1. Praise:

    In Shabbat's Torah the declaration of God's intention to proclaim the good news to the gentiles through Israel is clearly laid out. Then in the prophetic portion in Malachi, there is another prophecy of gentiles worshipping the God of Israel.

    • [God tells Isaac] Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you, and to your seed will I give all these lands. I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father, and I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and give to your seed all these lands, and in your seed shall all the gentiles of the earth be blessed;Gen. 26:3-4; cp. Gal. 3:8
    • From the rising of the sun to its setting My name shall be great among the gentiles, and in every place worship shall be offered to My name… for I am a great King, says YHWH of hosts, and My name inspires awe among the gentiles.Mal. 1:11, 14b

    • We bless You that a large part of Malachi's prophecy is coming to pass today as we hear of You moving by Your Spirit and saving multitudes throughout the non-Western world (Jer. 1:12).

    • Thank You that from the very beginning of Your election of Abraham, You had the salvation of the gentiles in view – through the creation of Your nation Israel and its promised Messiah (Gen. 12:3b).

    • We praise You Yeshua: You are King of kings and Lord of lords today (Matt. 28:18: Rev. 19:16).

    • What a comfort to read that all of Your promises – and when Paul wrote this he was thinking mainly of the Old Testament promises – are made more sure through Messiah Yeshua (2 Cor. 1:20).

    • Bless You Lord Yeshua for being with us always (Matt. 28:20b; Heb. 13:5b-6).

    • Hallelujah! Your covenant love and faithfulness to us are renewed every morning (Lam. 3:22-23).

    • Thank You for encouraging us that if we cry out to You – You will deliver us and then we will give You all of the glory (Psa. 50:15).

    • Lord, as we see the chaos and confusion and fear in today's world, we still believe that You are in control; that You have a plan and will save multitudes – for Your glory's sake (Psa. 46:1-3, 6-11).

  2. Government:

    This past week Israel's coalition focused on getting the budget passed – which it accomplished both for the rest of this year and 2022. Yet the budget is a mixture – with some good elements and some not-so-good ones which come across as appeasing the Israel-Arab and Left-wing parties. We prayed into this and some other topics relating to Israel's current governing coalition.

    • Lord, it seems that the longer this coalition is in power, Israel's government moves in an anti-biblical direction. Please straighten it out or bring it down suddenly (Jer. 18:6-8).

    • Yet this Prime Minister Naftali Bennett-Foreign Minister Yair Lapid coalition is the government You have allowed in Israel at this time – so please use it to fulfill all that is in Your will (Prov. 19:21).

    • We again ask for You to prevent a very humanistic, left-wing and, unfortunately, anti-religion Lapid from ever becoming Israel's prime minister (Psa. 75:5-7).

    • Abba, raise up humble servants in positions of political authority, who can say about certain issues, "I don't know what the solution is," and will add to their statements, "Lord willing" (Jam. 4:13-16).

    • Lord God, we place this budget under Your overall sovereign control and ask You to determine how the finances will be distributed (Psa. 103:19).

    • Even with the budget approved, please modify it so that it is righteous in Your sight for all of the nation, and will not favor only special interest groups (Lev. 19:36; Prov. 11:1)

    • [The challenge now is for the coalition to maintain its unity as its parties have all held their "peace" until after the budget was passed.] Lord, rule over all the coalition's plans and internal battles, and be the One who controls whether it stands for a season or quickly falls apart (Prov. 16:9; 20:24).

    • Help Netanyahu's Likud party get its act together: 'to Bibi or not to Bibi' is the question they need to resolve concerning who will lead the party into the future (Dan. 4:17b).

    • God, lead us in prayer about the "climate crisis" that most nations are now focused on (Psa. 10:17).

    • Lord, we know that You are in total control of the climate; You have used it, and will continue to use it, for Your Kingdom purposes (Gen. 8:20-22; Psa. 24:1; 93:3-4; 97;1-5).

    • Do not allow Israel to be diverted or deceived in any way by this "crisis" and not deal with its more existential and urgent matters (Isa. 8:12-13).

    • Give Israel's leaders wisdom to understand how You desire Israel to contribute to this issue without having it fall into the satanic trap of worshipping "Mother Earth" (Isa. 40:25-26; Matt. 4:10).

    • May they see through any demonic aspects of the climate-crisis agenda and remember their Creator (Eccl. 12:1; literally in the Hebrew – "Creators").

    • Abba, impart biblical wisdom on this issue to both Israel and to the worldwide Church (Job 12:16).

    • Use Israel's many eco-friendly breakthrough technologies to bless other nations (Gen. 18:18).

  3. Security – internal:

    In the natural, Israel is moving further away from extending its rule over Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley. Yet, just like we walk by faith in God and in His Word, so in like manner we intercede and will press in, asking the Lord to do this as soon as possible.

    • Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz is making decisions that favor the Palestinians and hurt the Jews. God Almighty, please confront him and/or remove him (Lev. 25:23; Prov. 22:28).

    • Hedge him in, preventing him from making any other anti-biblical decisions (Lam. 3:7, 37).

    • Remind him from Shabbat's prophetic portion that You ended up hating Esau because he despised his God-given inheritance (Gen. 25:34; Mal. 1:2-3; Heb. 12:16-17).

    • Put Your fear into Gantz's mind and turn him wholeheartedly to You (Deut. 10:12; Psa. 80:3).

    • Lord God of hosts, provide the needed finances for all of Israel's security challenges (Isa. 41:14-16).

    • You say in the prophetic portion that Edom – a spiritual root of Islam – will rebuild, but You will tear it down. Lord, do just that against all that is being built to aid in creation of a Palestinian State on Your land (Mal. 1:4).

    • We ask this so that You will be magnified from [or "on/beyond"] the border of Israel (Mal. 1:5).

    • Forbid the Israeli government from giving US President Biden's administration permission to open a Jerusalem consulate for the Palestinians – which in essence would again divide Your city (Neh. 2:20).

    • Deal with all Palestinian leaders who stir up incitement and hatred against Israel (Job 4:8; Gal. 6:7).

    • At the Glasgow Climate Summit, the Palestinian Prime Minister said the "Israeli occupation" was the main cause of the Palestinians' environmental crises. Lord, this lie that was spoken before many nations is blatant anti-Semitism (Psa. 25:19; 109:3). Why was there no nation who rebuked him?

    • [America complained over Israel's labeling of 6 Palestinians NGO's as terrorist supporters yet it labels parents who complain about what their children learn in schools as "domestic terrorists"!] God, arise! Rebuke this ungodly Biden administration who is today a dangerous foe of Israel (Num. 24:9b).

    • If they are blind to this truth, open the eyes of the American Body of Messiah so that they can stand in the gap and plead for mercy for their land (Ezek. 22:30).

    • We again ask You to pressure Israel to extend its sovereignty over all its possessions (Obad. 1:17). 

    • Enhance the eyes and ears of Israel's security services and expose all terrorist plans (1 Pet. 3:12).

    • Thank You for Israel's incredible success against the many daily terrorist attempts (Psa. 44:5).

    • Continue to prepare Israel for the day after Palestinian President Abbas is gone (Isa. 42:9).

    • Arise against Your enemies in Your land and guard over Your covenant with Israel (Psa. 74:18-23).

    • Block any prisoner exchange with Hamas in Gaza that amounts to appeasement (Isa. 27:16-18).

    • Increase angelic protection on Israel's borders – especially on the Gaza security fence (Psa. 35:5-6).

    • Continue to prevent any successful kidnapping attempts of Israeli civilians and its soldiers.

    • As cyberwarfare and ransomware attacks have increased against Israel and its people, we ask You to be Israel's unbreachable firewall (Zech. 2:5).

    • Show Israel all the gaps in its cyber systems that must be closed up or reinforced (2 Kin. 12:12).

    • Protect Israel's infrastructure, its hospitals, banks and other targets of cyberattacks, as well as all personal information on its citizens (Psa. 32:7).

  4. Security – external:

    Iran is in dire straits internally yet its leaders mock the weak West which tries to reason with the fanatical Shi'ite rulers whose goal is to destroy Israel and America and then rule the world for Allah.

    • Open the eyes of all of Israel's leaders to the reality that they are basically alone in dealing with this existential threat – and then remind them to look to You first (Psa. 50:15).

    • Thank You for those few nations, especially some Gulf Arab States, who understand the danger of a nuclear Iran and who stand with Israel – whether openly or under the table (Isa. 60:3).

    • [It seems obvious that the nations, especially the West, want Israel to do their dirty work and destroy Iran's nuclear facilities. Then they can bash Israel for any collateral damage that will occur.] Lord, we do ask You to equip Israel to do the destroying (Jer. 51:20-24) and then to prepare it to openly rebuke all hypocritical nations who would dare to criticize it afterward (Isa. 5:20-23).

    • Lord, with Iran and its anti-Semitic proxies in mind, please watch over Isaac's blessing on Jacob in this Shabbat's Torah portion, which includes, cursed be everyone that curses you, and blessed be he that blesses you. (Gen. 27:29)

    • By Your Spirit, guide the IDF's Iran Command to strategize Your plan against Iran (Prov. 21:31).

    • Open the minds of Israelis who analyze all the collected intelligence data, helping them to see what is vital and preventing them from being deceived (2 Kin. 6:12; Isa. 29:15; Jer. 23:23-24).

    • Lord, arise and scatter Iran's radical Shi'ites "who delight in war" (Psa. 68:1, 30b).

    • Mess up all communications and cause confusion between Iran and her proxies (Gen. 11:6-9).

    • Protect the multitude of Iranians who do not hate Israel but who detest their leaders (Isa. 55:5).

    • Continue to set Your throne in Elam through the building of Your Church (Jer. 49:38a; Matt. 16:18).

    • Prevent Iran or its proxies from establishing a foothold on the Syrian-Israeli border (2 Kin. 6:17-18).

    • [We see a connection between increased Israeli attacks against Iranian sites in Syria happening right after the meeting between PM Bennett and Russian President Putin.] Guard this relationship between Israel and Russia and use it for Your glory at this time in history (Psa. 115:1-3).

    • Use the recent events in which Gulf Arab states are aligning against Lebanon because of its being under the Iranian proxy Hizbullah's influence to totally wipe Hizbullah off the map (Psa. 83:16-18).

    • With regard to Israel's relations with China, grant it wisdom – not based on Western concerns – but based on Your wisdom and Your will for Israel at this time (Job 32:8; Prov. 2:6).

    • Guard Israel from being deceived by China or from revealing anything to China that would be truly foolish to reveal (2 Kin. 20:12-18).

    • If contracts between Israel and China have been agreed upon that are dangerous, Lord, break these traps and lead Israel out to safety (Psa. 124:7-8).

  5. Aliyah & salvation:

    God's Word connects these two vital issues in the Tanach, as God often declares that Israel will be gathered in unbelief and then He will circumcise their hearts.

    • I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger…and will bring them again to this land, causing them to dwell safely. They shall be My people, and I will be their God, for I will give them one heart, and one way, that they fear me forever, for their and their children's good. And I will make [Lit: cut] an eternal covenant with them, and will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts that they shall not turn from Me.Jer. 32:37-40

    • Lord, You are doing this today – through aliyah and by saving Israelis. We bless and thank You for allowing us to live in these days to see these promises being fulfilled (Mal. 1:5).

    • Aid those who have returned home in the last few years to be firmly rooted (2 Kin. 19:30).

    • We bear witness and praise You for the reality that at this very time You are building Jerusalem and gathering its outcasts openly before the world (Psa. 147:2; Zech. 8:1-8).

    • Gather all those You have ordained to be in Israel for that time when You reveal Your Son to Your people and then all Israel will be saved (Zech. 12:10; Rom. 11:26).

    • Please bring home all of the Jews remaining in Ethiopia quickly (Jer. 31:10).

    • Use the global shakings in every area to bring Your people home (Psa. 60:2-4).

    • As Jews see their houses or jobs destroyed in the current upheavals, warn them to not rebuild in exile but to take this opportunity to build anew in Israel – their God-ordained home (Jer. 51:6-10).

    • Reveal to those who hide their Jewish identities that they will also be targets (Jer. 16:16).

    • Remove every obstacle in Israel – personnel, bureaucratic, financial, paperwork – from making it more difficult for Your people to return home (Isa. 62:10).

    • Hasten the fulfillment of PM Bennett's statements of building more homes in both the Jordan Valley and on the Golan Heights (Jer. 33:12-14).

  6. Water:

    It is a relief to not have to pray about a water crisis in Israel this year. The rainfall of the last two years has been good, and combined with a sharp decrease in tourism Israel is in fairly good shape. Yet this is a land that drinks water from heaven (Deut. 11:11) – which means it is a land in which we need to ask God for rain yearly and to trust Him for His gracious supply (Zech. 10:1).

    • Thank You for the unexpected gentle rain that fell recently (Psa. 68:9).

    • May the infrastructure of Israel be prepared for the coming season of rain.

    • Send the rain where and when it is needed and let this land flourish like the Garden of Eden – so that the surrounding nations will know that You have done that which You have said (Ezek. 36:35-36).

We again thank you for continuing to pray about IFI's financial situation.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

For the IFI team