1. Praise:

   In Shabbat's Torah portion, Jacob, while on his deathbed, blesses his sons. In blessing Joseph, Jacob calls God Mighty [Avir], Shepherd, Stone/Rock, and God Almighty [El Shaddai]. This is more than enough revelation of who God is to keep us praising Him for a long time!

   • But his [Joseph's] bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty of Jacob; (from there is the Shepherd Stone/Rock of Israel;) even by the God of your father, and He shall help you; and by God Almighty, who shall bless you…Gen. 49:24-25a

   • We praise You for the revelation of who You are through creation (Psa. 19:1-2; 97:6; Rom. 1:20).

   • We also worship You for Your mysteries which You have chosen not to reveal (Deut. 29:29).

   • We bless and glorify You as we read that the most complete revelation of who You are is in our Messiah Yeshua, the Lord of all (John 1:18; 12:45; 14:9; Heb. 1:1-2)!

   • Beside creation and Your Son, we are very grateful for the revelation You provide in Your Word about which no man could know – no matter how long they searched (Psa. 119:130; Luke 24:45)..

   • It is incredible to know how You rule over Your creation (Isa. 48:13), and yet You are still involved in the small details of our lives (Psa. 113:5-6; Matt. 10:29-31).

   • Thank You for fulfilling Your Word even when we do not see what You are doing (Prov. 3:5).

   • Thank You for the times You do show us what You are doing so that we can pray into it (Amos 3:7).

   • Joseph said to [his brothers], 'Fear not: for am I in the place of God? Yes, you planned evil against me; but God planned it for good, in order to keep alive many people, as in this day.Gen. 50:19-20

   • Lord, You are still in total control today – arranging events to save multitudes (2 Pet. 3:9).

   • We can sleep securely because You never do, and You always guard over us (Psa. 3:5; 121:3).

   • Thank You for shepherding us on paths of righteousness – for Your name's sake (Psa. 23:1-3).

2. Government:

   We continue to pray for Israel's government to be guided from above in order that it will do all that is in God's will and will not do that which is against that will.

   • Lord, please watch over Psalm 33:10-11 concerning Israel's government today: YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing: He makes the plans of the people of none effect. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

   • May all Your purposes in allowing this government to lead Israel be fulfilled (Isa. 14:24, 27).

   • Exalt Your righteousness in every change this government makes in Israel (Isa. 1:26-27).

   • If there are issues that You desire Israel's coalition to deal with that are not being considered, bring them to the forefront of the various leaders' hearts (Prov. 21:1).

   • Stop Prime Minister Naftali Bennett from using scare tactics to pass a mandatory vaccine edict in order to deal with the coronavirus Omicron variation (Prov. 19:21).

   • Maintain all Israel's corona guidelines that are of You; any that are not – bring down (Eccl. 3:3).

   • Prevent Health Minister Nitzan Horovitz from passing laws to make abortion easier (Prov. 14:12).

   • Provide Israel's health arena all it needs to be effective: new hospitals, more doctors and nurses, easier integration of medical professionals when they make aliyah, better wages, etc. (Phil 4:15, 19).

   • Promote an Israeli leader – not necessarily a politician – with a real burden to lower the cost of living in Israel, especially the high costs of buying a house (Psa. 41:1; 75:6-7).

   • Let this leader become someone that even the politicians want to succeed (Ex. 35:31).

   • Remove all corruption and lay a moral foundation in Israel's building industry (Prov. 20:10).

   • Let more housing be built in the periphery and not just in the large cities (Jer. 24:6; 33:12-13).

   • Restore to Israel's educational system biblically-based Zionistic teaching (Isa. 54:13).

   • Abba, work in Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's heart and bring him to Your Son (John 6:44, 65).

   • Hedge Lapid in from doing any damage to Israel in his current role and prevent him from taking over as prime minister in August 2023 (Hos. 2:6).

   • Impart wisdom to Israel's government to know how to deal with Germany's new government.

3. IDF:

   Israel has been under attack since before the War of Independence in 1948. At times the warfare is more obvious and other times it is quieter – which in some ways is more dangerous. Yet God has created the IDF to be a great army to defend His people whom He is restoring to His land.

   • Thank You for the privilege of seeing the fulfillment of Ezekiel 37:10 today.

   • We thank You for the IDF – Israel's Defense Force – yet we trust in You, the real "IDF" – Israel's Divine Father (Psa. 20:7-9; Ex. 4:22; Deut. 32:6; Isa. 64:8)!

   • We bless You for Your promise to defend Israel (Psa. 121:4; Jer. 31:10), yet so often, You say that You will defend Your nation through its army (Isa. 41:10-16; Mic. 4:11-13).

   • Guard and guide the IDF, using them to protect Your nation today and tomorrow (Jer. 31:10).

   • Impart wisdom to improve all weapons systems and to develop new cutting-edge ones (Dan. 9:22).

   • Remove all distractions and diversions from the young soldiers and keep them alert (Psa. 140:7).

   • Place Your hand on all new recruits to shield them both physically and morally (Prov. 22:11).

   • Renew the IDF's career soldiers zeal and their calling to protect Israel (1 Sam. 17:32-37).

   • Thank You for a budget that has enabled the reservists' training programs to run again (Psa. 144:1).

4. Internal security:

   The Torah portion reaffirms that God gave His land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We continue to believe that the only way Israel will live securely in its land is by extending its sovereignty over all of it – and so we continue to ask God to lead Israel to do that.

   • Joseph said to his brothers, 'I die, and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.Gen. 50:24; cp. 48:3-4

   • Lord, give Israel's government the courage to extend its tent pegs over all Your land (Isa. 54:2-3).

   • Lord, just like You did in 1967, arrange circumstances that make it imperative for Israel to extend sovereignty over all of the land west of the Jordan River – and may it be done suddenly.

   • Send forth Your Angel; redeem Jacob's descendants – defending them from all evil, and multiplying them throughout their land (Gen. 48:16).

   • Meanwhile, continue to guard over Your people who reside in all of the land (Psa. 121:4).

   • Anoint Israel's security forces to deal with the recent rise in terror attacks (Psa. 7:9).

   • Lord, comfort the family of the man who was murdered in a terror attack just last night (Psa. 23:4).

   • Block Defense Minister Gantz's attempts to hasten the creation of a Palestinian State (Prov. 22:28).

   • Bring into reality the building of homes and new settlements in Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley and on the Golan Heights (Jer. 32:41-44).

   • Do not allow Israel's government to bow to the Biden administration severe criticism against any building or expanding of anything Jewish in any of these areas (Neh. 4:7-9).

   • Do not allow Israel's government to give America its approval to open a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem (Neh. 2:20).

   • Continue stirring up strife between Palestinian Authority President Abba's Fatah and Hamas, Gaza's terrorist overlords – as You did in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon last week (Obad. 1:7).

   • Expose what Hamas is really doing in those refugee camps, and use that revelation to cause angst and anger in the ranks of Hezbollah, Iran's proxy who basically rules Lebanon, (Job 12:22).

   • Cause Hamas to turn on itself and devour itself from within – especially in Gaza (Gal. 6:7-8a).

5. External security:

   Again, this week, Israel openly spoke about attacking Iran to prevent it from possessing nuclear weapons. This is concerning because the more Israel's leadership threatens, the less believable they become. Why give your enemy advanced notice of your intentions?

   • Lord, we know that You are ultimately the One to protect Your nation, so in the midst of all the talks and threats, would You arise and scatter Your enemies (Psa. 3:7-8; 68:1).

   • While politicians will be politicians, communicate to the IDF's planners effective ways to deal with this very real Iranian threat (Prov. 21:31).

   • Grant unity between the Israeli government and military in all actions against Iran (Psa. 133:1).

   • Let every plan from You be highlighted and all plans not from You be lost (Prov. 21:30-31).

   • Give Israel wisdom on how to deal with all of Iran's proxies – Hamas and Palestinian Jihad in Gaza; Hizbullah in Lebanon; and whoever they have in Syria, Iraq and Yemen – some of whom have the capacity to shoot thousands of rockets at Israel if and when it attacks Iran (Jer. 49:35).

   • Set off Your weapons of mass confusion in the midst of all of Israel's haters (Psa. 129:5).

   • When Israel attacks, make it such an overwhelming victory that many Iranian Muslims are put to open shame and seek You (Psa. 83:16; Jer. 29:13).

   • Enable Israel to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities as quickly as possible as we know that the nations will raise hypocritical cries, condemning Israel as it tries to protect itself.

   • Continue to judge Iran with increasingly severe "natural" disasters (Ezek. 14:21; Joel 1:15).

   • Yet please have great mercy and save multitudes of common Iranian citizens (Jer. 49:38a).

   • Lord, You see how the US has refused to expedite the transfer of two tanker planes to the IAF to aid Israel's war against Iran. Use this to show Israel the real priorities of America's leaders (Luke 2:35).

   • Increase Russia's and China's frustration with Iran in the Vienna nuclear negotiations (Psa. 31:18a).

   • May the nuclear negotiations not be successful or come to completion (Isa. 37:3).

6. Aliyah:

   The regathering of God's people is both a prophetic sign to the world, as well as a declaration of God's nature: faithful to His covenant promises; able to watch over His Word; a God who loves even when His beloved goes astray; a God who is jealous for His name to be sanctified; One who hears and answers prayers; and so much more.

   • Fear not: for I am with you: I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, 'Give up'; to the south, 'Keep not back: bring My sons from far, My daughters from the ends of the earth; even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yes, I have made him'.Isa. 43:5-7; cp. v. 21

   • Lord, we will give You no rest in asking You to bring home Your people from exile – because this return is first and foremost about You and Your reputation/Your name (Ezek. 36:23-24).

   • We praise You for the statistics that in 2021, despite all the coronavirus restrictions – 27,000 Jews made aliyah, with an amazing 60% under the age of 35 (Jer. 30:10; Zech. 8:7).

   • Let these younger Jews, as pioneers, prepare for the rest of their families to join them (Josh. 24:15b).

   • As reports of huge spikes of anti-Semitic events are revealed, especially in the West, open up the hearts of Jews in exile to comprehend this and not to hide their heads in the sand (Jer. 16:16).

   • Let Jewish children ask their parents why they cannot have Christmas trees like all their friends, and use these questions to shake their parents loose from whatever is holding them in exile (Psa. 137:5-6).

   • Remove all stumbling stones from the path of every Jew who wants to return but is running into roadblocks both in exile and in Israel (Isa. 62:10).

   • Bring home all Jews who live in dangerous situations – especially in Ethiopia and Iran (Psa. 25:15).

   • Let more Ukrainian Jews return as they see Russia breathing down their necks (Psa. 143:9).

   • Stir up the Church to respond to Your Word and will and aid in the aliyah (Isa. 49:22; 60:3-11).

7. Salvation:

   In Shabbat's Torah portion, Jacob prophecies that Messiah will come out of Judah. And this is the tribe from which Yeshua came forth (Matt. 2:6; Heb. 7:14; Rev. 5:5).

   • Jacob to Judah: Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise: your hand shall be in the neck of your enemies; your father's children shall bow down before you. (Gen, 49:8)

   • And again, The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Gen. 49:10)

   • Lord, as Your people read these words, remind them that Yeshua was born in that area of Israel which belonged to Judah – Bethlehem, the city of David (Matt. 2:1-2, 5-6; Luke 2:4).

   • Reveal to Your people that You Yeshua, are the Son of David so many are waiting for (Rom. 1:3).

8. IFI:

   Thank you for continuing to pray about IFI's finances. God is faithful, yet He wants us to ask Him in prayer, so that when the answer comes, we know it is from God: You have not because you ask not. (Jam. 4:2b) Also, please ask the Lord to raise up the next generation of IFI's leaders.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

For the IFI team

Dear American intercessors: It was revealed this week that ex-US President Trump cursed ex-Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu. He also lied about what Bibi did, saying he was the first to congratulate Biden on his victory, when in fact, Bibi waited quite a while before saying anything. Trump also accused Israel of not wanting peace, adding that PA President Abbas and the Palestinians did, and he even added that if it were not for him, Israel would likely be destroyed from an Iranian attack by now. Trump did some incredible things for Israel when he was president, but this tirade exposes a man who sees himself as the center of everything and who sees loyalty to himself – even from leaders of other nations – as more important than anything else.

Many in Israel were shocked and saddened by this anger and resentment from someone who was seen as a friend of Israel. Please ask God what He is saying through this revelation and how you should pray for your ex-president whom we know many want to see become your next president. We are praying for God to guide you.