1. Praise:

    Why did God pull the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage? Why did He set us free from our bondage to sin? These verses from Shabbat's Torah portion shine some light on it.

    • Therefore keep My commandments, and do them: I am YHWH. You shall not profane My holy name; but I will be sanctified among the children of Israel: I am YHWH who sanctifies you, and who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am YHWH.Lev. 22:31-33

    • Lord, we bless and thank You for Your amazing grace in choosing Israel – and us – because of Your love as well as Your commitment to Your promises to Israel's forefathers (Deut. 7:6-8; Rom. 15:8).

    • We praise You because as You told Israel, so You tell us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, and then You encourage us by revealing that we can do this because You are already working in us to will and do of Your good pleasure (Phil. 2:12b-13).

    • What a joy to know that the God who divided the Red Sea is our God (Psa. 78:53; 136:13)!

    • Your arm is not in any way shortened today to continue to perform wonders (Isa. 50:2; Mal. 3:6).

    • It is so exciting to see You keeping Your millennia old promises to Your nation today (2 Cor. 1:20).

    • We bless You for creating us for Your pleasure [Greek: also "will"] (Rev. 4:11).

    • We love You – yet it is very humbling to know that this is because You loved us first (1 John 4:19).

    • It is a wonder to know that what we are today is not Your final product (1 John 3:1-3).

    • It is an even greater wonder to read that we were ordained to receive the gift of Your salvation and repentance before the world was even created (Eph. 1:3-5)!

    • Bless You for sending Your mercy and goodness to chase after us every day of our lives (Psa. 23:6).

  2. Government:

    With the spring Knesset session now in progress the goal of the current Israeli coalition seems to be to avoid new elections in order to stay in power. Yet that is proving to be a serious challenge.

    • In these confusing times, it is good to know that Your Kingdom's government is on the shoulders of Your dear Son, Israel's Messiah and King (Isa. 9:6).

    • We declare with Nebuchadnezzar that You reign over all governments and all peoples (Dan. 4:35).

    • We pray for a new coalition to be formed without the need to go to new elections; a coalition that is stable and much more in line with Your will (Isa. 9:7).

    • We thank You for all the good things that this current coalition has done, or has said it will do, and ask that when there is a new government it will not throw out the baby with the bathwater.

    • [So far, the government says it will go ahead with the approval of about 4,000 housing units in Judea & Samaria although US President Biden and his administration are very upset by this]. Please hold them to these promises as the land of Israel is of utmost importance to You (Jer. 32:41-44).

    • Thank You for the statement this week by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid that Israel has no need of America's or any other nation's approval to build in the settlements (Neh. 2:18).

    • May the next Israeli government be very resistant to having any other nations telling it what it can or cannot do in Israel's biblical homeland of Judea and Samaria (Gen. 13:15; Deut. 34:4; Neh. 9:8).

    • Show Israeli leaders that they need Your backing and not any man or nation's approval and then let them reject the fear of man, receive the fear of God, and build in all areas of Your land (Job 28:28).

    • Place in the heart of all government ministers – current and future – a desire to do what is the best for Israel and remove from every minister personal ambition and pride (2 Sam. 23:1-4).

    • With about 40% of Israelis in most polls saying they prefer Bibi Netanyahu for prime minister, we ask that You would grace him to be able to mend fences with his colleagues (Rom. 12:18).

    • [Ra'am, the Israeli-Arab Islamic party, is threatening to bring the government down if they do not bow to its insistence that the nation of Jordan have more say over the Temple Mount.] Lord, we are very concerned that the government might have caved in to this already by giving more authority to the Wakf Islamic Trust who oversees the Temple Mount (Psa. 74:2; 79:1).

    • If true, let this rejection of their authority over Your holy hill be this coalition's end (Neh. 2:20).

    • It seems that US President Biden's proposed trip in late June will place Israel in a tough situation concerning the creation of a Palestinian State, so we ask You to cancel it (Prov. 16:9).

  3. Internal security:

    Israeli security experts expect that the recent rash of deadly terror attacks by both Palestinians and Israeli-Arabs will continue until the end of 2022. So the authorities are brain-storming on ways to short-circuit this. Also, this week a Palestinian-America journalist from Al-Jazeera was killed in a firefight between the IDF and terrorists. Immediately the Palestinian Authority blamed Israel for this "war-crime" and refused an Israeli offer of a joint investigation to uncover who really shot her. While the opinion in Israel is that she was killed by a stray [?] bullet from the rioters, Israel is being blamed in many quarters and will continue to be blamed regardless of the truth.

    • Grant Your wisdom to Israel's security forces and reveal Your plans and strategies for stopping the current wave of terrorism (Josh. 6:2-5).

    • We ask You to overrule all security decisions that are not from You (Prov. 19:21; 21:31).

    • Let Israel come up with real deterrence which would cause many terrorists to decide to not go ahead with that which they have planned against Jews and other Israelis (Prov. 20:2).

    • Remove all politically-correct thoughts that would hinder Israel's deterrence strategy (Jer. 17:9).

    • Let Israelis strategy and tactics be a step forward in Your plans to root out the Islamic spirit from the hearts and minds of many Muslims in the Middle East, and elsewhere (Psa. 60:8-9; 68:1).

    • Forbid that Israel would be more merciful than You are with murderers (Gen. 9:6; Deut. 19:11-13).

    • Reveal the plans of all terrorists before they strike (Job 12:22; 28:11b; Obad. 1:6).

    • Destroy every network of those who provide weapons to the terrorists (Psa. 55:9; Prov. 16:4).

    • Impart great wisdom to Israel's agents who are searching through social media to find and stop all successful terrorist incitements or activities.

    • Keep every Israeli undercover agent and Arab collaborator hidden (Psa. 17:8; 27:5).

    • May all Israeli security forces be super alert and very effective (Psa. 44:4-5).

    • Lord of hosts; please send battalions of angels to fight alongside all Israel's security forces against those who want to destroy Your nation and Your Word (Psa. 35:1-6).

    • Lord God – again send Your fear before Israel's army and destroy all its enemies (Ex. 23:27).

    • Abba, may the truth of how this journalist was killed come to the light (Prov. 15:3; Luke 12:2).

    • We have seen before how Palestinians have murdered their own – even children [al-Dura] – and then blamed Israel. Lord, arise and let what really happened be known (Job 34:21-22; Heb. 4:13).

    • Guard Israel's leaders as to what to say and what not to say in relation to this death (Psa. 141:3).

    • We ask for Your blessing of protection and growth on the true Church among the Palestinians and that they would be used like leaven which can permeate the rest of their society (Matt. 13:33).

    • Show Israelis and their leaders that real security depends on obeying You and possessing all of the land that You have promised to them (Judg. 2:1-4).

    • With as much mercy as possible, bring about circumstances – like You did in 1967 – that will force Israel to have no choice but to possess all of her possessions (Obad. 1:17).

    • We bless You that despite most Israelis – and most of the world – wanting to see the creation of a Palestinian State on Your land after the 1993 Oslo Accords were signed, we prayed and You rose up so that until this day there is still no "Palestine" (Psa. 33:10-11)!

  4. External security:

    Although Iran has given many reasons to the P5+1 nations that are trying to resurrect the nuclear deal in Vienna to put the final nails in its coffin – this demonic thing continues to live. Yet it was just about everyone's opinion that the deal would be signed a year ago, but God has again heard our prayers and been merciful to Israel – while confounding both sides.

    • We are very thankful, and give You the glory, for Your divine intervention (Psa. 50:15).

    • Lord, continue to work, both openly and behind the scenes, against this evil deal (Est. 6:1-11; 7:10).

    • Confound all who hate Zion and use that confusion to destroy their demonic plans – especially Iran and all of its proxies (Psa. 35:26; 129:5).

    • Lord God, as per Jeremiah 49:38b, arise and destroy the king and the princes of Iran/Elam.

    • When Iran's Supreme Leader is no longer leading that nation, fill his absence with much chaos and infighting and use this to set Iranian citizens – most of whom do not hate Israel – free.

    • May the Church in Iran help set many Iranians free from their bondage of sin (Rom. 6:16-23).

    • [There are reports that Russia is moving some of its troops out of Syria to reinforce its invasion of Ukraine.] Lord, if this is true, confuse Iran's involvement in Syria so that they end up being trapped in the net in which they are trying to set against Israel (Psa. 141:9-10).

    • Show Israel how to take advantage of this possible Russian-vacuum, and along with the absence of any real US involvement in the Middle East, to rise up and be the strong horse (Ezek. 37:10).

    • Oversee the "Chariots of Fire" month-long IDF exercise, and expose any areas of concern for Israel in the event of an all-out war from many sides at the same time (Psa. 28:6-9).

    • During this exercise, protect Israeli soldiers from all friendly fire accidents (2 Sam. 22:3).

    • Bring IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi's vision of deeper cooperation between all the IDF divisions – land, sea, air and cyber – to complete fruition (2 Sam. 10:9-12; Psa. 133:1).

    • While the IDF continues to develop technological weaponry, give them alternative plans in case of technological failure, massive EMP attacks or massive solar flares (Prov. 20:18; 24:6)

    • Aid the IDF as it updates its target banks in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza (Isa. 31:5).

    • Provide the accurate actionable intelligence that will enable effective plans to be made that will also result in the fear of You – the God of Israel – descending on all of Israel's enemies (2 Chr. 17:10).

    • Protect Israel – especially its intelligence units – from being deceived (Job 12:16; Matt. 24:4).

    • Since Israel's survival up to this point is an absolute miracle, we continue to look to You to guard it at least until there is a new heaven and new earth (Psa. 121:4; Jer. 31:10, 35-37).

  5. Aliyah:

    Jewish immigrants [olim] are still arriving – from Ukraine, Russia and other nations. The recent figures from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics show that the Jewish population of Israel is increasing – better than 7 million – while the Jewish exile is definitely diminishing.

    • We bless You for the two sources of increase which add to the number of Jews in Israel – the olim and all of the new babies (Gen. 28:3; 35:11; 48:4; Ex. 1:12).

    • Hallelujah! We praise You for regathering Your people into Your land at this time (Ezek. 11:17).

    • We thank You that the days of the Jewish Exile are over – although better than half of the worldwide Jewish population does not yet understand the true meaning of this (Ezek. 39:27-29).

    • Wake up Jews in exile to see clearly that Your will is for them to return home today (Isa. 43:5-7).

    • Use the fear of the increase of antisemitism to overcome the fear of the unknown which Jews always need to deal with when they come home (Jer. 16:16).

    • Show Jewish leaders in exile that in Israel the shepherds lead their flocks, and then let them see that it is time for them to arise and return to Zion, leading their people home.

    • Continue to bring home the remaining Ethiopian, Iranian and Chinese Jews, all Ukrainian Jews who were held back to fight the Russians, and all other Jews who are trapped in captivity (Jer. 29:11-14).

    • Place a deep homesickness and a longing in the hearts and minds of all Israelis living outside of the borders of Your land to come back home to Israel (Psa. 137:5-6)

    • Open wide the gates in Israel for Messianic Jews and their families to return (Isa. 35:10; 51:11).

    • Place Your burden on them to return and to no longer worship You in a foreign land (Psa. 137:4).

    • We specifically ask that Pnina Tamano-Shata will continue as Minister of Aliyah and Integration in whatever government rules in Israel, and that You would save her (Psa. 75:6-7).

    • Since the Jews coming home concerns Your holy name being sanctified, we ask You to give Israel leaders who see the aliyah and the integration of new olim as a very high priority (Ezek. 36:23-24).

    • Plant Your people so deeply in this land that they will nevermore be uprooted (Amos 9:14-15).

    • You have promised that land in the entire nation will be bought and sold by Your people when they return. Please bring this to pass and lower the costs of living and housing (Jer. 32:44; 33:12-14).

  6. The Body of Messiah:

    While the Church is growing tremendously in most of the world, most Western nations are very clearly post-Christian. Islam takes more ground there, and the "woke" mob drives Western nations into destruction. Yet is the foundational reason of why God has lifted His hand of protection in the West based on the reality that the majority of the Western Church is either into replacement theology or is anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist?

    • Lord Yeshua, this is Your Body; pleas cast out all anti-Semitic spirits from it (Eph. 5:27).

    • Warn them that they are cutting themselves off from the root – Your promises to Israel [cp. Gen. 12:3b with Gal. 3:8 as one example] – which are foundational for Your Body (Rom. 11:18).

    • Remind them that You came to Israel in order that gentiles could also be saved and worship Israel's God and its King Messiah (Rom. 15:8-12).

    • Pour out on each member of Your Body a deeper hunger and thirst for Your Word at this time in history (Psa. 1:1-3; 119:11, 105, 114, 130; Jer. 15:16; 2 Tim. 2:15).

    • Remove all ideas of unity for unity's sake and replace every other goal in the Body with the one goal that is decalared in Your Word – Your glory (Psa. 115:1-3; John 12:27-28; 17:1, 4-5; Phil. 2:5-11)!

  7. IFI:

    Maintaining a constant watch over Israel – especially as we move deeper into those hard times Messiah Yeshua prophesied would occur before His return – can be very exhausting. Your prayers help sustain us as we intercede and your financial gifts and notes of support encourage us to press on and finish the race He has set before this ministry. Of course, our greatest joy is when we see God answering prayers and fulfilling His Word so openly before the world. And that is why we pray as much as possible using His Word as our foundation (1 John 5:14-15).

Thank you, Shabbat shalom and blessings from the land of Israel

For the IFI team

2 John 1:3