1. Praise: Thank God that His Word does talk about a sacrifice of praise because there are times when that is all one can do – that and to trust Him regardless of what we see and hear.

    • By Him [Yeshua] therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.Heb. 13:15

    • We bless You that Your name/nature never changes so that we can depend on You (Mal. 3:6).

    • Lord, we trust You – whether we understand what You are doing or not (Prov. 3:5).

    • We confess that nothing is too difficult for You (Jer. 32:17, 27; Luke 1:37).

    • Hallelujah! We serve a living God – as opposed to all of mankind's dead idols (Psa. 115:3-7).

    • What a privilege to come boldly into Your presence through the blood of Yeshua (Heb. 10:19).

    • Lord Yeshua, we affirm that You are in our midst whenever we gather in Your name (Matt. 18:20).

    • We bless You for calling us into Your kingdom at this time – to intercede in line with Your will as we see You preparing the way for Your return (Est. 4:14b; 1 John 5:14-15; Mal. 3:1).

    • Lord God, we come to You in confidence as we – in obedience to what You have told us – give You no rest until You make Jerusalem a praise unto Your glory in all the earth (Isa. 62:7).

    • We praise You Yeshua, and declare that You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords – both over Your Body and over Your nation Israel (Psa. 72:11; Dan. 2:47; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16).

    • You are completely sovereign and nothing humanity does ever takes You by surprise (Psa. 103:19).

    • Hallelujah! Your Word is trustworthy because it is from eternity settled in heaven (Psa. 119:89).

  2. Salvation: As we considered all of the good things Bibi Netanyahu has done for Israel as its prime minister, we were led to ask God to bless him by revealing His Son to him and his family. And, as we suspect that the new government will be a huge disappointment to those who are thrilled over it today, we prayed for God's Spirit to turn many Israelis from looking to human solutions unto the ultimate solution – a revelation that Israel's true King, Messiah Yeshua, is also Lord of all.

    • The word God sent unto the children of Israel, announcing peace through Messiah Yeshua who is Lord of all,Acts 10:36

    • We thank You that You anointed Netanyahu to lead Israel for many years (Prov. 8:15-16).

    • May he and all of his house come to know Israel's Messiah in a very personal way (Rom. 10:8-11).

    • Rescue him from any spirits of bitterness that seem to have a hold on him (Deut. 29:18; Heb. 12:15).

    • Yeshua, show Bibi that You understand betrayal and rejection better than anyone else (Isa. 53:2-6).

    • During this time of huge changes in Israel, turn the hearts of Your people towards Yourself as You have promised to be found of those who seek You diligently (Jer. 29:13).

    • Show Israelis the reality of Psalm 118:8-9: It is better to trust in YHWH than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in YHWH than to put confidence in princes.

    • Confront Naftali Bennett on his betrayal to his voters and save him for Your sake (Ezek. 36:31-32).

    • Let the religious Zionists who are outraged at Bennett's and Gideon Sa'ar's theft and betrayal of their votes cry out to You for justice – and reveal to them Yeshua, Israel's King and Judge (Isa. 33:22).

    • As the ultra-Orthodox community has been dealt many harsh blows over the past few years, Abba draw many to see Your Son highly exalted at Your right hand (Psa. 110:1; John 14:6; Eph. 2:18).

    • Save multitudes of Israelis in the IDF; in the gay community; many doctors and health workers; all who have lost loved ones to Covid-19; at least some politicians, especially Bennett, Sa'ar and Yair Lapid; Israeli lawyers and judges; the Holocaust survivors; Israelis who survived terror attacks; the unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews; Israeli Russians and Ethiopians, secular and traditional Jews. Lord God Almighty, throughout all sections of this nation, both Jewish and gentile, move by Your great power and be glorified in Zion (Acts 6:7; 12:24).

    • Surely His salvation is near them that fear Him that glory may dwell in our land.Psa. 85:9

    • Lead many more Christians to intercede for Israel's salvation today (Jer. 31:6-7).

  3. The new Lapid-Bennett government: While this was not what we wanted, could this be God's answer to our prayers? We prayed for a government through which God would be glorified and it is likely that through this new coalition many of their left-wing-socialistic plans for peace, prosperity and unity will prove to be total failures. We will pray for success for this government in all areas in which God deems necessary for His plans at this time and we will also pray for Him to hedge in the government from enacting anything that is not in line with His will.

    • Lord, we thank You that the government is ultimately upon Your shoulders (Isa. 9:6-7).

    • Lead us as to how You want us to pray for Israel's new government (Luke 11:1).

    • We rejoice in all the biblical examples of how You turned many leaders hearts for Your purposes – Pharaoh, Sihon and Og, Hiram, Cyrus, Caesar and all of Israel's judges and kings (Prov. 21:1).

    • We ask You to direct the hearts of Israel's new leadership in line with Your will (Prov. 16:1, 9).

    • Give the new government wisdom to do that which You want done at this season (1Tim. 2:1-4).

    • Grant unity as needed to accomplish your purposes and spread disunity to prevent the government from acting against Your will (Psa. 33:10-11).

    • Sustain this government until it is Your time for it to be dissolved (Eccl. 3:1; Amos 3:3).

    • Abba, block the new government from dividing Your land any further (Lev. 25:23; Prov. 22:28).

    • Sovereignly intervene in the handing out of the many ministry portfolios (1 Sam. 2:7-8).

    • Anoint the new ministers with all they need to serve the people in their offices (Num. 11:24-25).

    • Prevent Foreign Minister Yair Lapid from making any anti-biblical commitments on behalf of Your nation to any other nation (Num. 23:9b).

    • Do not allow Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman to tear down what You are building or to build that which is not of Your will (Gen. 11:4; Psa. 127:1).

    • Lord, prevent the erection of an idol to "Mother Earth" by Israel's new, very liberal, environmental minister Tamar Zandberg, and show Yourself as Creator to her and all other Israelis (Jer. 32:17, 27).

    • Give courage to the few right-wing politicians still in the government, that they will insist on bold moves and responses in all areas of Israel's security – internal or external (Eccl. 8:11; Isa. 26:10).

    • Restrain all further inroads of the spirit of humanism in Your land and Your people (Prov. 14:12).

    • Lord, as You have declared Your jealousy over Zion and Jerusalem as Your holy place, continue to confirm and strengthen Israel's sovereign hold on its eternal capital (Zech. 8:2-3).

    • Open our eyes to see You making Jerusalem a stone of stumbling to many more nations today (Zech. 2:5; 14:1-2a), and guide us in prayer as You entice these anti-God nations to come against Your city and be drawn into Your trap (Mic. 4:11-13; Zech. 12:2-9).

  4. Peace, peace: With new governments in Israel and America, the way seems open once again to restart "peace" negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians – the goal being a very anti-biblical "two-state" solution. This Shabbat's Torah and prophetic portions, the first one after Israel's new government was sworn in last Sunday, affirms many times that God gave the land of Israel to His people. For Bible believers that should settle the issue – but since the Bible is rejected by most leaders in the world, this is another area of prayer we need to reengage in now that Netanyahu and most of Israel's Zionist politicians are out of office.

    • YHWH said to Moses and Aaron [after Moses struck the Rock instead of speaking to it (Num. 20:8, 11)], 'Because you did not believe Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them'.Num. 20:12, also v. 24; 21:34a; Judg. 11:23-24

    • God Almighty, let every Israeli politician read these portions on Shabbat and convict them of the truth that You have deeded this land to Israel as an everlasting inheritance (Gen. 13:15; Heb. 4:12).

    • Enable Israel's leaders to just say "No!" to President Biden and his cohort on this issue (Prov. 22:28).

    • God, may Tom Nides, the newly appointed US Ambassador to Israel, be a blessing to both nations.

    • Show him and all the new members of Israel's government that there is no "peace partner" among the Palestinians today (Psa. 55:20-21; 120:7).

    • In this deceptive area of "peace", strengthen Bennett to refuse to go along with Lapid (Prov. 1:7-10).

  5. Security – internal: Hamas threaten to fire rockets if the Jerusalem Flag March was held this week. Israeli security officials did not cave in to these threats although the route of the march was altered slightly. Instead of rockets, dozens of incendiary balloons set many areas near the Gaza security fence ablaze. There were also many arson attacks in other areas of Israel. The Palestinians eternal hatred for the Jew always trumps their so-called "love" for the land (Ezek. 35:5)!

    • Thank You that the Flag March was held and Hamas' threats did not become a reality (Psa. 3:1-8).

    • Bless Egypt for warning Hamas against firing more rockets into Israel (Isa. 19:25; 49:6).

    • We also thank You that the new government has struck Hamas instillations several times in retaliation for the balloon attacks this past week (Rom. 13:1-4).

    • Lord, aid Israel to develop a system that deals effectively with these balloon attacks (Psa. 140:7).

    • Turn Defense Minister Benny Gantz into a true biblical warrior (1 Sam. 17:45-47).

    • Protect the relationship between Gantz, PM Bennett and the IDF's head Aviv Kochavi (Eccl. 4:12).

    • Encourage Israel's leaders to affirm, in word and deed, both Your sovereignty – and Your nation's sovereignty – over Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria (Psa. 68:29; 102:21; 135:21; 137:5-6).

    • Increase the alertness of all Israeli security forces in particular in these areas (Psa. 44:4-5).

    • Protect Israeli soldiers from all condemnation from the world's left-wing anti-Semites (Isa. 54:17).

    • Lead Israel to treat all arsonists as they really are – as terrorists (Psa. 83:13-15).

    • Use Hamas' increasing popularity among Palestinians to eventually clear Your land of all Your enemies (Deut. 33:26-29; Psa. 10:16; Jer. 12:14-17).

    • Protect all Palestinians who truly want to live at peace with Israel, and save them (John 4:39-42).

  6. Security – external: Basically this involves Iran and all of its Middle East proxies.

    • Lord, wake up Western nations to the reality that Iran's next president will be even more of an Islamic radical fundamentalist than its current president (Psa. 140:1-5).

    • Thank You that so far – despite America's best efforts – Iran will not compromise, and so the US is very hesitant to reenter Obama's Iranian nuclear deal of several years ago (Psa. 55:21).

    • Prepare Israel to defend itself despite the current American administration's less-than-total backing for Israeli attacks against Iran – including against the Iranian homeland (Prov. 19:21; 21:30-31).

    • Supply any intelligence that Israel is missing in relation to Iran and its proxies (Jer. 11:18).

    • As Lebanon is dying as an independent nation, show Israel what to do when Iran and Hizbullah take over that nation completely (Psa. 44:1-4).

    • Drive a deep, immoveable wedge between Iran and Russia and China (Gen. 11:7; Psa. 55:9).

    • Magnify Your Word in Iran in increasing power and effectiveness (Acts 12:24; 19:20).

    • And I will set My throne in Elam [ancient Persia/Iran], and will destroy from there the king and the princes, says YHWH. (Jer. 49:38) Thank You Lord that You are fulfilling the first part of this verse through the miraculous growth of the Body of Messiah.

    • We ask that You would watch over the second part and let it be fulfilled suddenly (Isa. 48:3; 55:11)!

  7. Aliyah: Many Western Jews never considered making aliyah because they were more liberal than all of Netanyahu's previous governments. Yet now Israel has a government whose members represent a wide range of political and social views. So with this anti-Bibi, anti-right-wing excuse removed, will Western Jews actually come home? The chances are not good – yet we can pray.

    • You are planting Your people in Israel with all Your heart and soul (Jer. 32:41), so we know without any doubt that praying for aliyah is in line with Your will (1 John 5:14-15). Therefore, we pray that You would draw You people back with cords of love and settled them on Your land (Jer. 31:3-5).

    • Thank You for the report of thousands of Jews from North America who have been returning with more to come back this summer (Isa. 43:5-7).

    • Prepare Israel's new government to welcome a huge influx of new immigrants [olim] from all the places where they have been scattered (Jer. 31:10).

    • Help the government to reduce all the bureaucratic red-tape that the olim struggle with (Isa. 62:10).

    • One commitment of Israel's new government is to build 300,000 new housing units along with a serious attempt to lower of housing costs. Abba Father, hold them to this promise (Matt. 5:37).

    • May the new Interior Minister, Ayelet Shaked, and the Minister of Aliyah and Absorption, Pnina Tamano-Shata, be a blessing and a help to the new olim, and use their efforts to encourage the olim to send back good reports to their family and friends in their countries of origin (Num. 14:6-9).

    • Plant the new olim so deeply in the land that they will never be able to be uprooted (Jer. 24:6).

    • Remove all the excuses of Your people as to why they should not come home and continue to give them plenty of reasons to escape the Exile (Jer. 51:8-9).

    • Use the rise in global antisemitism to drive your people home to Israel (Jer. 16:16).

    • Lord, give courage and a sense of urgency to our Messianic Jewish brothers and sisters in exile to return as soon as possible (Isa. 35:10; 51:11).

    • Lord Yeshua, move upon the gentile members of Your Body to stand with, comfort and help Your Jewish family in the flesh return home in every way possible – including physically and financially (Isa. 40:1; 49:22; 60:3-9).

    • Let the Body of Messiah truly understand that supporting the Jews to come home is an important way for them to be preparing the way for the return of the Lord (Isa. 40:1-5; Matt. 23:37-39).

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

For the IFI team