pet. 2:9).

    • We are thrilled to see Your power being accomplished in us through our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).

    • What an encouragement to see Israel – Your nation and people – back in Your land (Jer. 32:41).

    • We are witnesses to You building Jerusalem and gathering together Israel's outcasts (Psa. 147:2).

    • Lord, we wholeheartedly agree with Rahab as she declares to the Israeli spies in Shabbat's prophetic portion: …for YHWH your [Israel's] God, He is God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath. (Josh. 2:11b; cp. Matt. 11:25a).

    • We praise You because we can come boldly into Your throne room of grace as we abide in our High Priest, Messiah Yeshua (Heb. 4:14-16).

    • Lord, in these days of chaos and confusion, thank You for teaching us – at times giving us no choice other than to trust You even when we do not fully understand what You are doing (Prov. 3:5).

  2. Politics: As of this writing Yair Lapid, the Yesh Atid party's leader, has cobbled together a coalition from the far right to the far left, supported from outside by a fundamentalist Islamic party whose leader just stated that he identifies as a Palestinian and not an Israeli-Arab! The government will be sworn into office next Wednesday, provided there are no last minute deflections or surprises. It is very interesting to note that the Torah portion being studied next week opens with Dathan and Korah's rebellion of against Moses!

    • During prayer, before Lapid's announcement, we asked God to show us what He was doing. He said to two of us at the same instant, "I am answering your prayers!" Again, Proverbs 3:5 comes to mind.

    • Abba, thank You for hearing and answering our prayers (1 John 5:14-15).

    • Lord, we rest in the truth that the government is ultimately upon Your shoulders (Isa. 9:6-7; 33:22).

    • We continue to ask for a government through which You may be glorified (Psa. 115:1-3).

    • Draw Your people closer to You during this time of right-wing political betrayal (Hos. 2:6; 3:4-5).

    • If this Naftali Bennett-Lapid government is not of You, then please stop it (Prov. 21:1).

    • We again pray for You to clean out Israel's political dross, replacing the self-serving dregs with men and women who are more in line with Your will for Israel today (Isa. 1:25-26).

    • Sovereignly rule over the distribution of each ministry portfolio (Prov. 16:9).

    • We praise You that despite Israel's unstable government situation the last few years, You have used it to accomplish so much through a far-from righteous Bibi Netanyahu (Isa. 41:13; 2 Cor. 12:9).

    • For the sake of Your nation, speak clearly to Netanyahu if it is his time to step down (Dan. 2:21).

    • Give former Jerusalem mayor, Nir Barkat of the Likud party, much wisdom at this season, as we perceive that he could be the one to replace Bibi (Prov. 28:29a).

  3. Antisemitism & anti-Zionism: Zechariah 12:2-3 prophesies of an international onslaught that will comes against Jerusalem (which as Israel's capital represents the nation), in the last days. We see this happening in part today as so many nations, including in the West, blame Israel for the lack of peace in the Middle East, and even the world. And they demand that Israel give up its God-promised land and city and to stop defending itself in such a proficient way that fewer Jews die in comparison to Palestinians. This is so infuriating to hear that we need to remember that vengeance belongs to God and in His time He will repay – especially in defending His nation (Rom. 12:19).

    • [Please read this verse in its Isaiah 34 context:] For it is the day of YHWH's vengeance, and the year of retribution for the controversy [+strife; contention] of Zion. (Isa. 34:8)

    • Lord, lead us to pray in Your Spirit and by Your grace as we know that the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God (Jam. 1:20).

    • We do condemn all lying accusations against Israel, in particular those labeling it an "apartheid" nation, or that it is committing "genocide" against the Palestinians (Isa. 54:17).

    • Thank You for the few brave politicians and media people who do stand with Israel and the truth. Bless them and give them the courage and wisdom they need to continue (Psa. 94:16; Eph. 6:13b).

    • We also thank You for all those in Your Body who have a revelation of Israel and stand with it in prayer and in many other ways (Jer. 31:6-7. In the Hebrew, the word translated "watchmen" is the Modern Hebrew word for "Christian" – Notzrim!).

  4. Aliyah & anti-Semitism: The doors of Israel should be flung wide open to Jews in Exile who find themselves under increasingly violent attacks. Yet there are very disturbing reports of some of Israel's representatives in the nations who place unnecessary stones of stumbling in the paths of Jews trying to make aliyah, and we do not mean only the Messianic Jews.

    • Lord, move suddenly and remove these stones of stumbling from Your people's path (Isa. 62:10).

    • Use the next government to be part of the solution in this unacceptable situation (Isa. 60:11).

    • Direct the next government to focus on providing new immigrants with affordable housing and jobs and to enable the Jewish people who return to settle throughout Your land (Jer. 33:12-13).

    • Thank You for watching over Your Word to gather those who You scattered and to plant them in the land of Israel (Jer. 1:12; 31:10; 32:37-41).

    • God, lead us to pray in line with Your will and timing, as while we want to see these anti-Semitic attacks stopped, it is more important for Your people to return to Israel (Jer. 16:16; Ezek. 36:21-24).

    • Wake up all "Ostrich Jews" in the nations to see the danger they are facing (Jer. 16:16).

    • Tear up the deceptive comfortableness of Exile and impart a holy hunger for Israel (Psa. 137:5-6).

    • Encourage Jews to come as families and even bring complete synagogues home (Jer. 31:8-9).

    • Bring those Jews who already have family or houses in Israel (Neh. 1:1-4).

    • Show Jews who work online that they can also do that from the security of Israel (Psa. 121:4).

    • Enable those who have started the process of aliyah to complete it (Psa. 15:4b; Phil. 1:6).

    • Raise up modern Joshua's and Caleb's who bring a good report out from Zion and encourage others to not fear returning to their land, but to accept the challenge and put their trust in God (Num. 14:6-9).

    • Remove the pride from any Jews in Exile who say, "We will not be chased out of here," and replace it with the humility of obeying You as You lovingly draw them home (Jer. 31:3; 50:4-5).

    • Lord Yeshua, open the minds and hearts of Your Body in the nations to see their responsibility to help the Jews return home in any way possible (Isa. 49:22; 60:10-12).

    • To both Jews and Christians, send a hunger to read and understand the Tanach (Jer. 15:16).

  5. Security – Iran & its proxies: Iran boasted about helping Hamas "win" the Gaza war, and immediately several of its petrochemical and drone factories had "accidental explosions", its largest naval vessel sunk, and a huge oil refinery outside of Tehran just went up in flames! Iran dared not blame Israel for any of this since they had just declared a great victory through Hamas, and of course, Israel was silent about it. Yet the timing is suspicious, and Bible believers dare not believe in coincidences, but in "God-incidences" – as our God is in totally control (Psa. 103:19)! Also, a number of earthquakes have hit Iran's southern coast near its Bushehr nuclear power plant.

    • Declare among the gentiles YHWH reigns…He shall judge the people righteously.Psa. 96:10

    • Whether Israel is responsible for these "accidents" or not, Lord, send a strong spirit of paranoia upon the minds of all Iranian leaders so that they "see" Israeli plots everywhere (2 Kin. 7:6-7).

    • Since Iran is being shaken by earthquakes, Lord God, please swallow up all of their nuclear facilities in such a precise way that it brings You all the glory (Num. 16:30-32).

    • While chess was invented in Iran, You are the Chess Master, so in all the negotiations relating to the US rejoining the nuclear deal, move the pieces in line with Your endgame strategy (Psa. 33:10-11).

    • Forbid any reconciliation from taking place between Iran and Saudi Arabia (Prov. 16:5).

    • We confess that You are Israel's secret weapon, yet we also thank You for the weapons which the IDF has and those which they are developing (Psa. 20:7-9).

    • Thank You for the supernatural accuracy of the IDF's intelligence (2 Kin. 6:12).

    • Guide the intelligent agents in how to use it and protect them from any misinformation (Psa. 44:8).

    • Thank You for David Barnea, the new Mossad head. Anoint him for the task (Psa. 75:5-7).

    • Lead him to know how to intensify Israel's war against Iran and all its proxies (Prov. 21:31).

    • Provide Israel accurate actionable intelligence about Hezbollah in Lebanon and impart Your wisdom on how to use it to weaken and ultimately defeat this dangerous terrorist organization (Prov. 8:14-16).

    • Dismantle Hezbollah from the inside out, especially if their head Nasrallah dies (Mark 3:25).

    • You are [our] King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.Psa. 44:4

    • Lord Yeshua, save many Iranians and also set them free from their Shiite overlords (Jer. 49:38).

    • Lord, save many Lebanese and set them free from Hizbullah and Jew-hatred (John 8:32).

  6. Security – internal: Biblically, Hamas is an internal threat since Gaza is part of the tribe of Judah's inheritance (Josh. 15:1, 47). Also, Hamas is trying to increase its influence in Judea and Samaria, declaring itself – as opposed to Abbas and the Palestinian Authority [PA] – as the defenders of Jerusalem. Many Palestinians are buying the Hamas rhetoric since the PA is corrupt and not nearly as fundamental as Hamas in its Islamic beliefs and practices.

    • Thank You for Egypt taking the lead in dealing with a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as they despise Hamas as much as Israel does and do not trust Hamas' leaders at all (Isa. 19:23-25).

    • Do not allow Israel to cave in to Hamas' unreasonable demands when it comes to either a permanent ceasefire or a prisoner exchange (Psa. 18:46-50).

    • Block all efforts by Hamas to rearm and severely cut off all its finances which are used for weapons.

    • Destroy any plans of unity between the PA and Hamas (Psa. 7:14-16; 55:9).

    • Lord God, protect Israel from what will occur the morning after Abbas dies (Isa. 51:12-13).

    • Do not allow any new leaders of these terrorist groups to arise who would be willing to compromise and make peace with Israel – thus enticing Israel to further divide Your land (Lev. 25:23; Joel 3:1-2).

    • Abba, have mercy on the Palestinian people and draw many to Your Son (John 6:37).

    • Lord Yeshua, touch by Your Spirit Palestinians who hate Israel and make them believers who then desire to provoke the Jews to jealousy by their relationship with You (Matt. 5:44; Rom. 11:11).

    • Maintain over Israel a government that recognizes security as its number one priority (Rom. 13:1-4).

    • Let the IDF be aware of any plans against Israel being hatched in Judea and Samaria (Job 12:22).

    • By Your sovereign power – push the next Israeli government to extend sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley (Obad. 1:17-20).

  7. The Body of Messiah: It is distressing to see how many born-again believers do not see the prophetic implications of Israel's restoration. In fact, many in the Body stand against God's will as revealed in the Scripture, by standing with the Palestinians' demand for a state. These believers think they know what "social justice" means more than what God's Word says. After the evil report from the ten spies, the children of Israel wept all night. God was furious and told Moses that He was going to destroy them. But Moses, an intercessor anointed by the Holy Spirit, stood before God and through prayer turned away His righteous indignation. Moses' prayer, found in Shabbat's Torah portion, is an excellent example of how to plead with God for His still-to-often disobedient people.

    • Moses said to YHWH, 'Then the Egyptians shall hear [that Israel is destroyed], for You brought up this people in Your might from among them; and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land…Now if You kill all this people as one man, then the gentiles which have heard of Your fame will say, "Because YHWH was unable to bring this people into the land which He swore unto them, He has slain them in the wilderness." So please, let the power of my Lord be great, according to all You have said, "YHWH is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation." I plead with You, pardon the iniquity of this people according to Your great mercy, and as Your has forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now'.Num. 14:13-19

    • Here is God's answer: I have pardoned according to your word, but truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of YHWH. (Num. 14:20-21)

    • Lord God, please show our brothers and sisters in Messiah that the ultimate issue surrounding Israel is all about You and Your glory being revealed in all the earth (Psa. 72:18-19; Isa. 40:4-5; Mal. 1:11).

    • Strip away the veil over the minds of any believer who does not care what happens to Israel or to the Jews, or are actual anti-Semites and want Israel destroyed (Num. 24:9b; John 4:22; Rom. 15:26-27).

    • Abba, help our prayers be more like Moses' intercessions which might turn You from judgment to mercy because they are based on what will bring You the most glory (Hab. 3:2b).

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Jerusalem

For the IFI team