1. Praise:

   What a joy to know that with believers, whether Jewish or gentile, God has made an everlasting covenant. And when something is "everlasting" in God's sight that means not only that there will be no end to it – but there was no beginning either! It is eternal – like God Himself.

   • Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear [listen with an intent to obey], and your soul shall live; and I will make [lit: cut] an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies [chesed = covenant-faithfulness/covenant-love] of David.Isa. 55:3

   • Lord, since this covenant is eternal, we can see how our names were written in the Lamb's book of life from the world's creation (Rev. 17:8).

   • We bless You for so faithfully keeping Your covenants and promises in Your Word (Deut. 7:9).

   • We rest secure in You knowing that You knew us and loved us before we were created (Jer. 1:5).

   • We are in awe at the incredible revelation that You chose us before we said yes to You (John 15:16).

   • We love the fact that You challenge us to trust You regardless of what occurs (Prov. 3:5).

   • Thank You for giving us Your Word which shows us Your will for our lives (Psa. 119:105).

   • We are so blessed as we consider Your peace that passes all understanding, remembering that Your thoughts and ways are much higher than ours (Isa. 55:9; Phil. 4:7).

   • Thank You that Your Word will accomplish all that which is in Your will (Isa. 55:11).

   • Because You never change, we whom You have chosen are safe in You (Mal. 3:6: Eph. 1:4-6).

   • We praise You that regardless of what happens on earth, You are never surprised (Isa. 42:9).

   • Hallelujah! In today's chaotic world, You are still a God of order (1 Cor. 14:33).

2. Government:

   The big news this week was the cabinet approving a budget. It needs to be passed by the Knesset [Israel's parliament] by November 4th. If not, then the government automatically is dissolved and Israel heads to new elections. Yet this current government is so intent on remaining in power, that chances are they will compromise in all ways possible to avoid that.

   • Lord, we affirm Your sovereignty in allowing this government to be established (Dan. 4:32b).

   • Now please show us specifically how to pray for it to accomplish Your will (Psa. 10:17; Rom. 8:26).

   • Abba, Israel needs a budget after three years without a new one, so if this budget is of You, grant that it will be passed with whatever modifications are needed to align it to Your will (Prov. 21:1).

   • Lord, You tell Israel in Shabbat's Torah portion, to deal with its poor righteously. Let this budget do that in a godly, but not humanistic, manner (Deut. 15:7-11).

   • Save Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman and make him a righteous man (Jer. 31:7b; Prov. 11:23a).

   • Thank You for the increased finances budgeted for the IDF, the health sectors, the poor and Israel's infrastructure (Psa. 132:15).

   • God of Israel, impart Your wisdom to all Israel's various ministries so that they use the finances they have been allocated effectively and righteously (Eccl. 7:12; Isa. 60:17).

   • Do not allow this budget to hurt Israel's farmers – which apparently they think it does (Jam. 5:1-7).

   • Bless Israel's political leaders with wise counsel, both at home and at work (Prov. 15:22).

   • Shield Israel's current coalition from all outside curses that are spewed against them and prevent them from touching anything that will allow these curses to land (Num. 23:23; Prov. 26:2).

   • Enable a civil marriage law to be passed so that Jews who are not considered "Jewish" by the ultra-Orthodox because of not having a Jewish mother, will be able to be married in Israel (Job 12:2).

   • In fact, in all areas of Israeli society, remove the ultra-Orthodox restrictions that are not based on Your Word, but maintain all those that do come from the Scriptures (Mark 7:9, 13).

   • Lord, remind PM Naftali Bennett of his biblical Zionistic roots and return him to them (Isa. 40:8).

   • Continue to prepare Bennett for his upcoming visit to America (Prov. 11:14).

   • Remove from him any fear of man and replace it with a biblical fear of God (Prov. 29:25).

   • Handpick his whole entourage and give them Your wisdom and anointing in communicating with their American counterparts (Mic. 6:5; Col. 4:6).

   • Protect them all from any traps which will force them to make ungodly compromises (Psa. 124:7).

   • Watch over them, especially Bennett, as they give any interviews to the US media (Prov. 26:4-5).

   • Stop Foreign Minister Yair Lapid from making any more anti-biblical statements – like his support for the "two-state solution," or his comparing antisemitism to all other racial hatreds (Prov. 17:28).

   • Prevent him from overstepping Your boundaries in any way (Hos. 2:6).

   • Help Israel's Education ministry make decisions that will bless and prosper Israel's children, in line with Your promise in Shabbat's prophetic portion: All your children shall be taught by YHWH, and great shall be your children's peace. (Isa. 54:13)

3. Covid-19:

   Whether this is a natural pandemic or a "plandemic," the reality is that the world will be dealing with this virus and its mutations for years to come. Of course, this has not taken God by surprise and we should look to Him alone for personal guidance. We also need to pray for our nations to not go beyond that which is in His will. So this is how we continue to pray for Israel.

   • Lord, forbid that any closures or quarantines hinder Jews from coming home (Isa. 62:10).

   • Oversee all health ministry and government decisions about this plague (Prov. 2:6).

   • Give discernment on what the next steps should be to guard Israel's health at this time (Psa. 91:3-6).

   • If there is any truth being withheld from the public, or from Israeli leaders, unveil it (Zech. 8:16).

   • Lead those Israeli scientists who are searching for new and inexpensive ways to treat those who have already been infected (Ex. 31:3; Job 12:22).

   • Make Israel the head and not the tail in this research (Deut. 28:13).

   • Let believers listen to You and not to man or their fears concerning the vaccine (John 10:27).

   • Do not allow Your Body to be divided over whether to take the vaccine or not (Rom. 14:23).

4. Security – external:

   Iran, using a suicide drone, attacked an Israeli-run cargo vessel in the Arab Gulf this past week. Two Europeans were killed, and Israel is contemplating how to respond.

   • From Shabbat's prophetic portion: You shall be established in righteousness; oppression and terror …shall not come near you. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whoever gathers together against you shall fall for your sake…No weapon that is formed against you shall succeed; and every tongue that comes against you in judgment you shall condemn. (Isa. 54:14-15, 17a)

   • God, watch over Your words, and bring them to pass, for Your name's sake (Psa. 115:1-3; Jer. 1:12).

   • [Iran has "elected" a new president, Ebrahim Raisi, who has committed war-crimes against his own people.] Lord, is it not time to arise and destroy this evil Iranian regime (Jer. 49:38b).

   • God, confront the hypocritical nations who condemn Israel for every little issue yet are totally silent at the installation of Iran's new president, who is known as the "Butcher of Tehran" (Psa. 12:8)!

   • Show Israel when and how to respond to this attack in international waters (Prov. 21:31).

   • As Israel plans to do that, grant wisdom, discretion, and actionable intelligence (2 Kin. 6:12).

   • Some experts are saying Iran's attack on the ship was a major geo-political mistake, and since we have been asking for years for You to do this – we both praise You and add that what was meant for evil, You would use for good (Gen. 50:20).

   • Guard Israel and its intelligence services from all deception and/or disinformation (2 Sam. 14:17).

   • Help Defense Minister Benny Gantz to continue speaking out against the global danger from Iran.

   • Thank You that so far the US effort to rejoin the nuclear deal has not succeeded (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • As Iran's stated goal is Israel annihilation, Lord, let them fall into their own trap (Psa. 35:4-8).

   • Destroy all of Iran's nuclear facilities in a way – even at the same time – that makes it obvious to all Muslims that only You, Israel's God, could have done this (Num. 16:30; Psa. 83:16-18). 

   • Also, show many Iranians that the God of Israel is greater than Allah (Psalm 59:13).

   • Build up Your Body in Iran to become Your light in that nations' darkness (Matt. 4:16; Acts 26:18).

   • Protect and prosper Israel's ongoing activities against Iranian forces in Syria (Psa. 44:4-7).

   • Have mercy on the Lebanese who suffer from a lack of food, water and electricity, extreme inflation and medical shortages – all a result of Iran's influence via their proxy Hizbullah (Psa. 25:16).

   • Give the IDF accurate intelligence on Hizbullah activity in Lebanon and if it needs to pre-empt or prepare against specific terrorist plots, impart to them Your strategy (Psa. 144:1; Prov. 21:31).

   • Use the Lebanese crisis to destroy Hizbullah as a terrorist group and as an Iranian proxy (Isa. 31:3). 

   • Use this week's rocket attack on Israel from Lebanon to hasten Hizbullah's sudden demise (Psa. 6:10).

5. Security – internal:

   Israel has endured a very hot week weather-wise and with that there have been incidents of arson-terrorism. Palestinian hatred of Jews is so vile that they would rather burn down what they call "their land" rather than share it with the Jews. Palestinian society is under a curse as their political and spiritual leaders and their teachers curse Israel almost daily. So we continue to pray for Israel to possess its possessions and enlarge its tent (Obad. 1:17; Isa. 54:2-3).

   • Lord, Moses reminds Israel in this Shabbat's Torah portion: When YHWH your God shall enlarge your border, as He promised you… (Deut. 12:20a). We ask You to do some enlarging today.

   • Help Your nation to obey You and possess the land which You swore to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deut. 11:29, 31; 12:1, 9-10).

   • Open the way for Israel to repossess Gaza, which belongs to the tribe of Judah (Josh. 15:1, 47).

   • Thank You for the huge growth [30,000 to approx. 600,000] of Israelis in Judea and Samaria and since the mid-1980's until today (Jer. 33:12-14). May it continue at an even greater rate!

   • Lead Israel as it protects its land and citizens from every form of terrorism (Isa. 41:10-16).

   • Lord of hosts, guard Your land from all arson-terrorism (Ezek. 36:5; Zech. 1:5).

   • Thank You that Jerusalem is being built and You are restoring Your people to it (Psa. 147:2).

   • Grant Israel discernment to know which Palestinians to issue work permits to, and forbid Israel from being more merciful than You are to its enemies (Isa. 66:6; Nah. 1:2; Luke 19:27).

   • Protect all the Palestinians who only want to live in peace with Israel from all the terrorists and Jew-haters who dominate their society (Prov. 29:2).

   • Prepare Israel for the chaos that will occur among the various Palestinian factions on the day after Palestinian Authority President Abbas is no longer in office.

   • Lord, build the Palestinian Church, and prevent all anti-Semitic spirits from defiling it (Matt. 16:18).

6. Aliyah:

   Almost every subject listed in our IFI Prayer Alerts has the return of the Jews from the Exile back to Israel as a central goal. Israel needs a government that will protect its people in their land so that other Jews will want to return. Israel needs a strong economy, wisdom in dealing with all its various health issues, affordable housing and most importantly a willingness in both the government and the citizens to welcome home their scattered family regardless of skin-color, bank account amounts, age, skills, religious preference, or whatever else may be an issue.

   • Make it easier for Jews from all backgrounds to return (Jer. 33:24-26).

   • Forbid that any future lockdowns would prevent Your people from coming home (Isa. 57:14).

   • Continue to clean out from the Interior Ministry all hindrances to aliyah (Isa. 62:10).

   • Thank You for the increased budget for the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption.

   • Enable all ministries involved to encourage Jewish settlement in all areas of the land (Jer. 32:43-44)

   • Place it on the hearts of wealthy Christian and Jewish families to help to finance both the aliyah and the absorption (Ezra 1:2-4; Isa. 60:5, 10-11).

   • Let this be the time when all the Ethiopian Jews still outside Israel are able to return (Isa. 43:5-7).

   • Remove the spirit of Lot from Your people in today's Sodom, and if need be send angels to drag them out of their deceptively comfortable existence in exile (Gen. 19:15-16).

   • Lord, use the increase in natural disasters to shake Your people loose from their exile (Joel 3:16).

   • Lord, use the increase in antisemitism to do the same (Jer. 16:16).

   • Use the lockdowns that have forced some Jews who live in modern "Babylon" to have to work online from home to see that they can continue to do just that from Israel (Jer. 51:50).

7. Salvation:

   The Jewish month of Ellul, the month of repentance in preparation for the High Holydays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, starts early next week. During this month, the shofar is sounded every morning and many Jews go to synagogue, asking for forgiveness, repenting of whatever misdeeds they can think of, trying to get themselves right with both God and man. What an awesome time to pray that God would reveal Messiah Yeshua to them.

   • Lord, as true repentance is a gift of grace from You, we ask You to pour that out on Your people both in Israel and in exile (Zech. 12:10; Eph. 2:8-9).

   • Do not allow Your people to just read through the liturgy for this season without an understanding of what they are asking You for (Jam. 1:22-25).

   • Move on Your people, cleansing them from all idols and unbiblical religious beliefs (Deut. 12:31).

   • Give unsaved Jews both courage and a great curiosity to ask Messianic Jews about what they believe and anoint those believers with a Holy Spirit anointed answer (Matt. 10:19; 1 Pet. 3:15).

   • Turn some radical Jewish anti-missionaries just like You did with the Apostle Paul (Acts. 26:9-19).

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion (Psa. 134:3)

For the IFI team