1. Praise:

   In Shabbat's Torah and prophetic portion God is referred to as Israel's Rock. When this was written, a rock was a place of security from the enemy as well as something that was seen as extremely solid, unmovable and reliable. What a wonderful picture of our God.

   • For I will proclaim the name of YHWH; ascribe greatness to our God – the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, righteous and upright is He.Deut. 32:3-4; cp. 18, 30-31

   • King David agreeing with Moses, writes, YHWH lives! Blessed be my Rock, and exalted be the God of the Rock of my salvation. (2 Sam. 22:47; cp. 2-3)

   • Thank You Lord Yeshua. You are the Rock of our salvation (Deut. 32:15; 1 Cor. 10:4).

   • Lord, in these times when our hearts are often overwhelmed, we bless You for providing us with the Rock that is higher than us, and who is our shelter and high tower (Psa. 61:1-3).

   • Although our world is shaking in many different areas today, we thank You for being our refuge and strength, and always helping us in all of our troubles (Psa. 27:5; 46:1-2).

   • God Almighty, You are the Unshakable Shaker and we put our trust only in You (Heb. 12:25-29).

   • Precious Rock of Israel, we bless You for leading and guiding us for Your name's sake (Psa. 31:2-3)

   • Lord Yeshua, we rejoice and are encouraged, confessing that You are Lord of all, and that You are seated at the right hand of our Father in heaven (Psa. 110:1; Matt. 28:18; Acts 2:32-36; 10:36).

   • We rest in You for we trust that You do work all things out for the good of Your elect (Rom. 8:28).

   • Thank You Lord God that Israel's Declaration of Independence includes the phrase, "placing our trust in the 'Rock of Israel'," to which we all say "Amen!"

2. Salvation:

   1 John 5:14-15 states that if we ask anything in God's will, we can have confidence that He will hear – that is, He will do that for which we ask. Obviously, His answer will be in His way and in His timing. As it is clearly His will for all Israel to be saved, and as we have prayed about this for many weeks now, we thanked Him in faith for all the Jewish people who did come to Yeshua over the holidays, especially on Yom Kippur this past week. We also prayed for others to be added to His Son's Kingdom during Sukkot – the Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths – which will be celebrated this coming week.

   • From Shabbat's prophetic portion: For You are my lamp, YHWH; my God who enlightens my darkness. (2 Sam. 22:29)

   • Thank You Abba for all of the Jews – both in Israel and in exile – whom You have transplanted into the kingdom of Your Son this past week (Col. 1:12-14).

   • Abba, root and ground them in Messiah Yeshua, so that they bear fruit for Your glory (John 15:6-8).

   • Lord Yeshua, guide each to their ordained place in Your Body (1 Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 2:8-10).

   • Pour out on them a spirit of repentance (Isa. 44:22; Rom. 2:4), and enable them to work out in their lives that which You are working on in them (Phil. 2:12b-13).

   • Fill them – in fact, please fill all of us – with Your Spirit continuously (Eph. 5:18b-20).

   • Open the eyes of unsaved Jews to see that those gentiles who worship the God of Israel because of Messiah Yeshua are a literal fulfillment of 2 Samuel 22:44-45 (in Shabbat's prophetic portion).

   • Lord Yeshua, reveal Yourself as the light of the world to many of Your people who walk in spiritual darkness (Isa. 9:1-2; Luke 1:76-79; John 8:12; 12:46; 2 Cor. 4:6).

   • Lord, let the Jews who know Torah, the first five books of Moses, wonder whether without a blood sacrifice their sins are actually forgiven (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22).

   • Also, may many question why, after the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, the rabbis substituted all sorts of rituals – repentance; fasting; charity; one's death; etc. – to take the place of a blood sacrifice which was no longer able to be presented in Your temple. Yet You told Israel that the shedding of blood is what would make an atonement for their souls (Lev. 16:30; 2 Chr. 29:24; Matt. 15:3).

   • Gift many Jews with a holy dissatisfaction about their traditions (Psa. 84:2; Isa. 44:3; Matt. 5:6).

   • Save the unsaved family members of Messianic Jews (Acts 2:39; 16:15; 18:8).

3. Aliyah:

   Living in flimsy booths over Sukkot teaches us that nothing in this world is eternally satisfying and dependable. In fact, the rabbis assign Ecclesiastes as the biblical book to read during this feast. Based on the insecurity which Sukkot emphasizes in a life without God, we asked Him to stir up His people who are still in Exile to be released from all their false security and comfort and to return to Israel – the place where He has promised to protect and defend them in these days.

   • He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.Jer. 31:10b

   • Set Western Jews free from their mental and emotional deceptions which tell them they are better off in a gentile dominated exile than at home in the Jewish State (Psa. 137:4-6; Jer. 51:50).

   • Let the increased fear of living openly as Jews in exile draw Your people home (Deut. 28:64-66).

   • Help Jews realize that living in exile is now much more dangerous than living in Israel (Jer. 16:16).

   • May the reality of how You provided for all of Israel's needs during their 40 years in the wilderness - simply because You are good and gracious – give Jews courage to move home (Deut. 2:7; Neh. 9:21).

   • Encourage Jewish shepherds in exile to lead their communities back to Israel (Jer. 31:8-9).

   • Let reports full of faith and truth go forth from Israel in these chaotic days (Num. 14:7).

   • Break down all the bureaucratic strangleholds in Israel that make it much harder than it needs to be for Jews, especially those who are not ultra-Orthodox, to return (Isa. 62:10).

   • Lord, we are amazed by the recent report that there are 15.2 million Jews in the world, according to the rabbinic definition of who is a Jew, yet there are around 25 million who are eligible to make aliyah under Israel's law of return! Show us how to pray into this (Ezek. 39:28-29).

   • Remove this huge stumbling stone of the rabbis' definition from blocking those whom You see as part of Your people from coming home (Isa. 62:10).

   • Abba, show the more than one million Israelis who live outside of Israel, that it is way past the time to come home (Jer. 31:15-17; 50:4-5).

   • Anoint gentile believers on how to speak to their Jewish friends about making aliyah (Psa. 126:1-4).

   • Pour out on the Church Your burden for them to carry the Jews home (Isa. 49:22).

4. Government:

   While we do not trust a lot of what the current government does, we are still called to pray for it so that Israelis will be alive to hear the good news (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

   • Abba, Lord of heaven and earth (Matt. 11:25), fulfill every purpose You have for this government and forbid any decisions which are not in line with Your will for Israel at this time (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Speak this word to all of Israel's politicians, inside and out of the coalition, at this time: Turn at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My spirit on you; I will make known My words to you. (Prov. 1:23)

   • Turn many of their hearts – their minds, emotions and will – back to You (Job 36:7-12; Prov. 21:1).

   • Confront PM Naftali Bennett about his betrayal of those who voted for him (Isaiah 48:8-11).

   • Show all of his Yamina party how much they have compromised just to gain power (Isa. 28:14-18).

   • Raise up a next generation of Israeli politicians with a heart of love for Your nation (2 Chr. 35:3b).

   • As the proposed budget must be passed by November 4th to prevent the government from falling, let Your will determine all changes in every area (Prov. 19:21).

   • Or, if it is Your will, do not let the budget pass and bring Israel to new elections (Dan. 2:20-21).

   • Comfort and encourage all in the medical profession who are caring for the sick, renewing their strength and helping them to look to You (Psa. 120:1; 121:1-8; Isa. 40:31).

   • Cut through the confusion surrounding the coronavirus and vaccine, and bring forth truth (Isa. 42:3)

   • Give believers discernment to hear Your truth and inoculate us all against division (1 Cor. 1:10; 3:3).

5. Security – internal:

   Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid plans to pay Hamas for "peace and quiet" from Gaza. This is the classic definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Yet how can those like Lapid, who are infected by the spirit of humanism, be brought to understand that Islamic fundamentalists just do not see the world as they do?

   • Lord, have mercy and wake up Israeli leaders who are deaf, dumb and blind to the openly declared goals of Hamas and others who want to destroy Israel and the Jewish people (Psa. 120:5-7; 140:1-5).

   • Shake up Lapid to recognize that Islamic fundamentalists do not see the world as he does, nor do they have the same values as Western democracies (Psa. 31:13; 35:20).

   • Lord God, throwing money at Gaza is like traveling into a black hole expecting to come out alive. Do not allow this insane plan to even take off (Job 5:12; Luke 1:51).

   • Download Your strategy against the increased aggression coming out of Gaza (Prov. 21:31).

   • Set Israel's political and military leaders free from the fear that anything they do to defeat Hamas will lead to an increase of bloodshed throughout the land – when in fact defeating Hamas and retaking Gaza is the only solution (Josh. 2:1-5; Psa. 44:1-8; 124:7-8).

   • Impart courage to Israeli leaders to act and pre-empt – and not just to react (Josh. 1:9).

   • Raise up leaders who desire victory, both military and political, over Israel's enemies (Zech. 12:6).

   • Grant courage, unity of purpose and strategy between the political and military leaders (Psa. 133:1).

   • Let Second Samuel 22:35-41 from Shabbat's prophetic portion ring loudly in the hearts and minds of both Israeli military and political leaders.

   • If this government cannot defend Israel because of political considerations, bring it down (Jer. 1:10).

   • Thank You that Israel has already caught 4 out of the 6 escaped Palestinian terrorists (Job 12:22).

   • Let the remaining two be captured quickly (Psa. 35:6-8; 139:7-12).

   • Use the celebratory reaction to their jailbreak by the Palestinians show Israel once again that there is no partner for peace on the Palestinian side (Jer. 6:14; Rom. 8:28).

   • Guard the IDF soldiers who will be guarding this nation during the feasts (Psa. 32:7; 121:4).

   • Continue to lead Israel in the development of laser and cyberwarfare weaponry, enabling it to be two steps ahead of all of its enemies (Isa. 41:15-16).

   • We stand in the gap for Israel during the holidays, declaring this verse from Shabbat's prophetic portion: [We] will call on YHWH, who is worthy to be praised: so shall [Israel] be saved from [its] enemies. (2 Sam. 22:4; modified)

6. Security – external:

   This past week two nations said they are willing to work with every other nation in the world – except "Israel, of course"! This is pure antisemitism from both Afghanistan and Lebanon, but will any other nation rebuke them for this? We are not holding our breath. Also, an American security think-tank has just said that Iran is only about a month away from having enough uranium to produce a nuclear weapon.

   • Abba, watch over Isaiah 60:12 against the arrogant boasts of Afghanistan's and Lebanon's leaders.

   • Lord of hosts, guard Your nation and prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons (Psa. 121:4).

   • Almost all Israeli leaders have said that they will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. Lord, now is the time for their warnings to be carried out (Isa. 41:14-16; Ezek. 37:10).

   • If You want Israel to pre-empt Iran, let all the responsible leaders come into unity and grant them courage, as well as Your timing and tactics to do it (Jer. 51:20-24).

   • Continue to use Your nation for Your glory against Your enemies (Psa. 83:1-5, 16-18; 115:1-3).

   • Move in such a way that Iranians and many other Muslims throughout the world realize that Allah is not God (Deut. 32:30-33).

   • Protect all the believers in the Middle East and use them for Your holy name's sake (Psa. 91:9-16).

7. Body of Messiah:

   Recently we have been encouraged by the Lord to trust Him – whether we understand what He is doing or not (Prov. 3:5). Now we sense a need to start praying for more understanding so that as He shares with us what He is doing, we can intercede for His kingdom to come on earth (Matt. 5:10).

   • Lord, lead us to pray in the Spirit and to pray with our understanding (1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:17).

   • Open our ears to hear You share that which You are doing in these days (Amos 3:7).

   • Help us to never again insist on understanding Your before we trust You – but grace us to walk in a way that pleases You, a walk by faith (Heb. 11:6).

   • Strengthen us all to complete the race that You have us running, looking unto our Messiah and Lord, Yeshua – who began and will complete our faith story (Heb. 12:1-2).

8. Rain:

   Finally, with all of the arson terrorism which Israel is battling along the Gaza security fence and in the rest of the land, especially in its forests, God's land could greatly benefit from a heavy dose of water from heaven. Please pray with us for rain in the right amounts and in the right places. Thank You.

   • You, God, sent abundant rain, by which You did confirm Your inheritance when it was weary.Psa. 68:9; cp. 65:9-13; Deut. 11:10-12

Shabbat shalom and hag Sukkot sameach from Jerusalem

For the IFI team