1. Praise:

   In Shabbat's prophetic portion we read of the Holy Spirit's work linked with God's grace. This is what we see in the New Testament as well, as the Spirit of God works in our hearts through His grace – His unmerited favor.

   • This is the word of YHWH to Zerubbabel, saying, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says YHWH of hosts. Who are you great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain, and he shall bring forth the headstone if it with exaltation, crying "Grace, grace unto it"'.Zech. 4:6-7

   • Lord, thank You for Your grace which enables us to receive the gift of Your Spirit (Acts 10:44-47).

   • Praise You for the gift of the Holy Spirit working in us to bring about repentance (Acts 11:15-18).

   • We thank You for the outpouring of Your Holy Spirit which then empowers us to be Your witnesses (Luke 24:48-49; Acts 1:8; Rom. 15:19).

   • Yeshua Lord, we rest in the truth that You are the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8).

   • We bless You for Your Word which reveals to us truth and so sets us free (John 8:31-32, 36; 17:17).

   • We are very grateful that we can know when Your Spirit is at work as the result will always be that You, Lord Yeshua, are glorified (John 16:14; cp. 1 Cor. 12:3).

   • We wait in hope and expectation for the day when everyone will bow to You and confess that You are Lord – to the glory of God our Father (Phil. 2:9-11).

2. Aliyah:

   Because God has created Israel for His glory, His regathering of His people to His land aids this to be accomplished (Isa. 43:5-7).

   • Thank You for drawing Your people back home – not because they deserve it – but because Your name will be glorified through this obvious fulfillment of Your prophetic word (Ezek. 36:21-24, 32).

   • Since You are doing this with all of Your heart and soul (Jer. 32:41), we persist in prayer asking for it so that Your will can be done on earth in our day (Matt. 6:9-10).

   • We rejoice that since January 2022, 100,000 people have immigrated to Israel, the majority of which are biblically Jews, with either a Jewish father or mother or both (Isa. 43:5-7).

   • Abba, remove all excuses from every Jew in exile who can return – but refuses to do so (Jer. 51:9).

   • Eliminate that nice sounding Greek word "diaspora" from Jewish lips and replace it with the biblical term which accurately describes the condition of Your people who are outside of Israel – "captivity" (Jer. 30:3, 10, 18; 31:23; 32:44; 33:7, 11, 26; Joel 3:1 plus many other verses).

   • Open doors so that Jews who are trapped in certain nations can return to Israel (Isaiah 57:13b-14).

   • When Ukrainian men who are Jewish, or part of a Jewish family that has already made aliyah, are released from the army, let them come to Zion and not drag their families back there (Jer. 3:12-14).

   • Move by Your Spirit on Your people to respond positively to Your urging them to return so that they can save their lives – even if they need to lose their lifestyles (Gen. 12:1; Jer. 16:16a; 31:3).

   • As anti-Semitism increases in the West (Jer. 16:16b), let anxiety increase in Jewish hearts and turn their minds towards Zion (Jer. 50:4-5).

   • Cut off all false aliyah – when Jews flee their birth-nation for any nation not called Israel.

   • Work in those who have begun, but not completed, the process of making aliyah (Psa. 15:4b).

   • Speak clearly unto Jewish leaders and rabbis to make aliyah and by doing so, to provoke the rest of their communities to follow (Isa. 63:11; Jer. 23:4).

   • Thank You for hearing prayers as we are beginning to see an easing of the process for Jews to get their citizenship through the removing of some unnecessary bureaucratic requirements and extraneous steps (Isa. 62:10).

   • Please continue to remove all obstacles as quickly as possible (Job 9:4-5; Psa. 81:6-7).

   • Provide jobs, affordable housing, finances and community for all new immigrants [olim], making it easier for them to be more firmly planted in Your land (2 Kin. 19:30; Amos 9:14-15).

   • Give the new olim a passion to settle in all areas of Your land (Jer. 32:43-4; Obad. 1:17-20).

   • Open the eyes of more Christian Zionists to the centrality of aliyah in Your plans today (Isa. 49:22).

3. Salvation:

   The following verses from the prophetic portion reveal that God is a unity –not a singularity – as we read of two Yahweh of hosts, with One saying that the Other sent Him. Now we understand why Yeshua said more than 40 times in the gospel of John that the Father sent Him!

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

   • Lord, open Your people's eyes to what You say here and not what they think it says (Psa. 119:18).

   • Help them to see that Zechariah 3:8-9 is fulfilled in Yeshua, as He is Your Servant the Branch who has the authority to remove the sin of those who trust in Him (Jer. 31:34; John 1:29; 1 John 2:2).

   • Please restore Your Word as a priority to Your people and teach them to use it to judge every word of man – regardless of how "holy" the rabbis or scholars might be (Psa. 119:97-100; Mark 7:13).

   • May Your Word, as a hammer and a fire, deeply shake up unsaved Jewish hearts (Jer. 23:29).

   • Use the Psalms, which many Orthodox read daily, to reveal Your Son, their Messiah (Heb. 4:12).

   • Watch over all the seeds that have been planted in the hearts of unsaved Jews and bring about a great harvest at this season (1 Cor. 3:6-7).

   • Train believers to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading when sharing about Yeshua (Prov. 25:11).

   • As millions of Muslims are being called to faith in You through dreams and visions, so touch Your people with a revelation of their real King Messiah and Savior (Joel 2:28-29; Rev. 1:10-18).

   • Give to many ex-Muslim believers a burden to provoke Jews to jealousy (Rom. 11:11).

4. Government:

   We continue to intercede, asking for God to oversee, and as needed to overrule, all of Israel's current coalition's deliberations and to make His priorities their priorities.

   • Thank You that at this time Israel seems to have a fairly stable government and new elections are not lurking just around the corner, and so we continue to pray for Israel's authorities (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

   • Use PM Bibi Netanyahu for Your glory and not for his own agenda (Jer. 13:15-16b).

   • Anoint him to lead the newly formed committee to tackle Israel's high cost of living (Prov. 29:2).

   • Enable legislation to be passed that will aid in the battle against all unrighteous activities, especially in Israel's housing industry, but also against all other areas of greedy activities (Prov. 14:34).

   • Move the hearts of all of Israel's politicians so that they line up with Your heart (Prov. 21:1).

   • Surround Israeli ministers with godly advisors who can help filter out the junk and protect them from "information overload" (Ex. 36:6-7; Num. 11:16-25; Prov. 11:14; 15:22).

   • At the same time, remove all ungodly advisors from Israeli leaders (Prov. 25:5).

   • Protect all those who serve Israel politically, both physically and spiritually (2 Sam. 22:3).

   • Allow progress to be made towards a judicial reform that causes Israel's court system, judges and lawyers to become more righteous in Your sight (Isa. 1:25-27).

   • With Israel trying to be at the cutting edge of Artificial Intelligence [AI], we ask You to watch over Your nation and protect it from all unseen dangerous that can accompany AI (Psa. 121:4; 139:2).

5. Internal security:

   The Torah portion has this verse about Israel's internal enemies: If you go to war in your land against an enemy who oppresses you and you sound an alarm on silver trumpets, you will be remembered before YHWH your God, and be saved from your enemies. (Num. 10:9)

   • Lord, let our prayers ascend up before You like the blowing of silver trumpets, and save Your people from their enemies (Deut. 20:4; 33:29; Psa. 18:3).

   • God, fulfill this verse that we read in the prophetic portion in our day: YHWH shall inherit Judah, His portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. (Zech. 2:12)

   • Pressure Israel's current right-wing government to extend sovereignty over all of its God-promised possessions, beginning with the E1 corridor just northeast of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:20; Obad. 1:17).

   • Again we ask for angelic protection on Israel's roads from accidents and terror attacks (Deut. 28:6).

   • Protect those in the IDF and Israel's other security forces who have been tasked with defending the citizens of Israel (Psa. 28:7-9; 35:1-2).

   • Continue to grant miraculous success to the IDF's Operation Break the Wave as they fight terrorism in Judea and especially in Samaria (Josh. 1:3-6).

   • We grieve over the murders of three IDF soldiers by an Egyptian terrorist on the shared border this past week and plead with You to not allow their deaths to be in vain (Rom. 8:28).

   • Show the IDF what lessons they need to learn and if they should change the rules of engagement on that border, or any other changes that might be needed (Psa. 144:1).

   • Remove all distractions from soldiers who are on active duty (1 Chr. 12:33).

   • Prevent the IDF from setting standards that are politically correct – yet are not biblically correct (Psa. 119:89, 105, 130).

   • Strengthen the faith of the believers in the IDF, and pair them up with other believers (Luke 10:1).

6. External security:

   We used these powerful verses in the Torah portion in prayer for Israel's security situation: [As 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, to the countless thousands of Israel'. (Num. 10:35-36)

   • Lord, You know who Israel's enemies are because they also hate You (Psa. 83:2).

   • God, arise and scatter Your enemies who hate You and who also delight in war (Psa. 68:1, 30).

   • Yet we also ask for Your saving power to fall on many of Your enemies (Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:21).

   • Prepare Israel to fight a multi-front war against Iran and its proxies (Prov. 21:31; Luke 14:31).

   • Increase financial support for weapons development in all areas – especially with Israel's Iron Beam laser system and all aspects of its cyberwarfare (Luke 14:28-30).

   • Thank You for the progress Israel has made with its electromagnetic pulse [EMP] weaponry – both offensive and defensive – and please show Israel how to use it wisely (Prov. 8:12).

   • Filter through all the plans that are before the IDF's Iran Command so that all plans that are from You remain, but all that are not will be blown away (Prov. 16:9; 19:21).

   • Reveal all plans of Iran and Hizbullah that Israel is unaware of (2 Kin. 6:12).

   • Deal with Iran's nuclear program supernaturally, so that You receive all the glory (Num. 16:30).

   • Provide all Israeli undercover agents with accurate information, while You also keep them hidden and protected from any deception (Mark 4:22).

   • Draw many more Iranians who are disillusioned and frustrated with Islam unto You (John 6:44).

   • Cut all ties – financial and diplomatic – between Iran and China and Iran and Russia (Psa. 55:9).

   • Shield Israel from any ungodly pressure from America to allow the creation of a Palestinian state on Your land in exchange for normalization with Saudi Arabia (Joel 3:1-2).

   • As Iran has just been promoted to two important positions in the UN - show Israel when it is time to wipe the dirt off their feet and leave that ungodly organization (Prov. 11:21; 16:5; Mark 6:11).

7. Body of Messiah:

   Once again we read in the Torah portion of Moses' effective intercession: When the people murmured, it displeased YHWH…His anger was kindled, and the fire of YHWH burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto YHWH, the fire was quenched. (Num. 11:1-2)

   • Lord Yeshua, impress upon all of us in Your Body that there is nothing as effective as intercession to see You move powerfully in line with Your will (Luke 18:1-8; Jam. 5:16b).

   • Teach us to persistently pray into the burdens that You – and not other people – lay upon us so that there will be no gaps in the wall (Neh. 3:1-32; Isa. 62:6-7).

   • Remove the theological error that worship and praise is basically just another form of prayer – and replace it with the simple biblical truth that prayer is "asking" (Matt., 7:7-8; John 4:10; 11:22; 14:13; 15:7; Jam. 5:16-18; 1 John 5:14-15).

   • Guide Your Body in prayer so that our arrows hit the mark over and over again (2 Kin. 13:17-19).

   • We bless You for giving us Your Word – which is powerful when we declare it to people – and is also extremely powerful when we use it in prayer (Isa. 55:11; 1 John 5:14-15).

   • Grace all of us to remain steadfast and faithful in Your calling on our lives (1 Cor. 15:58).

   • Thank You that You never grow weary and as we wait upon You we can be renewed (Isa. 40:28).

8. IFI:

   All of the above for the Body concerning prayer also applies to IFI. Praying into the same areas week after week can be very wearisome and also can cause us to doubt whether we are praying in line with His will. Yet His Word keeps us focused and encourages us to press on. Your prayers and support are a tremendous help as well. Thank you.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Israel,

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Psa. 50:15