1. Praise:

   Shabbat's prophetic portion includes Jeremiah's prayer to God after he buys a piece of land and then the first line of God's response. Recall that Jeremiah was shocked by what God told him to do because he had been prophesying that it was God's will for Judah to go into captivity because of their disobedience and rebellion to Him. Still, Jeremiah opens his prayer with a confession of who God is and then, after he finishes, God reaffirms the prophet's confession.

   • Jeremiah: Ah Lord YHWH, behold, You have made the heaven and the earth by Your great power and Your outstretched arm, and there is nothing too hard for You: (Jer. 32:17)

   • God: Behold, I am YHWH, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for Me? (Jer. 32:27)

   • Lord, thank You for challenging each of us with this question to Jeremiah everyday of our lives.

   • Because of what we see You doing in the nation of Israel, and in our lives, we agree that nothing is impossible for You to do (Psa. 147:2; Ezek. 37:1-10; Luke 1:37; 18:27)!

   • We are so grateful that our doubts do not limit what You can do (Rom. 3:3; Phil. 4:13; 2 Tim. 2:13).

   • As You are not a man, You do not lie, so we rejoice that all of Your promises are yes and amen in Messiah (Num. 23:19; 2 Cor. 1:20). [Note that there was no New Testament yet when Paul said this!]

   • What a joy to know You as the God of both time and eternity (Job 24:1; Psa. 31:15; 1 Tim. 6:16).

   • And because You are – absolutely nothing whatsoever takes You by surprise (Isa. 42:9; 46:9-10).

   • Thank You for inviting us to come with boldness into Your throne of grace (Heb. 4:16).

   • We are very thankful for Your patience with us who so often fall short of Your calling on our lives (Ex. 34:6; Psa. 86:15; Rom. 15:5).

   • We confess that You are good and that Your covenant-faithfulness endures forever (Psa. 118:1, 29).

2. Government:

   To stay in power, the current coalition has caved into one demand after another from Ra'am, the Israeli-Arab Islamic party. While some of their demands are reasonable for Arab-Israeli citizens, others are not reasonable for the nation. Also, at this time internal strife is shaking this coalition, so it may be coming to a point where the various divergent parties can no longer cooperate.

   • Lord, lead us how to pray for Israel's current government at this time in history (Luke 11:1b).

   • God, fulfill all the good things that You intend for this coalition to accomplish (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Yet prevent them from making decisions that set bad precedents for future Israeli governments – such as regulations to ease abortions, letting Palestinians build in Area C, submitting to the World Health Organization concerning various health issues, or anything else that would bind up future governments from doing Your will with Your people in Your land.

   • We know that You determine the boundary between compromise and appeasement, and concerning this, as well as all other issues, we declare Your sovereignty over this government (Isa. 54:7b).

   • Uncover all underhanded dealings of anyone or any party in the coalition (Job 12:22).

   • Confront Prime Minister Naftali Bennett with his betrayal of those who voted for him and then lead him on the path of repentance – both in his heart and publically (Job 42:5-6; Psa. 80:3, 7, 19).

   • Remove from Bennett the spirit of appeasement and a willingness to do whatever it takes to remain in power, and replace it with a desire to do Your revealed will (Psa. 145:19-20).

   • Show Ayelet Shaked, the Interior Minister, that her double-mindedness is dangerous for her and the nation, and guide her in Your way (Psa. 119:133; Jam. 1:8).

   • Protect Israel from its Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who often seems to be setting the stage for the creation of a Palestinian state. (Psa. 120:2).

   • Reveal Gantz's true heart intent as we are unclear of where this man really stands (Jer. 17:9-10).

   • Draw Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Your Son and prevent him from doing or saying anything that is against Your will for Israel (Prov. 16:9).

   • Lord, we ask You to use Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman for Your purposes (Dan. 4:17b).

   • Bless Pnina Tamano-Shata, Israel's Minister of Aliyah and Integration, and anoint her for the task You have set before her, and also please remove all obstacles from her path (Psa. 23:5; Isa. 57:14).

   • Regardless of whether Bibi Netanyahu will ever be prime minister again, draw him closer to You, save him and prepare him to do Your will in the future (Prov. 22:29; Jer. 31:3).

   • When Israel's leaders read Shabbat's Torah portion, let the repeated exhortation to fear You and do Your will be driven deep into their hearts and minds (Lev. 25:17, 36, 43).

   • Abba, use the above prayer to work in every Israeli leader's heart so that they end up fearing You more than US President Biden or any other world leader (Psa. 118:6-9).

3. Internal security:

   There is increased concern among Israeli security officials that during the next war, Israeli-Arabs will rise up and help the enemy. The majority of Israeli-Arabs want to live peaceful lives in Israel. Yet as they make up close to 20% of Israeli citizens, or about 1,800,000, even if only 5% are radically anti-Israel, this would mean that Israel could have as many as 90,000 internal traitors to contend with during a time of war. Historically, a small radical minority willing to kill and be killed, rule over a moderate majority, like the Communists in Russia, the Nazis in Germany, and the possibility of this happening by the extreme-left "woke" mobs in America today.

   • From Shabbat's Torah portion: The land shall not be sold forever: for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. (Lev. 25:23) Lord, as the best protection for Israel is to extend its sovereignty over Your land, let its responsible leaders respond positively to this verse over Shabbat.

   • Give Israel's government and the IDF Your plans on how to quench this radical Arab-Israeli danger before it ignites again as in last year's war with Hamas (Prov. 16:27).

   • Help Israel avoid what is spoken of in Ecclesiastes 8:11. Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

   • As we see more acts of intimidation by Israeli-Arabs against the Jews, help the authorities to make godly decisions that will put Your fear on the lawless (Gen. 35:5; Ex. 15:14-16; 2 Chr. 17:10).

   • God, as You did in the past, place the fear of the Jews on their enemies (Est. 8:17; 9:2-3).

   • Do not allow the media's twisted portrayal of Israel's police prevent them from protecting Israel's citizens against these lawless attacks (Rom. 13:1-4).

   • Prevent unity among Israel's Palestinian enemies (Psa. 55:9).

   • Oversee all IDF's operations in Judea and Samaria, letting them be supernaturally successful as they capture and/or kill the terrorists who are planning to kidnap and/or kill Israelis (Psa. 35:1-8).

   • Let accurate actionable intelligence be received by Israel's security forces concerning any plots to wreak havoc in Israel –whether by Israeli-Arabs or Palestinians (Job 42:2; Prov. 15:3).

   • Shield the young IDF soldiers who face demonic hatred as they perform their duties (Psa. 3:3-6).

   • Protect them physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually (2 Sam. 22:3; Psa. 121:3-4).

   • Give them wisdom to know how to respond appropriately in volatile situations (Eccl. 7:19; 9:18a).

   • Encourage both government and military leaders to visibly support all of Israel's security forces.

   • Let the government deal decisively when it comes to asserting Israel's total authority over all of Jerusalem – in particular over its eastern side, including the Temple Mount (Neh. 2:20; Zech. 2:4-5).

   • Send a wave of salvation throughout the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian communities (Jer. 12:14-17).

   • Protect the true Church among the Arabs throughout the land of Israel (Matt. 16:18).

4. External security:

   Iranians are rioting in many parts of their nation over the sudden steep increase in the cost of basic foods. And in Lebanon, Iran's proxy Hizbullah lost around 20 seats in the national elections this past week. Yet as influential Western nations strive to resurrect the Iranian nuclear deal, Iran still poses the greatest threat to Israel and to the rest of the Middle East.

   • God, thank You that so far there has not been any agreement in Vienna on a renewed Iranian nuclear deal (Prov. 19:21; 21:30).

   • Lord, please use the internal unrest in Iran to bring about the sudden downfall of the regime and then replace it with something much better for the Iranians and for Israel (Jer. 49:38).

   • Use the riots to negatively impact Iran's proxies financially and in many other ways (Psa. 59:12-13).

   • Let the regime demise shake the spirit of Islam's hold over the Middle East (1 Kin. 18:38-40).

   • Help the growing Iranian Body of Messiah use this situation to spread the gospel (Phil. 1:15-18).

   • Let Iran's believers share the reason for the hope they have in the midst of the chaos (1 Pet. 3:15).

   • Allow the results of the Lebanese elections to weaken the chain of command of Hezbollah and to bring it crashing down from within (Psa. 59:1-2; Mark 3:25).

   • Give wisdom to the true Lebanese Church to know how to pray and what to do now (John 10:27).

   • Set all believers in the Middle East free from the demonic spirits of replacement theology and anti-Semitism (John 8:32; 1 Tim. 4:1).

   • Enable the IDF to maintain a high alert on the northern border in case Hezbollah tries to draw attention away from its election losses by attacking Israel (Mal. 1:5).

   • Protect all of the IDF's personnel during its month-long "Chariots of Fire" military exercise from accidents or injuries by friendly fire incidents (Psa. 140:7).

   • Use this exercise to expose any weaknesses in the IDF and grant them wisdom and the humility to recognize what needs to be improved (Psa. 144:1-2).

   • Shield the IDF so that all weaknesses that are exposed remain hidden from Israel's enemies (Psa. 17:8-9; 32:7).

   • Anoint the IDF's military planners to come up with out-of-the-box plans to deal with Iran's nuclear facilities and with all of its proxies which have Israel basically surrounded (Mic. 4:11-13).

   • Download plans to the IDF on how to deal with Iran – with or without – US help (Isa. 30:1-3; 31:1).

   • Bring unity to all of Israel's Iranian "experts" so that they speak with Your voice (1 Chr. 12:32).

   • Prevent Russia from interfering with Israel's attacks against Iranian bases and weapons depots in Syria – even if it wants to.

5. Aliyah:

   This is one of the most important signs of the end of this age. If the Jewish people were not being gathered from the ends of the earth – then we would have real questions as to whether what we are seeing is the final act before the return of Messiah Yeshua.

   • When YHWH shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory. (Psa. 102:16) Amen!

   • We thank and praise You for being witnesses to Your rebuilding of Jerusalem and regathering of the scattered people of Israel (Psalm 147:2; Jer. 31:10).

   • With Israel ready to receive the remaining Ethiopian-Jews, Lord remove any obstructions that the Ethiopian government has placed in their path (Isa. 43:5-7).

   • God, declare once again to the "Pharaohs" of all nations which are holding Your people back – to Ethiopia, to Iran, to China and to Venezuela, and to any other place – Let My people go! (Ex. 9:13).

   • Encourage all Jews who have met with any type of obstacle while trying to return to Israel to keep on trying (Deut. 31:6).

   • Remove all bureaucratic obstacles to aliyah in Israel, including replacing any of its representatives in the nations who are not 100% behind this return for every Jew in exile (Isa. 62:10).

   • Help any of Your people who do not have the right paperwork to still be able to come home.

   • May those who have made aliyah give a good report to their friends and families and encourage them also to come home (Prov. 15:30).

   • Provide new immigrants – in fact all Israelis – with affordable housing (Isa. 65:21).

   • Put pressure on the current government to fulfill their promise of building housing throughout Israel, including Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights, the Jordan Valley and the Negev (Josh. 21:43).

   • As Ukrainian and Russian Jews escape their birth-nations, guide them home to Israel (Isa. 11:11-12).

   • In Shabbat's Torah reading: For the children of Israel are servants unto Me; they are My servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am YHWH your God. (Lev. 25:55; cp. 25:38) Lord, many of Your children are still stuck in their modern Egypts. Once again, set them free!

   • We praise You for bringing Your people back to the specific land – as it says in Shabbat's prophetic portion – that You swore to give to Israel's forefathers (Jer. 32:22).

   • Thank You for planting Israel in Your land – with all of Your heart and soul (Jer. 32:41).

   • Give Messianic believers a burden to hear Your Word and to come home (Psa. 137:4-6).

   • Lord, please wake up believers in Your Body who are just deaf, dumb and blind to how important aliyah is to You and to Your reputation in the world today (Jer. 31:8-10; Ezek. 20:41-42; 36:21-24).

6. IFI:

   Thank You for continuing to pray for us as we together ask God to supply all of IFI's needs – spiritual, emotional, mental, physical and financial.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

For the IFI Team

2 Thess. 2:16-17