1. Praise:

    God often says in the Scripture that what He says will come to pass. Shabbat's Torah portion has this verse: YHWH said to Moses, 'Is YHWH's hand waxed short? You shall now see whether My word shall come to pass unto you or not'. (Num. 11:23)

    • Lord, we are truly blessed to be able to trust You to do all that You have said (Jer. 4:28).

    • We thank You for watching over Your Word to fulfill it in our day (Jer. 1:12; Zech. 8:1-8).

    • Lord God of Israel, we rejoice in knowing that Your Word – both the Living and the written – never returns to You empty but always accomplishes everything that You send it out to do (Isa. 55:11).

    • We are reassured to read that if we pray in line with Your will You will answer (1 John 5:14-15).

    • We praise You for putting the following truth in the mouth of Balaam, that prophet for profit: God is not a man, that He should lie; nor the son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and shall He not accomplish it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not establish it? (Num. 23:19)

    • We are also extremely grateful that the above is not true for whatever a person might say: Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not? (Lam. 3:37)

    • We bless You for this verse in Shabbat's prophetic reading: Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says YHWH of hosts. Who are you great mountain? Before Zerubbabel become a plain, and he shall bring forth the headstone of it with shouts, 'Grace, grace unto it'. (Zech. 4:6b-7)

    • We thank You that Zechariah 4:6b is the verse engraved on the large bronze Menorah that sits across the street from Israel's parliament – its Knesset.

    • We live with great confidence, as we know that nothing can take You by surprise (Isa. 46:9-10).

  2. Government:

    Only God knows how much longer Israel's current governing coalition can last. Yet as Israelis we are still obligated to pray for it – and we thank you for praying along with us for this nation's rulers as well (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

    • We trust in You Lord who lifts up leaders and who brings them down (Dan. 4:17, 25, 32).

    • Lord God, guide us as we pray into Israel's politics as we know through past and present experience that what many politicians say is not what they end up doing (Matt. 5:37).

    • Fulfill Your will with Israel's current coalition and forbid all else (Prov. 16:9; 19;21).

    • While the time allotted for this government to continue to function is uncertain, we know that this decision is not of man but of You – and ask that in Your perfect timing it will fall (Eccl. 3:1-2).

    • During this allotted time, anoint all ministers with Your wisdom for their office (Prov. 24:3).

    • Use this unruly time to clear out the dross from Israel's political scene and to prepare the way for a righteous government which will honor You (Isa. 1:25-26).

    • If Israel does hold new elections, Lord please remove those who betrayed their voters (Gal. 6:7).

    • Abba, if it is in line with Your will, have mercy on Israel by allowing a new right-wing coalition to be formed from within the current Knesset without Israel needing new elections (Psa. 66:20).

    • If Bibi Netanyahu is Your choice for Israel's next leader, as he is the choice of more Israelis than anyone else, work humility into his heart and mind, and remove all vindictive spirits (Rom. 12:17-19).

    • Let this government's instability cancel US President Biden's visit to Israel in mid-July (Prov. 16:9).

    • Do not let Yair Lapid become the interim Prime Minister – especially if Biden does come.

    • Lord, please oversee what Israel's relationship with Saudi Arabia should be today (Psa. 33:10-11).

  3. Internal security:

    Israel is successfully stopping terror attacks almost daily. The Torah portion contains a verse very encouraging to us because while we do not literally blow silver trumpets, our intercessions which are based on His Word are our way of reminding God of His promises to Israel.

    • If you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresses you, then blow an alarm with the [silver] trumpets; and you shall be remembered before YHWH your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. (Num. 10:9) Amen!

    • We remind You of Jeremiah 31:10 and thank You for fulfilling all three aspects of this verse, as You first scattered Your people and are now both gathering and guarding them.

    • We thank You that the IDF's recent offensive actions against Palestinian and Israeli-Arab terrorists has resulted in huge successes – as well as cutting off the recent terror wave (Psa. 44:4-8)

    • Continue to guard Israel's security forces as they protect Your nation (Psa. 140:7).

    • Forbid any further successful kidnapping attempts (Ex. 21:16).

    • Give Israel increased success in obtaining accurate actionable intelligence (Isa. 29:15; Jer. 23:24).

    • Lord, arrange circumstances so that Israel has no choice but it needs to extend its sovereignty over all of the land west of the Jordan River as soon as possible (Deut. 11:25; Judg. 2:1-5).

    • If the extension of civil law for Israelis living in Judea and Samaria is not passed by the end of June, then let that be the trigger for Israel to extend its sovereignty over that area (Obad. 1:17).

    • Yet if not, please let the extension of civil law be approved for all Israeli citizens living there.

    • Prepare the IDF for the day after Palestinian Authority President Abbas is gone (Job 28:20-24)

    • God, confront the hypocritical EU who wants Israel to fill in the gaps of their boycott of Russian natural gas, and yet has just released 200+ million Euros to the PA although the PA's new school text books are even more anti-Semitic and pro-jihad than previously (Job 15:34; 27:8; Matt. 23:23).

    • Challenge EU leaders and bureaucrats with their financial support of this child-abuse (Luke 17:1-2).

    • Also challenge Israel's leaders as they have not confronted the EU about this (Prov. 11:21; 16:5).

    • Lord, thank You for declaring in the prophetic portion that You have chosen Jerusalem and that You Yourself are the One who rebukes Satan when he interferes with Your will (Zech. 3:2; Jude 1:9).

    • God, we ask You to remove the PA's Abbas, Hezbollah's Nasrallah and Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini from their "thrones" at about the same time – and use it to cause massive confusion and infighting in the midst of these enemies of Yours and of Israel (Psa. 59:8-10).

  4. External security:

    Israel is threatened from Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and everywhere else that Iran and its proxies have influence. Also both America and Russia are perceived as pulling out of the Middle East [ME], so this seems to be a good opportunity for Israel to take the role of being the "strong horse" to which other ME nations can look to and depend on.

    • From the Torah reading: …when the ark set forward, Moses said, 'Rise up YHWH, and let Your enemies be scattered; and let them that hate You flee before You'. And when it rested, he said, 'Return, YHWH, unto the many thousands of Israel'. (Num. 10:35-36)

    • Lord, You hear Iran's consistent and public threats to wipe Israel off the map! Rise up and scatter all of Your enemies – and then receive all of the glory (Psa. 68:1; 83:1-4; 115:1-3).

    • Send a spirit of the fear of Israel's God on Iran's leaders – causing division, miscommunications and paranoia between them, their allies and their proxies (Josh. 2:9-11).

    • Block all pathways for weapons transfers and finances from Iran to her proxies (Obad. 1:7-8).

    • Lord, continue to smash Iran's economy and please show the Iranian Church that this is a biblically linked to their government's constant cursing of Israel (Num. 23:9b).

    • Use China's purchase of more Russian oil to cut deeply into Iran's exports to China (Ezek. 21:27a).

    • As Russia pulls troops out of Syria, reveal to Israel if Iran attempts to fill those gaps (Job 12:22).

    • Create in Syria's President Assad a greater fear of Israel than of Iran (2 Sam. 10:19).

    • With the IDF's current offense against Palestinian terrorists being so successful, show Israel's leaders that pre-empting its enemies who repeatedly threaten to annihilate it is an excellent strategy to take to protect Israel (Prov. 21:31).

    • Strip from Israel's leaders' all fear of man and of other nations – and let Your fear alone guide them in each one of their decisions (Ex. 1:17; Job 28:28; Psa. 118:6).

    • Give Israel's leaders wisdom about what to do or not to do, and about what to say or not to say in relation to Israel's activities against Iran's attempts to embed themselves in Syria (Prov. 17:27-28).

    • Use Israel's "exceedingly great" Navy to defend Israel's resources in the seas (Ezek. 37:10).

    • We give You praise for Israel's military industry's development of many new, or improved, weapons systems, vehicles and naval ships that have just been revealed (Isa. 41:15; Mic. 4:11-13).

    • Also gift Israel with cutting-edge breakthroughs in the area of cyberwarfare (Isa. 45:7; 50:10).

    • Caution Israel if it is revealing things that it should not be revealing (Isa. 39:1-7).

    • [Defense Minister Benny Gantz wants to choose the next IDF Chief of Staff now so if coalition falls, his man will be in place.] Lord, please override any choice that is not of You (Prov. 19:21).

    • Anoint the IDF's current head, Aviv Kochavi, with Your wisdom until You replace him (Psa. 37:18).

  5. Aliyah:

    Several planeloads of Ethiopians recently arrived in Israel. This is an answer to prayer yet the rest of the Ethiopians also need to come home as soon as possible, as do the remnant of the Jews living in exile. This past week, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration announced that 25,000 new immigrants [olim] have come to Israel from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Moldova since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine (Rom. 8:28).

    • Thank You God for these two very encouraging reports (Prov. 15:30a; 25:25). More, Lord!

    • Yet we grieve to read that 5,000 Ukrainian Jews moved to Germany. Regardless of whether that was their first choice or because of any obstacles in Israel, we ask You to halt this "false-aliyah" and bring Your people home to Your/their land (Jer. 30:3, 10, 18-22).

    • We ask that Israel's government, the current and the next, make aliyah a major priority (Jer. 32:41).

    • Root and ground all the new olim in Your land (Amos 9:14-15).

    • Provide financial support that the new olim need from both Jews who choose to remain in their birth country, as well as a huge increase from born-again believers (Ezra 1:6; Isa. 60:5).

    • Lord, remove the blindness of Jews in the West to see the anti-Semitic writing/graffiti on the walls, in their media and among some of their politicians today (Isa. 43:5-8).

    • Let Your people see that what they call the "diaspora" is what You call "captivity" (Joel 3:1).

    • You said that You will gather Your people and leave none of them outside the borders of Your land, therefore increase the urgency in Jewish hearts and minds to return home today (Ezek. 39:28).

    • Lord, challenge the thinking of American Jews that the US is their promised land (Psa. 137:5-6).

    • May the expectations of Nefesh b'Nefesh for a large summer aliyah from America and Canada end up being only a small percentage of how many North American Jews actually do return (Jer. 51:9-10).

    • Please provide the finances Nefesh b'Nefesh needs to help Jewish families who are on their waiting list to come home– and may much of this money come from believers (Isa. 60:5; Rom. 15:27).

    • Let the biblical doctrine that aliyah is for Your holy name's sake become revelation truth to all the teaching elders in today's Church who do not as yet see this (Ezek. 36:21-24, 32).

  6. Salvation:

    Does Yeshua fulfill the prophetic expectations of Messiah that we read about in the Tanach? According to the following verses in Shabbat's prophetic portion – He definitely does. [For an in-depth, but brief study on this topic, see Chuck & Karen Cohen's My Lord and My God]

    • Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, says YHWH. And many gentiles shall be joined to YHWH in that day, and shall be My people: and I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that YHWH of hosts has sent Me unto you.Zech. 2:10-11

    • Lord, as Your people read this on Shabbat, confront them with the truth revealed here that there is more than one Yahweh in this verse as Yahweh of hosts sends Yahweh to dwell with Israel, and this manifestation of Yahweh on earth then says that gentiles will be joined to Him. If this is not Yeshua then who do they think this will be (John 10:16; 17:18, 25)? [Note: more than 40 times in the gospel of John alone Yeshua declares that the Father has sent Him!]

    • Use Zechariah 3:8-9 to also stir up many Jews to consider who God is talking about as He states that His Servant the Branch will remove the iniquity of the land in one day!

    • May Your Word lead more Jews to seek for an answer of these revelations (Jer. 29:13).

    • Let that 2,000 year old fountain become very active in cleansing many Israelis today (Zech. 13:1).

    • Prepare the Israeli Body of Messiah to receive and disciple many new believers (2 Tim. 2:1-2).

  7. The Body of Messiah:

    We perceive that biggest problem in the Church today – especially in the West – is the lack of understanding that all the Bible – from Genesis to Revelation – is still God's Word today. If this were not the case, there would be no place for Replacement Theology or anti-Semitism/Zionism – yet most of the Western Church is defiled by these demonic doctrines.

    • Lord, there should not be a famine of Your Word in the Body – but there is and we ask You to pour out Your Spirit and drench this disastrous situation by the water of Your Word (Eph. 5:26).

    • Let Your Word become our necessary food for each day (Psa. 119:11, 18; Jer. 15:16).

    • As we see the world becoming more and more like the days of Noah, show us how to run to the Ark and not to drown in the overflowing judgment that is soon to come (Matt. 24:35-39).

    • Forgive the Body for not being effective witnesses of You Yeshua, which has contributed to so many Western nations becoming post-Christian (Acts 1:8; 2:32; 5:32; 2 Tim. 2:2),

  8. IFI:

    The Torah portion pictures one reason why God has called IFI into existence at this time. Like Moses, we stand in the gap between God's righteous anger on His people and plead with Him for mercy. The people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto YHWH, the fire [His judgment on His ungrateful people] was quenched. (Num. 11:2; cp. Ezek. 22:30-31). Your prayers, notes of encouragement and financial support enable us to do this on a consistent basis. We thank you and eventually – all of Israel will thank you as well.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Israel

For the IFI team

Psalm 134:3