1. Praise:

   This verse in Shabbat's prophetic portion aids us to rest in Him because of who He is and also helps us to not become stressed out when we do not know what our God may be doing at any specific time. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The eternal God, YHWH, Creator of the ends of the earth, never faints nor grows weary? There is no searching of His understanding. (Isa. 40:28)

   • What a relief and joy it is to know that we are only asked to trust in You – regardless of whether we understand what You are doing or not (Prov. 5:3).

   • Yet we bless You for all of the times You do share with us Your will and Your plans for this time so that we can pray in the Spirit and with our understanding (Amos 3:7; 1 Cor. 14:15).

   • We praise You for sharing with us in the prophetic portion how we can run and walk with You – which is by waiting on, and hoping in, You alone (Isa. 40:31).

   • We are encouraged because You are faithful and will fulfill all Your promises (1 Thess. 5:23-24).

   • Thank You for the gift of faith given to us for salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) and afterward, the gift, or portion, of faith given to us so that we can walk with and to be used for Your glory (Rom. 12:3b).

   • Praise You that You neither slumber nor sleep as You watch over Israel and over us (Psa. 121:3-4).

   • We confess that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10; Zeph. 3:17).

   • Hallelujah! You are still on the throne and You do rule over all today (Psa. 103:19; Matt. 28:18).

   • Holy God, to You be all glory for revealing Yourself to us as our refuge and strength, the rock of our salvation, and a strong tower into which we can run and be safe (Psa. 18:46; 46:1; Prov. 18:10).

   • Bless You that we did not choose You, but You first chose us (John 15:16; Eph. 1:4; 1 John 4:19).

   • Having heard of some ways in which You used the coronavirus to block something worse [exposing CRT in US schools; canceling the Pope's gathering of global leaders to declare a new humanity – no longer depend on God], we rejoice that although not all things are good, You cause all things to work together for good. Lord, thank You for continuing to do this for Israel and Your Body (Rom. 8:28).

   • Thank You for giving us Your light so that we can see You working in this dark world (Psa. 36:9).

2. Government:

   Besides security, here are some other areas in relation to Israel's government into which we prayed. We also asked God to prevent Foreign Minister Yair Lapid from becoming Israel's new prime minister in August 2023 as that will happen if this government lasts that long.

   • While we would have preferred a different coalition, we give You a sacrifice of praise for permitting this government to be raised up in Israel at this season (Dan. 2:21; Heb. 13:15).

   • Let everything in line with Your will be done and Lord, block all else (Psa. 115:3; Isa. 46:10).

   • Please give people of integrity a greater influence in Israel's political scene (1 Kin. 9:4; Prov. 11:3a).

   • Impart Your wisdom on how to lower the high murder rate among Israeli-Arabs (Prov. 28:17).

   • Turn Israeli-Arabs from "honor-killings" to honoring their family members and from Jew-hatred to blessing and appreciating all that the Jewish people have added to this world (Psa. 119:59-60).

   • We continue to ask You to show the government how to attain a biblical balance between personal liberty and the safety of the nation as it legislates Israel's coronavirus guidelines (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

   • Lord, help Israel's medical system to add more workers and to subtract the excessive hours every worker is expected to work (Jer. 32:27; Luke 18:27).

   • Housing costs in Israel are very high, yet since it is Your will for Your people to settle in the land permanently, please show the government how to lower the costs (Isa. 59:1; Amos 9:14-15).

   • God, use the budget, which must be passed in November, to either bring this government down – or if not – let it be a budget which will be an actual blessing to all Israelis (Prov. 14:34; 1 Cor. 4:2).

   • Lord, have mercy! Prevent Lapid from becoming Israel's next prime minister (Dan. 5:21b).

   • Meanwhile, wherever he travels as Israel's Foreign Minister, bring born-again believers into Lapid's life, and give them words that will pierce his heart and convict his rejection of You (Heb. 4:12-13).

   • In the Likud party, several candidates are trying to replace Bibi Netanyahu as the party leader. Abba, we want only Your anointed leader to be elected for this position (Psa. 75:5-7).

3. Israel's foreign dealings:

   Foreign Minister Lapid's policies are based on his humanistic and anti-religious worldview. We need to cover him in pray so that he does not end up doing damage to Israel and moving it further away from God's revealed will. Also, Israel needs wisdom from on high to navigate the chaotic and swiftly-changing world order that we see happening before our eyes.

   • Let Israel take her rightful place in this season of shifting world powers (Deut. 28:13; Isa. 60:1).

   • Raise up godly advisors for Lapid and open his ears to all advice that is from You (Prov. 15:22).

   • God, let all of his anti-biblical decisions be brought to nothing (Psa. 33:10-11; Luke 1:51).

   • Prepare Prime Minster Naftali Bennett and his entourage for their visit to Russia next week and especially for Bennett's meeting with Russian President Putin (Prov. 16:1; 21:1).

   • Lord, rule over all of Israel's policy decisions with China, and if there are any agreements already signed between them that need to be modified – make it happen (Prov. 19:21; 21:30).

   • Prevent Your chosen nation from acting like a subservient nation in its dealings with America and instead let Israel recognize that You are its Creator, its King, and its Sustainer (Isa. 43:15; 46:3-4).

   • Give Israel chutzpah [in-the-face-audacity] in its dealings with the EU, confronting its financial and legal aid to the Palestinians which helps their illegal activities against Israel (Deut. 31:6; Prov. 16:5).

   • God, roar from Zion and rebuke all Western nations who deal with Israel hypocritically (Joel 3:16).

   • Thank You for the Abraham Accords and the warm relationships between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain – both government to government and people to people (Gen. 33:4; Prov. 16:7).

   • Abba, how should we interpret today's changed scenario as Israel's relations with these Arab nations is much better than with Western nations who are always telling the Jews what to do (1 Chr. 12:32)?

   • Bring more Middle East nations into a biblical relationship with Israel and with You (Isa. 19:23-25).

   • Give Israel discernment to not enter into any alliances that are not from You (Josh. 9:14-16).

   • Give Israel courage to fear You and not men, women, or even the "woke" community (Prov. 29:25).

   • Let Your worldwide Body see that the promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse [+belittle; put down; denigrate] Israel is still valid as part of Your initial promise to Abraham includes the gospel to the gentiles – which obviously is still valid (Gen. 12:3; cp. Gal. 3:8).

4. Security – external:

   The prophetic portion ends with God's promise to make Israel a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth (see Isa. 41:114-15). And as Israel gains victories over its enemies, God Himself receives the glory (41:16). So we persist in prayer concerning Iran's and its proxies' threats to destroy God's nation, recognizing that these people are His enemies (Psa. 83:1-4).

   • Lord, is it not time to "destroy the king and the princes" of Iran and to set the Iranian people free – both politically and spiritually (Jer. 49:38)?

   • Raise up in Iran a courageous, unified and miraculously protected opposition.

   • Thank You for the Iranian Church. Increase it numerically and mature it spiritually (Col. 1:9-13).

   • Show them how to pray in detail about their current government (Rom. 13:1-4; 1 Tim. 2:1-4).

   • God, put to shame Iran's anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist leaders – then let them seek You (Psa. 83:16).

   • Reignite the 1400 year old hatred between the Sunni Taliban in Afghanistan and the Shi'ites in Iran and let Iran be more worried about their shared almost-600-mile border than about Israel (Judg. 7:22).

   • Weaken Iran's military and drain all finances it uses to direct attacks against Israel (Num. 24:9b).

   • Continue to strike Iran with Your divinely directed "natural" disasters (Josh. 10:11; Psa. 99:1-2).

   • Stir up the rising animosity between Hizbullah and Hamas as Hamas moves into Lebanon and plans to attack Israel from there as well as from Gaza (Psa. 35:26) [Hamas already has men and equipment in the many Palestinians refugee camps in Lebanon.]

   • Oversee all decisions of the IDF's Iran Command's strategy and tactics to defend Israel and defeat Iran and all of Iran's proxies (Psa. 44:4-7; Prov. 16:9; 21:31).

   • We give You glory for the success of Israel's Air Force against Iranian targets in Syria (Isa. 31:5).

   • Expose all intelligence that Israel is missing and impart the strategy to deal with it (Jer. 23:24).

   • Protect Israel's spies from deception and from revealing information to any enemy spies (Obad. 1:7).

   • Guide Israel as it develops its cyberwarfare capabilities – both offensive and defensive (Prov. 8:12).

   • Guide Israel as it develops EMP weaponry, and hardens its equipment against EMP attacks.

   • We bless You for all of Israel's "horses and chariots," but we trust only in You (Psa.20:7-9).

5. Security – internal:

   Shabbat's Torah portion (Gen. 12:1-17:27) which begins with God's initial promise to Abraham, includes the promise of the land many times. Since we are convinced that Israel's security depends on it extending its sovereignty over all of the land promised, and have been interceding about this, this Torah portion is a huge encouragement.

   • YHWH appeared to Abram, and said, 'Unto your seed will I give this land…' (Gen. 12:7a; cp. 12:1; 13:15-18; 17:7-8). Amen [which literally means, "So be it"]!

   • Thank You that the land promise is unconditional – depending totally on who You are and what You promised and not on what the Jews do or not do (Gen. 15:7-21). [Occupancy of the land depends on Israel's obedience, but their ownership does not. They were exiled twice yet are now back and will not be uprooted again (Isa. 11:12-12; Jer. 32:41; Amos 9:14-15 plus many other verses).]

   • We have witnessed Israel's rebirth in a day in 1948 (Isa. 66:8), and see that now is Your time to have mercy on Zion (Psa. 102:13). We praise You for letting us see Your Word come to pass (2 Pet. 1:19).

   • We are very grateful for all the territory Israel currently possesses, yet for Your name's sake, we ask You to increase her possessions – in line with Your promises (Ex. 23:27-31; Deut. 11:25).

   • Specifically we ask that Israel would extend its sovereignty over the E1 corridor [which lies between the eastern side of Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumi'im] (Psa. 147:2; Isa. 54:2-3).

   • As You have said, Lord, continue to drive out Your enemy little by little (Deut. 7:22; Psa. 10:16).

   • The only choice that the Palestinians have is between bowing to Messiah Yeshua or being uprooted and destroyed – so Lord, we ask for a mighty move of Your Spirit among them (Jer. 12:14-17).

   • Strengthen and encourage the Palestinian Church in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (1 Thess. 5:23-24).

   • Let signs and wonders to be done through them and reap a mighty harvest of souls (Rom. 15:17-19).

   • We rejoice that PM Bennett said Israel plans to quadruple the population in the Golan and to build two new cities. Lord, may his words be followed by real action (Josh. 21:27; Isa. 61:4; Jer. 24:6).

   • Please make sure the new budget gives the IDF all it needs to guard this nation (Ezek. 37:10).

   • Lord, guard over all of Israel's young soldiers – body, soul and spirit (Psa. 3:5-8; 140:7).

   • Let the rules of engagement which they receive be very clear and biblically based (1 Cor. 14:7-8).

   • Foster closer cooperation between the IDF and the other Israeli security services (1 Chr. 12:38).

6. Aliyah:

   So far aliyah in 2021 is up 31% over the same timeframe as in 2020. While this is a specific answer to our prayers, yet there are still too many roadblocks in the way of Jewish people returning. Let us press in and continue to ask God to bring them home – for His glory's sake.

   • Remove the stones of stumbling to aliyah which are embedded in Israeli bureaucracy (Isa. 62:10).

   • Let all Jews who want to return, yet are running into roadblocks, be as stubborn and stiff necked as their ancestors were in the old days (Deut. 9:6).

   • Promote people with a heart for aliyah into responsible positions in all organizations involved with bringing the Jews home as well as in supporting the new immigrants once they are settled.

   • Thank You for the increased aliyah so far this year, yet as there are still millions of Jews trapped in exile. We ask for an even more miraculous increase in the near future (Isa. 60:8-9).

   • Open the doors wide to those who want to make aliyah but are being held back, like Ethiopians who are still in Ethiopia and the Bnei Menashe in India (Isa. 43:5-7).

   • [Iran has just threatened its 10,000 strong Jewish community if Israel attacks.] Abba, as You did in Egypt, release all the Jews trapped in Iran – at the same time – and bring them home (Ex. 12:42, 51).

   • Lead Spanish and Portuguese speaking Jews to return and to settle in the Negev (Obad. 1:20).

   • Lord God, in mercy loosen the death-grip Western Jews have on their lives in exile and show them that the hunters are not just coming – but they have already landed (Jer. 16:16).

7. Salvation:

   As the Torah portion shares about Abraham's relationship with God, let us ask the Lord to use this to provoke Jews to jealousy in desiring a relationship like that themselves.

   • Do not allow Jews today to think that a living relationship with You was only for the past – but let them seek You for the kind of relationship Abraham had with You (Jer. 29: 13).

   • Reveal Your Son, who is now seated on Your right hand as a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20; Psa. 110:4; Heb. 5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21).

   • Make Jews desirous to have You as their shield and great reward (Gen. 15:1).

   • From the new immigrants who have arrived in 2021, save at least a tenth (Isa. 6:13).

   • Lord, in mercy save the unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews (Acts 16:31; 18:8).

8. Water:

   Rain has started to fall in Israel and we thank Him for every drop but we ask for more. We want to see the Sea of Galilee full to overflowing and all the underground aquifers soaked with water from heaven.

   • Thank You for the rain that has started to slowly fall on this dry land (Psa. 68:9).

   • We ask You, who are called the "Creator of heaven and earth," in the Torah reading (Gen. 14:22), to create new sources of water throughout the land of Israel and then to show Israelis that it is You who did it (Isa. 41:17-20).

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

For the IFI team