1. Praise:

   Shabbat's prophetic portion contains the following verse which should be the heart cry of all born-again believers in Messiah Yeshua. In reality we all struggle to reach this state of great rejoicing in our God, yet it is wonderful to have this as a goal in our walk with Him.

   • I will greatly rejoice in YHWH; my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness…Isa. 61:10

   • We praise You for teaching us to rejoice in You regardless of our circumstances (Psa. 47:1; 132:9).

   • What a relief it is to know that even if we do not feel like it, we can still rejoice in You by faith – and that this pleases You when we do it (2 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:6).

   • We bless You for clothing us in Messiah's righteousness and salvation (2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9).

   • Thank You Lord Yeshua that through Your shed blood we have both forgiveness of sins and access to God, our Father (Heb. 10:19-20).

   • We praise You for the blessing of daily, ongoing forgiveness based on who You are (Lam. 3:22-23).

   • Thank You for being an exceedingly great help in each one of our troubles (Psa. 46:1).

   • What a joy to see so many prophecies coming to pass before our eyes and to know that You have ordained us to be in Your kingdom at just this time (Est. 4:14b; Col. 1:13-14).

   • We rest in the reality that there are no surprises or emergencies in heaven (Isa. 42:9; John 14:29).

2. Salvation:

   Monday at sunset, Rosh Hashanah, the first of the biblical fall feasts begins. For observant Jews, it starts a ten-day period of introspection in which they try to get right with man and with God. This is a good time to intercede for many Jews to receive a revelation of Messiah Yeshua.

   • As this feast is called in scripture Yom Teruah, the Day of the Blowing [of the Shofar], please wake up many Jews to hear You calling them and then grace them with Your salvation (Eph. 2:8-10).

   • You said in Shabbat's Torah portion that after You draw Your people back to Your land (Jer. 31:3) then You would circumcise their hearts (Deut. 30:1-6). Abba, do exactly that during this season.

   • As Your people read how Moses said that Your Word is close to them, in their mouth and in their heart, show that this refers to the good news of Messiah Yeshua (Deut. 30:11-14 cp. Rom 10:6-8).

   • Cause Jews to ask You who is this Afflicted One mentioned in the prophetic portion (Isa. 63:9).

   • Give your people a holy dissatisfaction with tradition and a deep hunger for You (Song 1:4; 2:4).

   • Gift many ultra-orthodox Jews with a yearning for a living relationship with You (Deut. 4:29).

   • Use the yearly tradition of seeking forgiveness to birth in Your people a desire for a more permanent solution – Your solution – to the problem of their sin (Heb. 9:28).

   • Lord, fulfill Your promise in Shabbat's prophetic portion concerning Israel at this time: I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for My anger is turned away from him. (Hos. 14:4)

   • Touch the hearts of many Israeli politicians, revealing to them their King and Messiah (Matt. 2:2).

   • Lord God of Israel, pour out Your spirit of grace and supplication on many Jews who are back in the land (Zech. 12:2-3, 10).

   • And Abba, do it for Your holy name's sake (Psa. 115:1-3; Ezek. 36:32)!

   • Anoint Your Words which are in the holiday prayer books and let them bear much fruit (Isa. 55:11).

   • Move on many rabbis both in Israel and in exile to expound Your Word and not to express their own personal thoughts or inclinations at this crucial time in history (Num. 22:38; Isa. 55:11).

3. Israel & America:

   Last Friday, as the US was abandoning Afghanistan, and after the horrific suicide bombing at Kabul airport, US President Biden and Israeli PM Naftali Bennett met for their first face-to-face meeting in the White House. Media reports, and reports from both US and Israeli diplomats, were all very positive, as the two allies reaffirmed their commitment to each other. Yet there is a sense of unease as any contentious issues between the nations were barely touched on, as well as because of the obvious cognitive issues of America's leader.

   • Thank You that PM Bennett disagreed with Biden on reopening the US consulate in Jerusalem for Palestinians – which would in essence re-divide the city (Neh. 2:20).

   • With the US' status as the world's superpower waning following the way it left Afghanistan, please use this to cause Israel's leaders look to You, and not to any other nation (Isa. 30:1-3; Psa. 121:1-2).

   • Show Israel's leaders what to do and what not to do as they can no longer depend on America to be Israel's big brother (Psa. 32:8-10; Prov. 21:1).

   • Do not let them look to Russia or China, but pour out Your fear on their hearts (Psa. 86:11)

   • Lord, may this global power vacuum move Israel one step closer to its end-time position of being the head of the nations – in Your timing and in Your way (Psa. 115:1-3; Isa. 60:1-2).

4. Israeli Government:

   There are many areas of concern about which we interceded for Israel's "glued-together-by-the-fear-of-Netanyahu" current coalition.

   • Promote in Israel politicians who will lead it in paths of righteousness (Psa. 75:6-7; Prov. 14:34).

   • Continue to remove every bit of "dross" from Israel's political scene (Isa. 1:25-26).

   • Coronavirus: Abba, let the minds of Israel's leaders who must make decisions on how to deal with this issue come into alignment with Your will (Prov. 16:1, 9).

   • Undo or modify all guidelines which are not in line with Your will (Prov. 19:21).

   • Remove anyone who is using this crisis only for their own political career (Job 21:7; Eccl. 4:1).

   • Enable the authorities to issue simple and truthful guidelines to the Israeli public (1 Cor. 14:8).

   • Uncover all cover-ups about the virus, the vaccine or anything related to them (Job 28:11b).

   • Help Israeli researchers make major breakthroughs in how to heal Covid-19 patients (Isa. 60:3).

   • Supply all the needs of the medical professionals who are on the frontlines of this battle (Phil. 4:19).

   • Do not allow this issue to divide Your Body, but grace us to walk in Your love (John 10:4).

   • Help us to obey Your voice and not to interfere with what You say to others (John 21:2-22).

   • Budget: Lord, modify the proposed budget so that it fulfills Your will (Prov. 16:9).

   • School: Following the statement by Education Minister Y. Shasha- Biton that there should be less Bible taught in Israel's schools, we ask You for more Bible lessons (Psa. 119:99, 130; 2 Tim. 2:15).

   • Encourage and direct parents who have to deal with all the chaos of sending their children to school during this pandemic (Isa. 54:13).

   • Thank You that homeschooling is legal in Israel. May it be a blessing to Your people (Deut. 6:7).

   • Arab-Israeli crime: Give wisdom to the government on how to deal with the huge spike of murders and other crimes in many Israeli-Arab communities.

   • Let Israeli-Arab elders teach their children to respect Israeli law-enforcement agents (Rom. 13:1-4).

   • Raise up more Israeli-Arab policemen to deal with their communities so that the Jew-hatred that has infected many of them will not hinder the police from being able to protect the innocent (Psa. 12:8).

   • Bless Israeli-Arab believers, and use them to be leaven for their whole society (Luke 13:21).

5. Security – internal:

   The border with Gaza has once again become a major source of violent rioting. Of course, this is the fruit of Israel's abandonment of Gaza, a part of the land God promised to Israel, under then-prime minister Sharon. As we are seeing in Afghanistan, and in Israel, running away from Islamic terror, like Israel did from Gaza and from Southern Lebanon, leads to a vacuum that is quickly filled by demonically inspired enemies.

   • Remove all fear of international criticism from the IDF as it figures out what is best for the defense of Israel (Prov. 29:25).

   • Protect all Israeli soldiers from mental, emotional, physical and spiritual assaults (Psa. 3:1-8; 140:7).

   • Thank You for the IDF reviewing the rules of engagement and revising them so that its soldiers will be released to do what is necessary to defend Israel and themselves (Psalm 144:1).

   • Gaza: Lord, give Israel courage to halt all aid to Gaza whose leaders only want to destroy Israel.

   • Do not allow Israel to be more merciful than You with Your/its enemies (Psa. 83:1-4, 16-18).

   • Show the IDF how to extinguish the nightly riots along the Gaza security fence (Psa. 59:6, 13).

   • Send division and hatred between Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza (Psa. 35:1-8).

   • Prepare Israel for the day when she possesses all of her possessions – including Gaza (Obad. 1:17).

   • Judea & Samaria: PM Bennett has been unclear as to his policy towards the settlements in these areas. If he is not totally behind their growth and expansion, confront him over his hypocrisy in the face of his "I'm-to-the-right-of-Bibi" past boastings (Matt. 5:37; Jam. 5:12).

   • Move him away from the current settlement freeze and the permissions being granted for Palestinian construction in Area C, which should be under total Israeli control (Lev. 25;23; Prov. 22:28).

   • Let the settlements grow in fulfillment of Your promises to Israel (Jer. 32:41-44; Ezek. 34:13-14).

   • Lord God, overrule everything that was not in line with Your will during Defense Minister Benny Gantz's meeting with PA President Abbas (Job 12:16-21).

   • Do not allow Israel to be deceived into seeing the Palestinian Authority as an ally (Psa. 55:20-21).

   • Guard over Israel's security, especially during the high holidays (Psa. 29:11; 121:4).

   • Bring any plans for evil during this time to light and thwart them (Psa. 56:6-7; Isa. 31:5).

6. Security – external:

   Again, this area is dominated by Iran and its proxies. If America pulls out of Iraq, like it did in Afghanistan, and as Biden wants to do before the end of this year, Iraq will come under heavy Iranian influence at best, or be totally controlled like Lebanon is by Iran today. This will also complete that Iranian Crescent from Iran through Iraq and Syria to the Mediterranean Sea.

   • Lord, You said when Israel is restored to its land, we would see the curses which fell on Your people falling upon their enemies who hate them (Deut. 30:7). We have seen this come to pass over the last 70 plus years and thank You for watching over Your Word to do it (Jer. 1:12).

   • God, watch over that word against Iran and all of its anti-Zionist plans and proxies (Isa. 34:8).

   • Believers do not like to view You as a God of vengeance, yet that is what You call Yourself in both the Tanach and the NT (Isa. 63:4; Rom. 12:19). Let this aspect of Your essential nature be manifest at this time against the spirit of Islam – and yet have as much mercy on Muslims as possible (Hab. 3:2b).

   • Show Israel very clearly that against Iran it has no one to depend on except You (Isa. 31:1-5).

   • Supernaturally or through the IDF, stop the three Iranian oil tankers that are supposed to be bringing fuel to Lebanon – under Hizbullah's, and not the Lebanese government's – authority (Psa. 107:23-28).

   • Continue to stir up the anger and the public protests of the Lebanese people against Hizbullah and its pro-Iranian, anti-Lebanese activities (2 Kin. 7:20: Job 20:23).

   • Cut off all financial sources from Iran that helps it to spread terror globally (Isa. 42:15; 50:2).

   • Exacerbate the historic hatred between Afghanistan's radical Sunni Taliban and Iran's radical Shi'ite Ayatollah's, and confound these haters of Zion (Psa. 70:2; 71:13; Zech. 14:13).

   • Send a huge dose of Your fear on all of Israel's enemies – especially their leaders (Josh. 2:9-11).

   • Guard over Russia's and China's plans in the Middle East [ME] as they have quickly stepped into the vacuum that was left by the way the US pulled out of Afghanistan (Psa. 103:19).

   • Send confusion and division on all ME nations who want Israel destroyed (Gen. 16:12; Psa. 129:5).

   • God, we ask You to determine what the US does or does not do concerning Iraq (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Please forbid any accurate actionable intelligence from being hid from Israel (Obad. 1:6).

   • Do not let political considerations hold back Israel's government from doing whatever it needs to do to protect Your nation (Eccl. 8:11).

7. Aliyah:

   We recognize that so much of what we pray about in relation to Israel, in one way or other, impacts the return of the Jews from exile to Israel. So far more than 18,550 Jews have come home in the past year, and of that better than 3,000 are from North America. Hallelujah!

   • Lord, from every place where You have scattered Your people, gather them back home (Deut. 30:4).

   • We give You the glory for each one who has already returned home this year (Isa. 43:5-7, 21).

   • Plant their roots so deep that they will not even consider leaving (Amos 9:14-15).

   • Close off all their escape routes – especially the new immigrants from Western nations (Num. 11:5).

   • For every Jew whom You are calling home, yet who still clings to the false "safety" and "comfort" of exile, Lord, send out Your angels and drag them out of Sodom (Gen. 19:15-16).

   • Clear out every obstacle from Israel's complicated and ancient bureaucratic gates, and make it easier for those to whom You are calling today to come home with the least amount of travail (Isa. 62:10).

   • Lord, show the government how to build affordable housing for the new immigrants (Jer. 32:41-44).

   • Use the reality of the increase of anti-Semitism in exile to rattle the Jews who want to observe the high holidays but are very wary of their safety (Jer. 16:16).

   • Show the Jews who used to come to Israel to celebrate the holidays and are not able to do so today because of the coronavirus restrictions that it would be much better and safer to be stuck in Israel than to be trapped among the gentiles (Jer. 50:4-5; 51:8-10).

   • Bless and supply all of the needs of the organizations that are aiding in the return of your people to Israel, both Jewish and Christian (Isa. 60:3-10; 61:8).

8. Water:

   We are again asking God for water from heaven as the rainy season draws near.

   • Send gentle soaking rains early this year to Israel to prepare for the later heavy rains (Jam. 5:7).

   • Refresh Your weary people by opening up the heavens soon and often (Psa. 68:9).

Shabbat shalom, Shanna tova and blessings from Zion,

For the IFI team