1. Praise:

   Shabbat's Torah portion has another declaration of God's sovereign reign over heaven and earth. Abraham sends his servant back to his family to get a bride for Isaac, says: I will make you swear by YHWH, the God of heaven and the God of the earth… (Gen. 24:3a)

   • Lord God, it is good to be reminded at this time in history that You do indeed reign (Psa. 103:19).

   • King Messiah Yeshua, we gladly proclaim that You are Lord of all (Matt. 28:18; Acts10:36).

   • We thank You for constantly repeating this very important truth in Your Word that You are God of the whole earth today (Ex. 8:22; Deut. 4:39; 10:14; Psa. 96:10; Isa. 52:7; Dan. 4:35; Matt. 28:18).

   • When we do not understand what You are doing or why You are allowing things to be done, we are reminded and encouraged that Your thoughts and Your ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:9).

   • It is also very comforting to recall that what is meant for evil, You often use for good (Gen. 50:20).

   • We rejoice that regardless of how difficult our lives have been, we can say as King David said in the prophetic portion, As YHWH lives who has redeemed my soul out of all trouble… (1 Kin. 1:29)

   • Hallelujah! You exist outside of time, therefore nothing ever takes You by surprise (Isa. 42:9).

   • Give thanks to YHWH, for He is good, for His covenant-love endures forever.Psa. 118:1; 136:1

2. "Operation Swords of Iron":

   This is the name of Israel's war on Hamas which Hamas started by their October 7th massacre against Israelis living near Gaza (Psa. 79:9-12).

   • Lord, again we read in the Torah portion a declaration that Israel will possess the gate of those who hate them (Gen. 24:60a), and so we pray for You to fulfill this word in Gaza at this time.

   • Continue to guide Israel's war against Hamas until total victory (2 Sam. 23:12; Isa. 30:21).

   • Give the IDF the equipment, courage, wisdom, protection and rest that is needed (Zech. 12:4-12).

   • Provide the needs of every soldier's family and friends anxiously waiting at home (1 Sam. 30:24).

   • Guard Israel's soldiers against friendly fire or other deadly accidents (Psa. 91:4; 140:7).

   • Direct their footsteps through the hazardous territories in Gaza (Psa. 32:8; Isa. 30:21).

   • Lord Yeshua, destroy Hamas' demonic spiritual protection (Psa. 68:20-21; Zech. 3:2; Mal. 3:11), as You release Your angelic hosts to fight alongside the IDF against them (Psa. 59:5; 2 Kin. 6:16-17).

   • Lord God of hosts, ensure that the IDF's rules of engagement are in line with biblical standards and are not limited by the West's humanistic and mostly ungodly ones (Num. 35:16-21, 31; Rom. 13:1-4).

   • Anoint Israel's drone operators and Air Force as they target and take out Israel's enemies (Isa. 31:5).

   • Show the IDF how to completely destroy Hamas' vast underground tunnel system in Gaza, along with the terrorists and traps contained in them (Job 34:21-22; Psa. 95:3-4a; 124:6-8; Jer. 51:20-21).

   • Destroy all of Hamas' fuel supplies which enable the tunnels to be inhabitable – and chase them out of their hiding places in full sight of the IDF (Job 18:5-6; Psa. 35:1-8; Isa. 24:17-18; Mic. 7:15-17).

   • Let Hamas plunge into all of the traps they have set for the IDF (Est. 7:10; Psa. 57:6; Prov. 26:27).

   • Cut off every Hamas "head" – regardless of whether they are in Gaza or outside (Psa. 34:16).

   • In mercy Abba, protect Israel's hostages and set them free (Psa. 18:16-17; 124:7; Isa. 49:24-26).

   • Send angels to miraculously release them as You did with Lot and Peter (Gen. 19:16; Acts 12:5-11).

   • Guide Israel to successfully free the hostages (Isa. 49:9; Zech. 9:11-12), and at the same time let it war against Hamas as if there were no hostages (Ex. 17:14; Num. 23:24; 24:8-9).

   • Anoint Israel's intelligence services with heavenly wisdom to interpret correctly all data gathered from Gaza, Judea and Samaria, as well as from Lebanon (Job 12:22; Prov. 15:3; Obad. 1:6).

   • Protect and use believing soldiers, and pour out on them many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that even words of wisdom and gifts of healings are manifested on the battlefield (1 Cor. 12:4-11).

   • Lord God, show Israel's leaders – and us (Amos 3:7) – what You desire to accomplish for Your holy name's sake both during, and especially after, this war (Job 21:30; Jer. 10:25; Obad. 1:15-20).

   • Strengthen Israel against the pressure from most nations to continue to just say "No" to a ceasefire before Hamas is defeated and the hostages are freed (Job 5:12; Isa. 14:24, 27).

   • Expose the exaggerated figures given by the Palestinians of how many of them live in Gaza, Judea and Samaria and their inflated numbers of how many have actually died in the war (Isa. 44:24-25).

   • Prohibit Israel from ever handing Gaza over to the Palestinian Authority, as they are a major part of the problem and need to be disbanded as soon as possible (Luke 11:24-26).

   • Gaza is part of Judah's inheritance, so let Israel repossess it (Josh. 15:1, 47; Judg. 1:18; Obad. 1:17).

3. Internal security:

   Besides its war against Hamas, Israel is also battling against terrorists in Judea and Samaria – and doing so very effectively and very quietly.

   • Lord, make Israel's war against Arab terrorists in Judea and Samaria hugely successful, helping them to capture or kill Hamas members and other terrorists who are entrenched there (Zech. 9:14-15; 12:6).

   • Cleanse Your land of all those who are Your enemies, and the enemies of Your people (Psa. 10:16).

   • Release massive confusion and an unquenchable fear into the minds of all Palestinian terrorists who detest Your chosen nation (Ex. 23:27; Psa. 35:4, 26; 71:24).

   • Use our prayers as trumpets and let the enemy destroy each other (Num. 10:9; Judg. 7:21-22).

   • Bring to light every evil that is being planned, and let it be thwarted (Job 24:16; John 3:20).

   • Lord, raise up in Israel's government and military Sons of Zion who fear and honor You (Psa. 64:9; 118:6; Hos. 3:5), and remove all Sons of Greece, those who fear man (Prov. 29:25; Zech. 9:13).

   • Provide each government and military leader with sons of Zion and sons of Issachar as their advisors and make them actually pay attention to what these advisors say (1 Chr. 12:32; Prov. 20:18; 24:6).

   • Keep Israel's political and military leaders' in unity at this time (Amos 3:3).

   • Train all civilian security personnel to be prepared and able to guard the communities to which they are assigned – both in Judea and Samaria as well as in the rest of the nation (Psa. 18:34; 144:1).

   • Protect Israel from any cyberattacks and all dis- and misinformation (Psa. 101:7).

   • Continue to speak to Your people out of Genesis 24:7 in the Torah portion that You YHWH, God of heaven, have actually sworn to give all of this land to Abraham and his seed.

4. External security:

   Iran is behind almost all of today's military threats against Israel. They have great influence with Hamas and Hizbullah in Lebanon, as well as their other proxies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The Iranian regime has to be destroyed, not just for Israel's sake, but also for the sake of the Iranian and Lebanese people, and to be honest, for the sake of the rest of the world.

   • Lord, we bless and praise You for continuing to build Your throne in Elam – ancient Iran – through the incredible growth of the Iranian Body (Jer. 49:38a).

   • We again ask You to fulfill the next part of that verse and destroy Iran's leadership (Jer. 49:38b).

   • Use the pride of Your adversaries to hasten their destruction (Num. 24:9b; Isa. 8:9-10; Obad. 1:3-4).

   • God, heed Iran's constant diabolical threats to wipe Israel off the map (Psa. 83:1-4), and let those threats fall on their own heads (Job 4:8; Gal. 6:7).

   • Impart heavenly strategy to the IDF's Iran Command and show Israel how to pay back Iran for their help in organizing of the October 7th massacre of Your people (Deut. 32:39-43; Jer. 51:20-24).

   • Strengthen and encourage Israel, reminding them of how You aided them to win all multi-front wars they have already fought (in 1948, 1967, 1973), and reassure them that You never change (Mal. 3:6).

   • If it is Your time to destroy Hizbullah, hook their jaw and draw them into Your trap (Mic. 4:11-13).

   • Yet God, contain and restrain the powers of evil from preempting Your timing (Psa. 31:15).

   • Pour forth panic and fear upon all of Iran's proxies surrounding Israel (Deut. 2:25; Josh. 10:12).

   • Messiah Yeshua, protect and mature spiritually the Iranian Body, and lead them in prayer for their nation (1 Tim. 2:1-4), and as they bless and pray for Israel (Gen. 12:3a; Psa. 122:6).

5. Government & society:

   Israel's unity war government was created by adding a politician who has a proven track record of being a son of Greece – Benny Gantz. This does not sit well with us, yet we continue to intercede looking to and trusting in God – and not in any person (Psa. 20:7-9).

   • Lord God, promote many more of the Sons of Zion, and demote many more of the Sons of Greece, from Israel's current and future governments (Deut. 1:13; Zech. 9:13).

   • Since Bibi Netanyahu is still Israel's leader, Lord use him for Your glory and turn his heart to do whatever is needed to protect Israel at this stage in history (Job 32:8; Prov. 19:21).

   • God, comfort Israelis whose loved ones were, or will be, murdered, or are hostages, or whose fate is still unknown (Psa. 23:4; 34:18; 147:3; Hos. 13:14; 2 Cor. 1:3).

   • Also send deep comfort to all those who survived Hamas' horrific massacres (Psa. 55:5; 61:1-2).

   • Protect the minds and hearts of Israelis who gather the dead bodies and body parts (Psa. 140:7).

   • Arrange for whatever the needs are of the close to half a million Israelis who are find themselves in internal exile today, and draw them unto Yourself (Psa. 86:14-17; Jer. 29:11; Lam. 3:26).

   • Prepare Israeli society for whatever will be the outcome of this war (Isa. 42:9).

   • Miraculously sustain Israel's economy at this hour (Psa. 65:9-13; Isa. 60:5-11, 17-18).

   • Use the Hamas attack to finally persuade Israelis that dividing up Your land only brings war, and death and destruction – as seen in Gaza, South Lebanon, and in Judea and Samaria (Joel 3:1-2).

   • Also destroy the "two-state solution" peace idol in Jewish hearts and help Israel to reject the pressure from most of the world's leaders saying that that must be the final solution (Num. 23:23-24).

   • Protect Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan who openly criticized the UN over its failure to censure Hamas for its murderous attacks against Israeli civilians – including Israeli Arabs (Gal. 4:16)!

   • Anoint all people who are speaking truth and confronting the lies in the media (Isa. 5:20-21).

   • Impart to Israel wisdom about its relationship with so-called allies who have severely condemned it as it wars against Hamas – including Turkey, Jordan and Egypt (Job 12:16-21; 16:20).

   • God, hedge in America's new Israeli Ambassador, Jack Lew, who is an Orthodox Jew with a very dangerous track record against Israel, being close to ex-President Obama (Job 13:5; Prov. 13:13).

6. Aliyah:

   God is restoring His people to His land for His holy name's sake (Ezek. 36:21-24). We repeat this because believers are often unaware of it since many do not really believe the Tanach is of equal weight as the New Testament in today's world, and that is to be dangerously deceived.

   • Use the shocking exposure of Jewish and Israel hatred throughout the nations resulting from Israel war against Hamas to warn Jews still living in captivity that while it may not be 100% safe in Israel, it is safer than living outside of the Jewish State (Isa. 5:13-16; Jer. 23:3; 31:10).

   • Let this increasingly hazardous time turn many Jews in exile into Sons of Zion (Psa. 137:5-6).

   • As in the Torah portion, send angels to drag today's Lots out of their wicked cities (Gen. 19:15-16).

   • Thank You for the large number of Israelis who have come home since October 7th (Deut. 30:3-5).

   • Ground them here and forbid them from ever returning to exile (Amos 9:14-15).

   • We bless You for the report of increased interest in aliyah from America and France because of the exponential rise of anti-Semitic/Jew-hatred acts (Jer. 16:16).

   • In the midst of the war, let Israel's gates remain open for all Jews to return (Isa. 60:8-11; 62:10).

   • Use the war to convince Israel to extend sovereignty over more of Your land to provide plenty of room for all the Jews You are chasing home today (Isa. 49:18-22; Jer. 33:12-14; Zech. 8:1-7).

   • Lord, in line with Your Word, let some of the new immigrants repopulate Gaza (Zeph. 2:6-7).

   • Speak to many more gentile believers to carry Your people home at this time (Isa. 49:22).

   • Give believers a holy boldness to openly encourage and help their Jewish friends to make aliyah (Psa. 126:1-3; Isa. 60:3-11).

7. Salvation:

   We pray for "all Israel" to be saved as this brings glory to God (Psa. 79:9; 85:9; Isa. 46:13)! Also, we pray for Israel's security because for Israelis to be saved they must be alive!

   • Save all of Hamas' hostages, especially those who will die in captivity (Isa. 25:8).

   • Lord Yeshua, reveal to their families that You have already conquered death (John 11:25).

   • Redeem many IDF soldiers, especially those who will die in battle (Deut. 20:1-8; Hos. 13:14a).

   • Use believing soldiers to be living witnesses to You, provoking others to jealousy (Rom. 11:14).

   • Open the hearts of unsaved Sons of Zion in Israeli society to look unto You today (Zech. 12:10).

   • Lord, show Yourself to some Hamas terrorists at this time (Psa. 83:16; Matt. 5:44) and cause them to surrender to You, then to the IDF, and then to provoke Jewish soldiers to jealousy (Rom. 11:11)!

8. Body of Messiah:

   This is a crucial time for the Body to stand in the gap for both Israel and their own nations (Ezek. 22:30-31).

   • Open the eyes of the Western Body to see that they are also on Islam's hit-list and that Christians in the rest of the world are already under vicious assault (Acts 14:22).

   • Use Israel's crisis to encourage more believers to read the Tanach to grasp somewhat of what You are doing in Israel, and in the world, today (Isa. 8:20; Jer. 8:9; Luke 24:25; 2 Pet. 1:19).

   • Remove all denial or shame from believers who hesitate to acknowledge You as a God who is still a "Man of War" (Ex. 15:1-3; Isa. 42:13; Rev. 19:11-16), and who is still a God who is jealous for His glory and over His people (Deut. 4:24; Ezek. 36:5; Joel 2:18; Zech. 1:14).

   • Reveal to the Body that Satan's goal in destroying Israel is to prove that Your Word is not true or the truth, as well as to show that You do not have the power to fulfill it (Num. 23:19; Jer. 31:35-37).

   • Lord, purge Your Body of all anti-Semitic and anti-Zionistic thinking (Eph. 5:27).

   • Lord Yeshua, raise up the Sons of Zion and remove the Sons of Greece in Your Body (Zech. 9:13).

9. Water:

   Israel has had some rain, but unless God is holding the rainy weather back to aid it in its war efforts, it needs more showers of blessings in the right places at this time.

   • Abba Father, we ask You to provide abundantly all of the water Israel needs (Matt. 5:45b).

   • Lord, send hail and snow as a weapon against Your enemies (Job 38:22-23).

10. IFI:

    As we pray into the same issues repeatedly, God leads us further on by His Spirit and often speaks through the intercessions of others. Still, it is a battle to maintain our focus on Him, so we again thank you for praying for us to have discernment and to not be weary or overwhelmed in this literal and spiritual war.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Jerusalem

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Isa. 66:10-14