1. Praise:

   In Shabbat's Torah portion, Moses explains why God chose Israel, and it is the same two reasons why He chose us, Jew and Gentile, who are today part of Messiah's Body: because He loved us (John 3:16) and because He would keep His oath to Israel's fathers (Rom. 15:8; Gal. 3:8)!

   • For you are a holy people unto YHWH your God; YHWH your God has chosen you to be a special people unto Himself, above all [other] people…YHWH did not set His love upon you, or choose you, because you were more numerous than other people…but because YHWH loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn to your fathers, has YHWH brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of [Egyptian bondage].Deut. 7:6-8; cp. 4:37

   • Lord, it is humbling for us to know that we love You only because You first loved us (1 John 4:19).

   • Yet it is also very reassuring to know that You did love us first (Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:9)!

   • We bless You as we see Your love displayed openly to the world in the aliyah today (Jer. 31:3-5).

   • We praise You for this biblical truth as Moses challenges God's people to know and to consider that YHWH – He is God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath: there is none else. (Deut. 4:39)

   • Lord, thank You for beginning to fulfill Isaiah 40:5 in Shabbat's prophetic portion through Your first coming and we wait, trusting You for the final fulfillment in Your return. "Come, Lord Yeshua!"

   • Yeshua, God the Son, we rejoice that it says in both the prophetic portion and in the New Testament, that Your Word will never pass away (Isa. 40:8; Mark 13:31; cp. Psa. 119:89).

   • We praise You, Lord Messiah, the Light of the world, for using both Israel and Your Body to shine Your light into the ever increasing darkness of this present age (Isa. 60:1-2; John 8:12).

   • We bless You, King of Israel, for You are the One who measures the waters in the palms of Your hands, and to whom the nations are like drop in the bucket (Isa. 40:12-15).

   • We stand in awe that although You dwell on high, yet You are still interested in us (Psa. 113:5-6).

2. Government:

   The current transitional government under Prime Minister Lapid and Defense Minister Gantz gets high marks for how they oversaw last weekend's battle with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad [PIJ] in Gaza. While we thank God for that, we also pray that this does not propel them to be Israel's next leaders after the November 1st elections.

   • Thank You for the strong stance Israel's politicians took against terrorism (Rom. 13:1-4).

   • Yet we still do not trust Lapid and Gantz, and question what they would have done if there were no elections on the horizon, therefore please lead us as we pray (Psa. 10:17; Jam. 4:2b-3).

   • Expose the real hearts of all politicians to Israeli voters before the elections (Jer. 17:9-10).

   • Also expose the real policy platforms of each Israeli political party.

   • Work in the hearts of Israelis so that on Election Day they vote in line with Your will (Prov. 16:9).

   • Lord, in the election campaign, bring any unseen "Davids" – men and women after Your heart – out of the shadows and raise them to the positions ordained for them (1 Sam. 16:10-13; Psa. 75:6-7).

   • Let those who honor Your Word and Your land rise to the top in the next government (1 Sam. 2:30).

   • Lord, give Israel a governing coalition that will possess all of its territorial possessions (Obad. 1:17).

   • Raise up, with a greater authority, leaders who will build up Judea and Samaria (Isa. 44:24-28).

   • Give Israel leaders who prioritize dependence on You, and not on other nations (Psa. 118: 8-9).

   • Place in office those with a genuine heart to keep aliyah as a major priority (Jer. 32:41).

   • Appoint ministers to portfolios based on their capabilities, and not on political favors (Prov. 29:26).

   • Appoint ministers who view justice and righteousness in a biblical manner (Isa. 1:25-27; 56:1).

   • Show the next government how best to get the ultra-orthodox and Israeli-Arabs communities more involved in Israeli society (Ex. 12:49; Lev. 17:12; 19:33; Num. 35:15).

   • Thank You for leading Israel's leaders to more closely examine its relationship with China, and now please oversee in Your wisdom and by Your guidance all Israeli/Chinese interactions (Josh. 9:14-16).

   • While nations have "interests," not "friends," let Israel have Your interests as its goal (Deut. 4:6).

3. Internal security:

   Last weekend, the IDF attacked PIJ terrorists and bases after several days of locking down the south of the nation because of PIJ threats. Most PIJ local leaders were killed, yet the group was still able to launch over one thousand rockets at Israeli civilians and towns.

   • Lord, we believe Israel will only have real security after it possesses the land which You told it to possess in Shabbat's Torah portion (Deut. 4:1, 5, 14, 21-22; 5:31; 6:1).

   • Show today's Israelis how serious You are about giving Your land to them as they read several times in the Torah how You have sworn to give this land to their fathers (Deut. 6:10, 18-19, 23).

   • Continue to increase the number of communities and settlers in Judea and Samaria (Isa 54:2-3).

   • May the EU-backed illegal Palestinian building projects in Area C end up being used by Israel to lower housing costs, as well as to house new immigrants (Jer. 31:5; 32:42-44; Ezek. 36:8-10).

   • We bless You that Hamas did not join in the fight against Israel, but please do not allow Israelis to be – even for a second – fooled into viewing Hamas as anything other than a deadly foe (Mic. 4:11).

   • Use the recent conflict to set PIJ and Hamas at each other's throats (Psa. 35:1-8).

   • With PIJ's two main Gaza leaders killed let the group lose all cohesion and direction (Psa. 129:5).

   • Expose and destroy all terror cells and their leaders in Judea and Samaria – regardless of which faction or group they pledge their allegiance to (Job 12:22).

   • Provide all that is needed so that the Israeli police's anti-terrorist units, working with the IDF, can completely accomplish that last prayer request.

   • We praise You for answering prayers as we saw the IDF's precise strikes, the rapid response of Israel in dealing with distorted media reports, and Your overall protection of its citizens (Psa. 50:15).

   • Continue to give Israel amazingly accurate intelligence and protect all of its sources (Job 28:11b).

   • Thank You for keeping Israeli Arabs quiet and also for allowing thousands of Jews to ascend to the Temple Mount last Sunday on Tisha b'Av with no rioting in Jerusalem at all (Isa. 31:5).

4. External security:

   The spirit of Islam is what binds most of Israel's modern enemies together. Fundamentalist Muslims are anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist because of the teaching of the Koran. Yet most Western nations today are in appeasement mode with this spirit although history teaches us how well that worked out with the recent example of Hitler, and today Iran waiting in the wings.

   • God, we praise You that in the prophetic portion You empathically declare that the nations and their leaders are as nothing before You who are the Sovereign Lord of all (Isa. 40:15, 17, 22-23).

   • At this time in history, Lord God, arise and show all the nations whose aim is to annihilate Israel the truth of those declarations to which we just referred (Job 12:16-25; Psa. 9:19-20; 83:1-4, 16-18)?

   • You who are a consuming fire, and a jealous God – guard over Israel today (Deut. 4:24; 5:9; 6:15)

   • Download Your strategy to the IDF against all of its external foes (Prov. 21:31).

   • Lord, hinder the EU and America from resurrecting that evil Iran nuclear deal (Isa. 8:9-10).

   • Guide Israel to know exactly what are the next steps it should take regarding Iran (Psa. 32:8-9).

   • Continue to give Israel freedom, accurate intelligence and boldness as it wars against Iran's attempts to establish itself in Syria – even in the face of increased Russian criticism (Deut. 31:6; Josh. 1:9).

   • Arise, Lord, and destroy Iran's demonic regime through "natural" disasters (Psa. 68:1; Jer. 49:38b).

   • Swallow Iran's nuclear facilities supernaturally and then receive all the glory (Num. 16:30-33).

   • Increase the animosity of the Iranian people against their demonic leadership.

   • Use the massive demonstrations by Iraqis against Iran's involvement, even control in their nation to break all ties between those nations who historically have warred against one another (Mark 3:26).

   • In fact, break all ties Iran has with its proxies and allies – leaving it confused and alone (Psa. 55:9).

   • In response to Hizbullah's increased overt aggression against the UN's observer forces in Lebanon, remove UNIFIL from the Israeli/Lebanese border area altogether (Num. 14:9b; 24:7-9).

   • God, arise and draw Hizbullah into the trap You have already set for it (Eccl. 10:8; Ezek. 35:12).

   • If the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime border is part of this trap, then overrule all of Israel and Lebanon's leaders to make decisions that bring Hizbullah down (Prov. 21:1).

   • Take away Hizbullah's leader Nasrallah, and then let the whole organization be divided, leading to a massive civil war in its midst (Job 26:12; Matt. 12:25).

   • Increase the animosity of the Lebanese people against the death grip Hizbullah has on their nation.

   • Empower the Church in the Middle East to be a 5th column against the Islamic spirit (Eph. 6:10-18).

5. Aliyah:

   We watch the recent surge in aliyah knowing that this is a major sign that Messiah Yeshua's return is near. Aliyah is declared to be for God's holy name's sake (Ezek. 36:22-24), and Yeshua taught us that the sanctification of God's name is the first thing we pray for (Matt. 6:9). So why are most born-again believers totally deaf, dumb and blind to praying for and helping the Jewish return from exile to Israel today? [Hint: they are not being taught the full counsel of God!]

   • While we hate seeing the war between Russia and Ukraine, we thank You that since February 24th to July 31st – 18,891 Russian Jews, and 12,175 Ukrainian Jews have come home (Isa. 49:12).

   • Continue to keep the doors open for Russian Jews to make aliyah regardless of whether the Jewish Agency in Russia remains open or not (Acts 5:19).

   • Protect and gather in all the remaining Jews in Ukraine, enabling many to join their families who already live in Israel (Jer. 16:15).

   • Install a new government in Israel that will open the doors even wider for Jews and their families to immigrate and that will endeavor to make the process easier and smoother (Isa. 57:14).

   • Sovereignly open the gates in nations where Jews are not allowed to leave freely (Psa. 5:8; 124:6-8).

   • Expose all the lies underlying anti-Israel propaganda in the nations while also removing any fears of making aliyah from the hearts of Your people (Josh. 1:9).

   • Show Western Jews that now is the time to save their lives – not their lifestyles (Jer. 51:6)!

   • For those who have had the courage to make aliyah, bless them with a successful absorption into the nation and its society and an ability to adapt to their new life and language (Jer. 33:10-14).

   • May every gentile believer grasp that the ingathering of Your people is tied to the sanctification of Your name, and then let them set themselves to at least pray for it (Psa. 115:1-3; Isa. 43:5-7, 21).

6. The salvation of Israel and Messiah's Body:

   The prophetic readings after last week's Tisha b'Av until Rosh Hashanah are known as the readings of comfort or consolation. This Shabbat, Jews will be reminded that they of all the nations have paid double for their sins, and gentile believers will be told to specifically comfort them by declaring to "Jerusalem" the good news.

   • Comfort, comfort My people [Israel], says your God [There is only one group of people in all of history this could apply to – as only gentile believers have ever declared that Israel's God is also their God]. Speak to the heart to Jerusalem, cry to her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she has received of YHWH's hand double for all her sins.Isa. 40:1-2; cp. Amos 3:2

   • Thank You for redeeming Israel out of Egypt to be Your people of inheritance… (Deut. 4:20)

   • Hear, O Israel: YHWH our God is one YHWH; and you shall love YHWH your God with all your heart, and…soul, and…might. Abba, as the Shema is read over Shabbat, convict Jews that no one is able to love You in this way by themselves, but that they need Your grace to obey (Deut. 6:4-5).

   • And as they read in the prophetic portion of a voice crying in the wilderness, guide them by Your Spirit to make the connection to John the Baptist and Yeshua (Isa. 40:3; Matt. 3:1-3; John 1:23).

   • Thank You Lord Yeshua, for You did obey the Shema completely and so are the perfect sacrifice for all who believe that You died and rose from the dead (Rom. 10:8-9; Heb. 10:1-10).

   • May Jews who seek You find You as You draw them to Yourself through Your grace (Jer. 29:13).

   • Yeshua, Lord, once again do miracles in the synagogues throughout the land of Israel (Matt. 4:23).

   • Pour out Your Spirit and deal with the drought of hearing and reading Your Word in both the Jewish community and in the Church (Jer. 15:16; Amos 8:11).

   • Remove all rabbis and preachers who do not teach and preach from Your Word (Acts 20:27-31).

   • Reveal to the Jews that the Talmud is not the Word of God but of men (Deut. 4:2; Jer. 23:36).

   • Reveal to the Church that just reading a daily devotional is not honoring Your Word – written and living – which saved them (Luke 8:12; 2 Tim. 2:15; Jam. 1:21).

   • Use the love of Gentile believers towards Jews to provoke them to jealousy (Rom. 11:11).

7. Water:

   This land drinks the water of heaven which only God can provide. Our goal in prayer is to ask for rain and to have Israelis know that the water they drink and use is from Him.

   • When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue fails for thirst, I YHWH will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water …That they may see, and know, consider, and understand together, that the hand of YHWH has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.Isa. 41:17-20

   • Lord, please fulfill this word this season and also send Israel the dew at this time (Psa. 133:3).

8. IFI:

   Thank you for your prayers, your notes of encouragement and your financial gifts. It is only by His grace that we are able to continue, but the support of the Body is to us like Aaron and Hur holding up the arms of Moses.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from the city of the Great King

For the IFI team

Psa. 48:1-2, 8: Matt. 5:35b