1. Praise:

   Isaiah 63:9 in Shabbat's prophetic reading describes God's relationship with Israel, and also with those of us who are now grafted into Israel's olive tree in Messiah Yeshua: In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them…and carried them all the days of old.

   • Thank You for Your everlasting love towards Your nation Israel (1 Kin. 10:9; Hos. 11:1).

   • We bless You for Your eternal love and mercy towards us who trust in Messiah Yeshua (Eph., 2:4).

   • Hallelujah! Holy One of Israel, You are now our Kinsman-Redeemer (Deut. 7:7-9; Heb. 2:14-17).

   • We praise You that You continued to carry Your people even as they constantly complained about You, Your servant Moses, and the wilderness wanderings (Ex. 14:11-13; 16:3-4; 17:3-6).

   • Lord, we rejoice that when we walk through our wilderness periods, You carry us as well, yet it is often only when we look back that we see it (Deut. 1:31; Isa. 46:3-4; Luke 15:4-7).

   • Your faithfulness to Israel and to us inspires us to press on with You (1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Thess. 3:3).

   • Regardless of how we feel, we trust You are working in us right now for Your purposes (Phil. 2:13), and are continually teaching us to walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

   • We bless You that through prayer and thanksgiving You turn our anxiety into peace (Phil. 4:6-7).

   • Thank You Father for being a part of the fulfillment of Isaiah 62:6-7 in the prophetic reading as You have set us as watchmen on Jerusalem's walls so that Your city becomes a source of praise unto You.

2. Government & society:

   God is not a God of confusion but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33). He is also the One who creates order out of chaos (Gen. 1:2), and beauty from ashes (Isa. 61:3). Based on these truths and others like them, we have direction to pray into Israel's current chaotic internal state.

   • King Yeshua, manifest Your orderly authority over Israel today (Isa. 33:22; Matt. 28:18).

   • Lord God, speak peace to Your people at this time and silence the public rage (Psa. 65:7; 85:8).

   • Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25), be the final Arbitrator in all that Israel's High Court's decides to do in regards to the Basic Laws which the government has already passed (Psa. 9:19-20; 76:12).

   • Prepare Israel's security forces to deal with the frustration and anger from all sides of Israeli society irrespective of what the High Court decides (Psa. 32:8; Prov. 11:12).

   • Protect Israel against the extremes of the tyranny of the majority or the tyranny of the minority (Lev. 25:17, 43; Psa. 12:5; Eccl. 4:1).

   • Again we intercede for You to fulfill Isaiah 1:25-27 as soon as possible – and do it suddenly.

   • Lord, bring forth good out of the anti-government chaos and threats (Jer. 32:17, 27; Rom. 8:28).

   • Scatter all the spiritual forces of darkness that are trying to divide Your nation (Psa. 68:1; 83:1-4).

   • Use people in all sections of Israeli society who do believe in Your Word to have a major influence on the rest of the nation (Psa. 119:100, 104, 126-128).

   • As long as You have PM Bibi Netanyahu leading Israel, rule in his life and guide him to do all that is Your will for Israel's Prime Minister at this time in history (Prov. 19:21; 21:1).

   • Strengthen Bibi to resist the US administration's deluge of unbiblical demands (Psa. 146:3-5).

   • Lord, do not allow Jack Lew, who was ex-President Obama's Chief of Staff and one of the architects of Obama's evil Iranian deal, to be approved as the next US Ambassador to Israel (Psa. 75:4-7).

   • Quicken the integration of the Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] into both the IDF and society (Isa. 11:12-13).

   • Promote new Haredi leaders who will affirm their communities' oneness with the rest of Israel.

   • Mold together Israel's security services and Israeli-Arab leaders in the fight against Arab criminals who are murdering many Israeli-Arabs (Ex. 20:13; Num. 35:16-19, 31).

   • Save many Israeli-Arabs and use them to change the spiritual state of their societies (Ex. 18:9-12).

3. Internal security:

   With deadly Palestinian terrorism increasing, it is imperative for Israel to fight this as a full-fledged war, and to use this to extend its sovereignty over more of its land.

   • Allow the current increase in deadly terror attacks to show Israeli leaders the need to extend Israel's sovereignty over more – if not all– of the land which You have sworn to give to them as You have stated several times in Shabbat's Torah portion (Deut. 31:7, 23b).

   • Advance the planned expansion of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria (Isa. 54:2-3; 65:21-23).

   • Fulfill Your promise in the Torah portion concerning Israel's foes found in Deuteronomy 30:7.

   • Encourage Israel's security forces to deal as harshly as needed with its deadly enemies by speaking to them out of the Torah portion: Be strong and of good courage; fear not, nor be afraid of them; for YHWH your God, He it is that goes with you; He will not fail nor forsake you. (Deut. 31:6)

   • Install a fear of the IDF and of You in the hearts of the Islamic terrorists (Deut. 2:2; 2 Chr. 17:10).

   • Download Your strategy to the IDF on how to deal with Israel's internal enemy (2 Sam. 5:17-25).

   • Thank You for the increased IDF activity against the terrorists and their camps (Isa. 41:15-16).

   • Let there be no let-up until all terrorism inside of Israel is defeated (2 Kin. 13:18-19; Isa. 60:18).

   • Provide divine protection over all of Israel's security forces (Deut. 33:29; Psa. 3:3).

   • Do not let Israel be deterred from doing what it needs to do to protect its people just because most nations will condemn it for doing that which is biblical and just (Ex. 4:11; Eccl. 8:11; Rom. 13:3-4).

   • Let Israel reinstate all security checkpoints at the borders of current Palestinian areas (Judg. 5:6-8).

   • Anoint the IDF to expose and stymie Iran's smuggling attempts of weapons and finances into Israel in support of the Palestinian terrorist groups (Prov. 11:21; 16:5).

   • Lord God, as we approach the 30th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, please drive the final nail into its coffin and heal Your people from its anti-biblical influence (Jer. 8:11, 15)..

   • Lead Israel's enemies to fall into the nets that they have laid for the innocent (Psa. 35:8; 57:6).

   • Send strong delusion and dissension into the midst of Israel's adversaries (Psa. 35:4; 109:29).

   • Show the Palestinians, especially the terrorists, that Allah is not protecting them, and use this to both shame them and turn many of them to You (Josh. 2:9-11; Psa. 83:16-18).

   • Strengthen the true Church among the Palestinians (Matt. 16:18b-19).

4. External security:

   Today Iran is the major source of the threats against Israel both internally and externally – especially through its various proxies. Yet many Western nations still do business with them, and this is one reason why God's is judging the West at this time.

   • Lord, the nations rage against You and Your nation; arise and silence them (Psa. 31:18; Dan. 6:22).

   • We thank You for Israel's invisible wall of protection against Iran and its proxies (2 Kin. 6:17).

   • Gift the IDF's Iran Command with strategies and tactics to fight Iran and its proxies (Isa. 55:8-9).

   • Raise up commanders in the IDF like the mighty warriors in biblical times (Zech. 9:13-17; 12:6).

   • Increase the development of Israel's high tech weaponry, like cyber, laser and EMP (Prov. 8:12).

   • At the same time, help Your nation to be quieter concerning these advances (2 Kin. 20:13).

   • Turn Israel away from seeking for protection from any group or nation, and turn it to cry out to You to arise and be their shield and their defense (Gen. 15:1; Deut. 33:29; Psa. 62:2,6; Isa. 31:1).

   • Remind Israel that the UN is seen by You as the "United Nothings" and must not be trusted to offer any type of protection against Hizbullah on Israel's northern and northeastern borders (Isa. 40:15-17).

   • Forbid the US from mediating between Israel and Lebanon concerning their mutual border, as the last time America did this Israel ended up surrendering valuable ocean resources to Hizbullah, and they have sent the same diplomat to mediate the border (Deut. 27:17; Psa. 74:17; Prov. 22:28).

   • Shake Iran physically, socially, financially and politically (Jer. 49:38b).

   • Lord God Almighty, is it not time for Iran to reap the benefits from all of the death and destruction that it has sown (Job 4:8; Ezek. 35:6; Gal. 6:7)?

   • Send evil spirits between Iran and Russia and Iran and China (Judg. 9:23; 1 Sam. 16:14).

   • Guide Iranian believers as they pray for their nation (1 Tim. 2:1-4), and show them the importance of interceding for and blessing Israel (Gen. 12:3a; Psa. 122:6).

   • Have the final say in any normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Forbid that any expansion of the Abraham Accords would straitjacket Israel from expanding its sovereignty over all of Your land (Gen. 13:14-15; Obad. 1:17-20).

   • Give great insight to Israel concerning diplomatic relations with Russia and China (Eccl. 8:5).

5. Aliyah:

   God declares that this end-time regathering of His people is for His glory (Isa. 43:5-7, 21), for His holy name's sake (Ezek. 36:22-24, 32). This is why we continue to persist in asking God to gather all of His people back to His land (Luke 11:2).

   • Use those in Your Body who pray for aliyah to be a major influence on many others (2 Tim. 2:2).

   • Speak to more elders and believers to openly and unashamedly stand with You as You regather the outcasts of Israel today (Matt. 5:17-18; Gal. 4:16).

   • Lord, for Your glory's sake, fulfill Deuteronomy 30:4-5 in the Torah portion (cp. Isa. 43:5-7, 21).

   • Abba Father, sovereignly remove anything that is holding Your people trapped in captivity (Isa. 62:10), especially the obstacles in their hearts and minds (Psa. 78:6-8; Heb. 3:15-19).

   • We include in this Jewish believers, many of whom do not even consider aliyah (Isa. 35:10; 51:11).

   • We prefer You to draw Your people home in Your love (Jer. 31:3), but if not, we ask You to chase them home through helping them to see the demonic growth of anti-Semitism today (Jer. 16:16).

   • Show Jews who are scared of living in Israel that Israel can fight and defeat terrorism, but the recent natural disasters and other "acts of God" cannot be fought against or defeated (Hag. 2:6, 21-23).

   • Rewrite Israel's Law of Return so that it reflects Your Word's definition of 'who is a Jew' and not the unbiblical definition that rabbinic tradition has placed on it (Prov. 22:17; Jer. 8:9).

   • Move on the new immigrants to desire to live in all areas of the Promised Land (Jer. 33:12-1-4).

6. Salvation:

   This is Ellul, the month of repentance, on the Jewish calendar. Many Jews make an effort to get right with God and man, in order to pray on Rosh Hashanah and to pray and fast on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, with a clear conscience. Yet without being born-again by trusting in Yeshua this is impossible since the problem is not bad deeds, but a twisted sinful nature (Rom. 3:23).

   • Lord, let all of the verses from Your Word that are found in the High Holyday prayer books, be like a fire and burn Your truth into the hearts and minds of many of Your people (Jer. 23:29; John 17:17).

   • Stir up more Jews to recognize the futility of repeating the same prayers of repentance every year, and then cause them to cry out to You to turn them (Psa. 80:3, 7, 19; Heb. 9:23-28).

   • Still, we do thank You that repentance is a major part of the Jewish mindset (Lam. 5:21).

   • Use Deuteronomy 30:6 in the Torah portion to cause many to ask You to circumcise their hearts.

   • Also let the Jews see that Isaiah 63:4-5 in the prophetic portion reveals a salvation that is totally by grace because it depends only on God's actions.

   • Restore the image of who the biblical Messiah is supposed to be, and root out all unbiblical pictures that end up describing a false Messiah and also a false gospel (Gen. 45:1-5; Rev. 22:16).

   • Abba Father, pour out the Spirit of Your Son (Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19; 1 Pet. 1:11) on Your people in the Haredi, Conservative and Reform communities; on Jews who are involved with Chabad; upon the Religious Zionists, especially those dwelling in Judea and Samaria; on secular Jews in Israel and in exile; on Jewish politicians in Israel and in the nations; on IDF personnel in all branches and of every rank; on medical professionals – including those in Israel's abortion clinics; teachers and professors; university students; workers in the hi-tech industries; archeologists; tour guides; touch Jews involved in the occult; on drug addicts, sex-addicts and alcoholics; survivors of terror attacks and their families; families of terrorist victims; Holocaust survivors and their families; many new immigrants of the past few years; and on all unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jewish families (Isa. 44:22; Acts 2:17-21).

   • I bring near My righteousness (Rom. 3:21-26); it shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not tarry (Rom. 1:16): and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel My glory. (Isaiah 46:13) Amen!

7. Body of Messiah:

   God's Spirit is leading us to persist in prayer for all our brothers and sisters in Messiah to totally embrace all of His Word – from Genesis to Revelation. Only through doing this will the false teachings and deceptions which are invading believing circles today be revealed as they are – anti-biblical and therefore very dangerous.

   • Lord, help us to obtain an understanding of Your Word that enables us to know what You are doing today – and equally as important – what is not of You (Psa. 119:105; 130; John 17:17; 2 Tim. 2:15).

   • During Ellul, may many believers, including elders, repent for rejecting 76% of Your revelation of Yourself and Your purposes revealed in the Tanach, the Old Testament (Matt. 22:29; Luke 24:25-27).

   • Expose the hypocrisy of trusting in Yeshua yet of rejecting the only Bible Yeshua, Paul and the rest of the early believers read, trusted in, and honored (Isa. 8:20; Jer. 8:7-9; Matt. 5:17-18; Mark. 12:24).

   • Show born-again believers that to feed their spirits, they need to digest spiritual food – which is only found in Your Word (Jer. 15:16; Matt. 7:24-25).

   • Replace elders who refuse to teach the full counsel of God with elders who will (Acts 20:26-32).

   • Do not allow believers to be drawn away by any "secret things," as mentioned in the Torah portion, and end up not majoring on those things You have shown us to do to please You (Deut. 29:29).

   • Remind gentile believers that as branches grafted into Israel's olive tree, they take sustenance from the root – which is God's promises to Israel's forefathers (Rom. 11:16-18; 15:8-12; Gal. 3:8).

8. IFI:

   Please continue to pray for us to have His wisdom so that we can both pray and share with others like you how to pray for Israel's during this season. Thank you in advance.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Jerusalem

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Isa. 61:10-11