1. Praise:

   Moses interceding for Israel's sin in worshipping the golden calf is at the center of this Shabbat's Torah portion. This is one of the best examples of intercessory prayer in the Scripture.

   • Thank You for Moses' great example of intercession for Your people as found in Exodus 32:7-14.

   • We bless You for teaching us so much as we read of Moses pleading with You based on Your name, Your reputation, and Your promises, yet making no excuse for Israel's sin, and then seeing You have mercy on Israel – for Your holy name's sake (Psa. 106:23).

   • What a joyous kingdom responsibility to read that You actually seek those who will stand in the gap and ask You to have mercy on their nations (Ezek. 22:30).

   • Lord Yeshua, as we see "Freedom Convoys" in many countries today, we are very grateful that You have promised that in You we shall know the truth, and that truth will set us free from the real slavery in which all of humanity is trapped – the slavery of sin (John 8:32).

   • We praise and thank You for providing all we need to know in Your Word in order to be saved and to walk with You in a way that brings You all of the glory (Psa. 19:7-14: Luke 24:27).

   • In a world which is growing increasingly chaotic, we rest in confidence in knowing that You are the true Light of the world (John 8:12) and that Your Word is a constant lamp to our feet (Psa. 119:105).

   • Bless You for our security in You as we know that nothing takes You by surprise (Isa. 46:9-10).

   • Regardless of what we see or feel, we know You reign and rejoice in You (Psa. 103:19; Acts 10:36).

   • We praise You that even when we are faithless – You remain faithful (2 Tim. 2:13).

   • We praise You that with all the injustice we see, we know that You are a God of justice and will make sure everyone gets the fruits of their works (Job 8:3; Jer. 32:19).

   • We thank You that Israel is the one nation which will remain by a divine decree that comes directly from You – at least until the new heavens and earth (Jer. 31:35-37).

2. Government:

   Israel's current governing coalition is so fragmented that many things which should be solved in a godly way are dealt with in ways that often make the situation worse as they draw Israel that much further away from God's revealed will.

   • As violent crime escalates in Arab-Israeli communities, let the Arab-Israeli Ra'am party step in and provide guidance and bring sanity to their supporters (Prov. 20:26).

   • Let the dispersion of funds allocated to the Arab-Israeli community be done justly (Prov. 12:22).

   • Enable Israel's security forces to get a handle on the increase in crime and killings in the Arab-Israeli communities even though they are often not respected nor welcomed there (Prov. 14:11).

   • Break the bonds of tribalism that hinder Israeli-Arab groups from acting in mercy and with justice.

   • Lord, have mercy on Israel as Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, who is gay, just decreed a ban on "conversion therapy" from medical professionals (Gen. 5:1-2).

   • Do not allow this decree to hinder any Israeli religious leader – whether Jewish or Christian – from helping these very confused and needy people (Prov. 14:26-27).

   • Save Horowitz and his partner by revealing to them how much You still love them (Luke 19:10).

   • Hedge in Horowitz and all other members of Israel's current governing coalition so that they cannot go beyond Your will in any area concerning Israel at this time (Hos. 2:6).

   • Grant godly wisdom to every decisions that Israel's government must make today (Prov. 2:6-9).

   • Strip right-wing coalition members from their lust for political power and show them how far they have fallen from keeping their promises to those who voted for them (Ex. 20:15; Lev. 19:11).

   • We again ask You to remove the dross from Israel's political scene (Isa. 1:25) and establish justice and righteousness throughout the land (Lev. 19:15; Deut. 25:1; Isa. 1:26).

   • As we seem to be moving from the coronavirus pandemic to its being endemic, give Israelis wisdom to know what they should do personally and prevent them from pushing what they do on anyone else.

   • Disallow any government regulation at this time of transition that is not of You (Prov. 19:21; 21:1).

   • We ask for a huge miracle – that the Israeli media would report news in the news sections and leave its opinion pieces to their op-ed sections (Prov. 12:17; Jer. 9:3; 32:17).

   • As ex-PM Bibi Netanyahu's trial continues, expose the truth of all the accusations against him, and bring these proceedings to a swift conclusion (Psa. 147:15; Mal. 3:5; 1 Tim. 5:19).

   • Lord Yeshua, in mercy reveal Yourself to Netanyahu and his whole family (Acts 16:31).

3. Internal security:

   Threats from the Palestinian Authority [PA] and Hamas are being heard constantly in Israel these days. And too often the threats instigate terrorist attacks that kill or injury Israelis. Is this part of God's way to force Israel to retake all of its' biblical homeland?

   • From Shabbat's Torah portion: YHWH said to Moses, 'Depart, and go up from here, you and the people which you brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, "Unto your seed will I give it"': (Ex. 33:1) Amen!

   • Show the Jewish people wherever they reside, including in Israel, that according to Your Word the land of Israel is their homeland which God has sworn to give them (Gen. 12:7; 24:7; Ezek. 47:14).

   • Lord, help Israel to extend its sovereignty over all of the land west of the Jordan River (Obad. 1:17).

   • If, as in the Bible and in history, this happens through war, then Lord have mercy (Lam. 3:22-23).

   • Abba, protect the Negev [very often in English Bibles translated as the "south"] for massive Jewish settlement (Jer. 32:44; 33:13; Obad. 1:19-20).

   • Block coalition ministers, especially Defense Minister Benny Gantz, from doing or saying anything that will make Israel's ability to extend its sovereignty that much more difficult (Prov. 22:28).

   • Use the current cooperation between Israel's security forces and the PA's security forces to protect every innocent Jewish and Palestinian resident in Judea and Samaria (Psa. 125:1-3).

   • Provide wisdom and insight to the IDF's Central Commander, Maj-Gen. Tamir Yadai, under whose responsibility lies all of Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley (Job 38:36; Eccl. 9:18a).

   • Guide Israeli citizens in these areas as they travel and provide divine protection for them against stone throwing, car rammings, shootings and any other terrorist attack (Psa. 121:8).

   • With Passover, Ramadan and Resurrection Day all coming at the same time this year, expose and confound any demonic plans to turn this time into a flashpoint for violence and escalation (Job 12:22).

   • Provide Israel's intelligence services with accurate actionable intelligence and watch over the intel so that it gets to the responsible people who need to make decisions based on it (Dan. 2:22; Job 32:8).

   • Anoint Israel to be creative and effective in its deterrence efforts against terrorism (Eccl 8:11).

   • Do not let Israel be more merciful to terrorists than You are (Gen. 9:6; Ex. 21:12; Lev. 24:17).

   • Lord, provide a balance in the media's reporting of terror activity so that the reports do not highlight Israel's far-right extremists and totally ignore the constant Arab terrorism (Prov. 20:10; 25:2).

4. External security:

   The world's attention has been diverted from the Iranian nuclear deal to the crisis between Russia and Ukraine. The Iranians will take advantage of this to further their goal to either have nuclear weapons, or as is more likely, to be on the verge of having them.

   • Lord, as much of what is happening today is very likely to be You setting the stage for Messiah's return, we are in great need of You showing us what it is that You are doing and guiding us so that we pray in line with Your will and Your timing (Amos 3:7; 1 John 5:14-15).

   • Impart wisdom to Israel's government to know what to say and do and what not say or do in relation to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, as it has good relations with both nations (Prov. 17:28; 26:4-5).

   • Anoint and strengthen the living Churches in both Russia and Ukraine to know how to pray for their nations at this time (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

   • Remove all spirits of anti-Semitism and replacement theology from these Churches (Num. 24:9b).

   • Either block Iran from taking advantage of this situation to further its own ends, or let Iran make such a huge geopolitical mistake that even its allies stop supporting it (Isa. 29:14; 1 Cor. 1:19).

   • As it seems likely that Israel will be the one to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, please guide it to know whether to strike now while the world's eyes are diverted, or to wait (1 Chr. 12:32).

   • Protect Israel's intelligence gathering community from both deception and diversion (Psa. 91:4).

   • Prepare Israel's homefront to be full of faith in You and courage for the days ahead (Jer. 31:10).

   • Make Israel's priorities line up with Your priorities and then all else will fall into place (Matt. 6:33).

   • Download to the IDF's Iran Command out-of-the-box thinking as they plan their strategy and tactics against Iran's current regime and its buried nuclear sites (Prov. 21:31).

   • Iran builds its nuclear facilities under mountains, yet this is no protection from You! Arise and shake these mountains in such a way that the world knows it is You (Psa. 18:6-15; Ezek. 38:20).

   • Increase the acts of sabotage in Iran; both man made and supernatural (Job 9:4-6).

   • Destroy the link between China and Iran and halt the financial aid China gives it (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Also, break apart all business links between many Western nations and Iran today (Amos 3:3).

   • Give Your Body in Iran courage to share and a burden to pray for their nation (Psa. 51:5; 81:10b).

   • Let the Word of the gospel be absolutely unstoppable in Iran today (1 Sam. 3:19; Acts 12:24; 19:20).

5. Aliyah:

   Israel's resurrection in modern times is for the purpose of regathering the Jews who are scattered in exile back home to their God-appointed land (Jer. 31:10; 32:41; Ezek. 36:23-24; etc.). Israel is not supposed to – nor is it responsible to – maintain or protect any Jews who choose to remain among the gentile nations – yet because of humanistic Jewish guilt it thinks it must take care of all of them regardless of where they live.

   • Father, You want all the Jews in Ukraine to return home; please deafen Israel against the complaints from Ukrainian Jews who only want it to help them stay there (Ezek. 39:28).

   • Bless Israel's Minister of Aliyah and Absorption, Pnina Tamano-Shata, who has told her ministry to prepare for the potential return of tens of thousands of Jews – specifically from Ukraine (Gen. 12:3a).

   • Use Tamano-Shata, this bulldozer of a minister, to remove as many stones of stumbling from the path of Your people's return as possible (Isa. 62:10).

   • Release as one the 8,000-10,000 strong Iranian Jewish community (Psa. 107:2-3; Isa. 27:13).

   • Use the upcoming holidays of Purim and Passover to make Israelis living outside of their homeland severely homesick and determined to return this very year (Isa. 43:5-7).

   • Lay it on the hearts of Jewish individuals, whole families and congregations – whether they are in conflict areas or not – that the time to return to Israel is as soon as possible (Jer. 30:10).

   • Replace that blasé sounding word "diaspora" with the biblically correct term which describes the condition of Jews living among the gentiles – "captivity" (Deut. 30:3; Jer. 33:7, 25-26)

   • May Israel be zealously willing to receive all Your people who desire to return home (Zech. 8:1-8).

   • Do not allow Israel to invest in anything that will help Jews remain in exile, especially as You have said again and again that You will regather scattered Israel to its land in these last days (Jer. 30:3, 10; 31:3-5, 8-12, 16-17, 28; 32:37-44; 33:7-14).

   • Provide affordable housing for all new immigrants – as well as for those who have lived in Israel for decades (Hos. 11:10-11).

   • Cast out from Israel's building industry all corruption and unrighteousness (Jer. 22:13).

   • Lord Yeshua, open the minds and hearts of many gentile believers to see that they are supposed to help You in fulfilling this end time sign of Your soon return (Isa. 60:4-5).

6. Body of Messiah:

   Shabbat's Torah and prophetic readings have a number of verses that are excellent to use to pray for both the Israeli Body of Messiah as well as the worldwide Body.

   • Lord, like You filled Bezaleel with Your Spirit so that he had the skills to help build Your dwelling place, so today fill many brothers and sisters with skills to see the Temple of the Holy Spirit built with beauty and holiness, strength and courage in much godly wisdom (Ex. 31:2-3; 1 Cor. 6:19).

   • We read of how Moses went outside of the camp of Israel in order to meet with You (Ex. 33:7), and how Messiah Yeshua did the same (Heb. 13:12-14). Help us to not shy away from withdrawing from the world and its attractions in order to draw closer to You (Jam. 4:7-8a).

   • Forgive our arrogance that at times cause us to do things which are not first birthed in heaven, and instead let us have the testimony that Elijah had when, in the prophetic portion, he prayed, YHWH God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. (1 Kin. 18:36)

7. Water:

   The Sea of Galilee is about one meter short of being totally full. This is exciting and we will continue to pray and believe that it will be full – all to God's glory (Psa. 115:1-3).

   • Thank You for Your generous gift of rain and snow so far this season (Matt. 5:45b).

   • Please continue to supply enough water to fill the Sea of Galilee and all the aquifers (Isa. 41:17-20).

   • Lord, may the Sea of Galilee be so full that the Deganya gates at its southern end need to be opened and the water then will flow down the Jordan River and into the Dead Sea (Job 37:5-6).

8. IFI:

   We are blessed to be called as watchmen on Jerusalem's walls at this time in history. And we are doubly blessed to be able to share God's prayer burdens with you so that together as One Body we can pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done here on earth. Thank you for continuing to pray for us at IFI for wisdom, strength, the gifts of the Spirit as needed, financial provision and for the next generation of leaders to come on the scene.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Israel

For the IFI team