1. Praise:

   In Shabbat's Torah portion we again read that nothing is impossible for God. He tells Abraham that he will have a son with 90 year old Sarah. Is anything too hard for YHWH? At the time appointed I will return to you…and Sarah shall have a son…YHWH visited Sarah as He had said and YHWH did to Sarah as He had spoken. (Gen. 18:14, 21:1)

   • Thank You Lord that as Creator of all – absolutely nothing is too hard for You (Jer. 32:17, 27).

   • We thank You once again that nothing whatsoever takes You by surprise (Isa, 42:9).

   • We rejoice that You watch over Your Word to fulfill it in Your way and timing (Jer. 1:12; Hab. 2:3).

   • We bless You for encouraging us to be bold in prayer – especially when we know that what we are praying for is in line with Your will as revealed in Your Word (Heb. 4:16; 1 John 5:14-15).

   • We stand amazed when You do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:20).

   • We praise You for the quietness and peace we have when we totally trust in You (Isa. 26:3).

   • We rest in the certainty that You rule over all governments – especially Israel's (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Your Word is trustworthy because You are trustworthy (Psa. 138:2b; In the Hebrew this verse is better translated as "You have magnified Your Word upon Your name/ Your essential nature.")

   • Hallelujah! You are good and Your plans for Israel and for us are good (Jer. 29:10-11; 33:12-14).

2. Government:

   Our prayer battle over Israel's elections is finished and we have been granted a big victory. Yet another prayer battle has begun, which is to pray into the negotiations between Bibi Netanyahu and the parties he wants to include in his coalition.

   • We know that while Netanyahu is far from perfect (Eccl. 7:20), You have used him in the past for Your glory and for Israel's good, and we ask for You to do this once again (Psa. 115:1-3).

   • Let Netanyahu recognize You as his King and walk humbly and justly before You (Mic. 6:8).

   • Deafen him to all anti-biblical advice and surround him with godly advisors (Psa. 1:1; 1 Cor. 15:33).

   • Strengthen and defend Netanyahu against all the negative media coverage and hateful politicians – both in Israel and abroad (Jer. 1:17-19).

   • Do not allow Bibi to be pressured by Jews who choose to live among the gentiles, and yet tell him which "offensive" politicians to keep out of his coalition, but they pay no taxes, have no children in the IDF, and partake of the "comforts" and "leeks and onions" of modern-day Babylon (Isa. 48:20).

   • Let the choice of who should be the Defense Minister, Foreign Minister, Finance Minister, Justice Minister, Interior Minister and all of the others be aligned with Your will (Prov. 8:15-16; 21:1).

   • Do not let Netanyahu submit to manipulation from the smaller parties that will make up his coalition (Num. 23:23; Rom. 12:18), but empower him with Your wisdom so that he hands out ministries based on skill and not on political favors (Psa. 32:8-9; Prov. 3:5-6; Dan. 1:17).

   • Protect Netanyahu and all of Israel's government from the snare of the fear of man (Prov. 29:25).

   • As this is likely Bibi's last time as Prime Minister, help him to prepare a successor (1 Kin. 19:16b).

   • Promote politicians who put the welfare of Israel before their own desires and goals (Jer. 23:3-4)

   • Block the ugly views in Israeli and global media about Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, portraying them out as servants of Satan before they can show who they really are today (1 Cor. 4:5).

   • Lord, block Benny Gantz and his party from being brought into the new government (Job 12:14).

   • Guide the coalition as it deals with limiting the power of the Supreme Court to override laws passed by the elected Knesset members (Deut. 1:16; 16:18; Isa. 1:25-26).

   • Use this coalition to preserve Israel from being a nation like every other nation (Num. 23:9b).

3. Internal security:

   The Palestinians are likely more upset with their leaders than with Israel's. Palestinian Authority [PA] security forces have broken up many demonstrations of people wanting a better government. Also PA President Abbas, the "darling" of the democratic West, is serving his 18th year of a four year term. Despite an increase of terrorism against Israelis, an explosion among the Palestinians is expected once Abbas – in his mid-80s and not in good health – is gone. Meanwhile, Hamas is waiting to take over.

   • Lord, have mercy in the timing of Abbas' departure with Israel currently in transition (Psa. 31:15).

   • Prepare Israel for the explosion that will follow Abbas' removal from his position (1 Chr. 11:14).

   • Grant wisdom to Israel to know whether to respond or not to respond as the chaos among the various Palestinian factions leads to much violence and bloodshed (Prov. 26:17).

   • Prepare the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria for this chaos as well (Zech. 12:6).

   • Prevent any internal Palestinian conflicts from negatively impacting Israel's mixed Jewish-Arab cities (Isa. 60:18).

   • We give You all of the glory for the success of the IDF's Operation Break the Wave's activities against Palestinian terrorists (Deut. 11:25; Josh. 10:8).

   • Continue giving them success and protecting all who are involved in this Operation (Psa. 18:47).

   • Lord of hosts, please supply all that the IDF needs to defend Your nation (Mic. 4:13).

   • Protect Israel's accurate intelligence gathering against their Palestinian enemies (Job. 12:22).

   • Guard over all who transmit this intelligence as well as those who analyze it (Eccl. 8:5b).

   • Aid Israel in the development of new weapons technologies and give Israel great wisdom to know who to share this with and who it should not (Prov. 8:12; Isa, 39:1-7).

   • Lord Yeshua, please orchestrate it so that believers in the IDF will be paired up together (Mark 6:7).

   • Let Ecclesiastes 8:11 be implemented by all of Israel's responsible security leaders.

   • Guide the next government to extend Israel's sovereignty over all the land west of the Jordan River and to build both communities and houses throughout Your land (Isa. 44:24-26).

   • Raise up a Defense Minister who will crack down on all illegal building that the Palestinians are doing – with EU help – in Area C, and around Jerusalem, and instead allow Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria to be built and expanded (Neh. 2:20; Psa. 51:18; Jer. 31:3-5; 32:41-44; 33:10-14).

4. External security:

   Iran is still in chaos internally. It has threatened to strike at outside targets – like Saudi Arabia and Iraq – to move the world's attention off of their vicious dealings with many Iranian citizens who are demonstrating against their fundamentalist Islamic Shi'ite regime.

   • That be far from You to do this, to slay the righteous with the wicked: so that the righteous should be as the wicked… Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen. 18:25) Amen!

   • Use the weak and foolish protestors to confound the wise and mighty Shi'ite regime (1 Cor. 1:27).

   • We bless You for setting Your throne in Elam through the growing Iranian church, and ask that You would quickly destroy the king and the princes – which is part of that same promise (Jer. 49:38).

   • Increase the pressure on this Iranian regime – internally and externally (Jer. 49:36-37).

   • Send evil spirits between Iran's leaders and between Iran and its proxies (Judg. 9:23; 1 Sam. 16:14).

   • At this time, Lord prepare Your chosen replacement to be Iran's next leader (1 Sam. 16:13).

   • Lead the Iranian Body of Messiah to pray in line with Your Word (Num. 23:19; Luke 11:1)

   • Give the EU courage to go beyond words and actually sanction both Russia and Iran (Matt. 5:37).

   • Break up all communications, business dealings and confound any agreements between Iran, Russia and China, as well as between Iran and her proxies (Psa. 55:6-11).

   • Reveal to the Russian and Chinese Churches the curses their governments have brought on those nations by their aiding of Iran who has declared Israel's annihilation as its top goal (Num. 24:9b).

   • Expose hidden advancements of weaponry in Iran to Israel's intelligence services (Psa. 139:11-12).

   • Enable Israel's new prime minister and defense minister to work in unity with the IDF's new Chief of Staff Halevi and the IDF's Iran Command in all of Israel's preparations against Iran (Prov. 21:31).

   • Netanyahu said pre-election that he would not honor the Lebanon Maritime agreement, yet now give him Your wisdom to know what to do (Psa. 23:3b).

   • Prevent the financial gain of these gas fields from going into Hizbullah's treasury (Prov. 21:7).

5. Aliyah:

   The Torah portion tells of God's judgment on Sodom and how two angels had to drag Lot and his family out (Gen. 19:15-16). It seems to us that this is again needed as most Jews refuse to leave their comfortable Western captivity. As we watch the tremendous increase of Jews returning to Israel from Russia and Ukraine, we have to also consider that Russian President Putin might be one of God's hunters released to chase the Jews home (Jer. 16:16). [Please recall that God has used very wicked men in the past for His glory – Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Pilate, et al.]

   • Lord God, if Putin is a type of Your last-days hunters, please have great mercy on You people stuck in the captivity as You release other hunters to chase them home (Psa. 98:3; 136:11; Isa. 14:1).

   • We ask You to draw many back through Your covenant-love and faithfulness instead of driving them back through increased anti-Semitism (Jer. 31:3).

   • Shake the complacency out of the Jews in exile and let them see the rising dangers against them and their families from both the right and the left in most Western nations (Deut. 8:12-14; Rev. 3:17).

   • Lord, raise up a Cyrus in Iran who will set the Iranian Jews free to come home (2 Chr. 36:22-23).

   • When the Jewish men in Ukraine are able to leave, let them join their families in Israel and not try to bring their families back to Ukraine (Jer. 31:8-9).

   • Seal Israel in the hearts of students and lone soldiers who have spent time in the land (Isa. 62:4-5).

   • Oversee any and all changes in Israel's Law of Return – and if it is not to be changed, block all attempts to amend it (Psa. 33:10-11; Prov. 19:21).

   • Create a unity among all agencies involved in bringing Your people home (Psa. 133:1).

   • Set up more watchmen on the walls to pray for Your will for aliyah to be fulfilled (Isa. 62:6-7).

   • Raise up more believers to perceive by Your the Spirit that it is Your expressed will for all Jews to return at this time (Jer. 31:3, 10; 31:3, 10, 16-17; Ezek. 39:27-29).

6. Salvation:

   Genesis 22, the binding of Isaac, is in the Torah portion. This is also a foreshadow of God the Father sacrificing His Only Son who in hindsight turns out to be that lamb that Abraham told Isaac about: My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. (Gen. 22:8b)

   • By Your Spirit, during the reading of the Torah portion, reveal the parallels of this event to the giving of Yeshua and cause Your people to seek You about this (Jer. 29:13; John 16:13, 25).

   • Lord, as You appear so clearly to Abraham in this portion, provoke many Jews to wonder who You were as You told Moses that no one sees You face to face, and yet both Abraham and Moses did (Ex. 34:20; cp. John 1:18).

   • Lord, as we are saved by grace alone, pour out in an increasingly greater measure Your promised Spirit of grace upon Your nation (Zech. 12:10).

   • Reveal Your Son Yeshua to the multitudes of Jews and their families who have returned to Israel over the past few years (Ezek. 36:24-29).

   • May Your Word have preeminence over all other writings in the minds and hearts of unsaved Jews, and as they read the Tanach make it come alive to them (Psa. 119:49-50, 130; Jer. 15:16; Heb. 4:12).

   • Pour out a hunger and thirst for righteousness and a desire to know Messiah (Matt. 5:6).

   • Water those seeds which have been planted this year and bring forth much fruit (1 Cor. 3:6-7).

   • Lord, highlight to many more believers Your written command for them to pray for Israel's salvation as found in Jeremiah 31:6-7. ["Watchmen" (31:6) notzrim – is in today's Hebrew the word for "Christian".]

7. The Body of Messiah:

   We often get the sense that the Church sees itself as a totally separate entity from Israel in God's sight. Yet born-again gentiles, as well as believing Jews, are grafted into Israel's cultivated olive tree and gentile believers are now a part of the commonwealth of Israel.

   • Lord, show Your Body what it means that the root of Israel's olive tree – Your promises to Israel's forefathers (Rom. 15:8-12) – support them and not the other way around (Rom. 11:11-18).

   • Let Your Body see that the promise to Abraham, repeated in the Torah portion, that in his Seed all nations will be blessed, is in reality the gospel to the gentiles (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:8).

   • Encourage all Christian Zionists to continue standing with Israel, regardless of the current headlines accusing Israel's new government of being "radical and anti-Arab," and remind them of how often the media's headlines blaspheme and lie about the true Church and You Lord (John 8:44; 1 John 2:22).

   • Anoint the Body to see that You are fulfilling multitudes pf prophecies in restoring Israel today and give them a burden to support that and to pray for it (Ezra 1:1; Psa. 147:2; Jer. 32:41).

   • Embolden more preachers and teachers to proclaim the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) without being ashamed of Your love for Israel (Deut. 7:6-8) as well as Your commitment to watch over Your promises to Israel (Isa. 55:11), which is all for Your holy name's sake (Psa. 115:1-3; Ezek. 36:21-32).

8. IFI:

   The spiritual battle has increased now that Israel might have the type of government we have been praying for. Derek Prince taught that it is often after victory that Enemy attacks increase. Please pray for us to not be discouraged, to have wisdom and strength in prayer, and to know what prayer burdens He wants us to carry today. Also, please do not forget to pray for all of the practical issues which are involved in running this ministry – health, finances, an ability to communicate to you and to one another. We thank you in advance.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Israel

For the IFI team

2 Thess. 3:16