1. Praise:

   Shabbat's Torah portion contains a verse that first applies to Israel, and then to all who make up Messiah's Body as well: For you are a holy people unto YHWH your God; YHWH has chosen you to be a special treasured possession unto Himself above all the nations that are upon the face of the earth. (Deut. 14:2; cp. 1 Pet. 2:9)

   • Thank You Lord for choosing us and grafting us into Israel, Your holy nation (Rom. 11:17-24).

   • We bless You that You knew us even before we were created in the womb (Jer. 1:5; Eph. 1:4-6).

   • You chose us; we did not choose You, and for that we are eternally grateful (John 15:16a).

   • Also, Lord, You chose us so that our prayers could further God's will (John 15:16b).

   • We praise You for Your unchangeable Word regardless of our situation (Num. 23:19; Mal. 3:6).

   • Regardless of our situation, we praise You that Your grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

   • Thank You for being Israel's Rock and our Rock (Deut. 32:4; Psa. 18:2, 46; 61:2; 1 Cor. 10:4).

2. Government & society:

   God, by His Spirit, led us to pray for more sons and daughters of Zion to be raised up in Israel. Also, He did that before the Oct. 7th atrocity. That event shocked us, yet we can take comfort seeing that He knows the future and is ultimately in control (Psa. 103:19).

   • Lord God, continue revealing to us how to pray for Israel (Psa. 10:17; 23:3b; Rom. 8:26).

   • Abba, anoint Israel's sons and daughters of Zion – in the political, economic, educational, military and construction industries, and all other areas of society – with the wisdom and authority they need to direct Your nation in a way that glorifies You (Josh. 22:5; Eccl. 12:13; Mic. 6:8).

   • Lord God, remove all sons and daughters of Greece – those who see the world through anti-biblical humanistic lenses – from all influential positions in Israel (Psa. 109:8).

   • Lord, impart to Jews living in Israel and in the nations, a biblically-based worldview and remove all politically-correct, humanistic thinking from them (Psa. 119:34, 169; Prov. 3:5; Dan. 12:10).

   • God of Israel, by grace, move upon Israel's leaders to look to You for wisdom and guidance, and aid them to trust in You and Your Word more than ever before (Deut. 4:6-8; Psa. 119:98-100; Jer. 8:9).

   • Block any decisions Israel's coalition considers making which are not Your will (Prov. 19:21; 21:1).

   • God, give PM Bibi Netanyahu Your wisdom and knowledge for all his decisions (Dan. 2:21b).

   • Let his understanding of history's lessons make him a much more effective leader (Eccl. 3:14-15).

   • Surround him with sons of Zion and of Issachar as his trusted advisors (I Chr. 12:32; Prov. 11:14).

   • Arise Lord; scatter Your enemies in the media in Israel and globally, as well as in the social media which is so influential to the younger generation today (Num. 14:36-37; Psa. 74:18; 1 Cor. 10:10)

   • Lord God, please swiftly fulfill Isaiah 1:25-27 in relation to Israel's left-leaning Supreme Court.

   • Messiah Yeshua, minister to Israelis who need Your comfort today (Isa. 61:1-3), and heal the ex-hostages who are now back home of their intense mental and emotional trauma (Psa. 30:2-3; 147:3).

   • Abba Father, sustain Israel's economy miraculously at this time (Psa. 132:13-15; Jer. 32:17).

   • We bless You that the IDF is already looking to local military industries to supply what it needs to defend Israel – and looking less to its 'broken reed allies' (Prov. 8:12; Isa. 30:1; 36:6).

   • Lord, may the next Israeli elections occur in Your perfect time (Eccl. 3:1).

3. Foreign relations:

   Israel is a pariah nation in the world today. It is always held up to a much higher standard than any other nation. This is the fulfillment of Numbers 23:9b – that Israel will not be counted as just another of the world's nations. Although we do not pray against this, we do see how He is judging nations today for their negative stance towards His nation (Num. 24:9b).

   • We pray for Your foreign policy, which brings You glory, to be done (Psa. 33:10-11; Luke 11:2).

   • Abba, we rejoice to see You fulfilling Your Word (Jer. 1:12), yet we ask for guidance in prayer as we see the nations intensify their cursing of Israel (Psa. 34:16; Ezek. 22:30-31).

   • God, with so many nations, including its "allies", turning away from supporting Israel, please use this to cause many more Israelis to look to and trust in You alone (Psa. 80:19; Isa. 30:18-21).

   • Lord, watch over Isaiah 54:17 in the prophetic portion in relation to the nations and Israel today.

   • Lord God of Israel, use the current anti-Semitic, anti-Zionistic onslaught against Israel to somehow contribute to the fulfillment of Your promise to Israel in Deuteronomy 15:6 in the Torah reading.

   • Download to Israel Your wisdom in how to relate to the US regardless of who their next president will be – either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris (Job 12:12-25; Psa. 105:21-22; Prov. 1:7).

   • Abba, put Your words in the mouths of Israeli politicians and diplomats as they speak (Jer. 1:9).

   • Replace all sons of Greece throughout Israel's international diplomatic corps, especially any foreign ministers, with sons and daughters of Zion (Psa. 109:8).

   • Messiah Yeshua, wield Your authority over the UN and its outreaches that constantly curse Israel through their lies and false accusations, and silence them (Num. 24:9b; Jer. 10:25; 30:20; Zech. 2:13).

   • Pour into Danny Danon a fresh anointing as Israel's new UN Ambassador (Prov. 13:17b).

   • Lord Yeshua, let believers warn their nations that You will not be mocked, but as their nations push Israel to divide Your land, their societies will reap deeper divisions (Joel 3:1-2; Gal. 6:7).

   • King Messiah, guide all believers who do intercede for their nation's relations with Israel, and then have as much mercy as possible on those nations (Ezek. 22:30-31: cp. Isa. 60:12; Zech. 12:9).

4. External security:

   Last Sunday morning, Israel pre-empted an attack by Hizbullah that was aimed at Tel Aviv and multiple other targets. Israel's Air Force and its intelligence services struck a severe blow to their plan and destroyed thousands of rocket launchers. The question being asked is why Israel stopped with that. It has every justification to put an end to Hizbullah who has attacked its north continuously since Oct. 8th, but for some reason, it did not. Today it was reported that the US told Israel it would support this pre-emption, but would not support a full out attack against Hizbullah.

   • Lord, we praise You for protecting Israel despite the relentless efforts to destroy it (Jer. 31:35-37)!

   • Thank You for Israel's very effective and timely attack against this immediate threat (Prov. 21:31).

   • We bless You for exposing Hizbullah's deadly plans ahead of time to Israel (Prov. 15:3; Jer. 32:19).

   • Continue to aid Israel's intelligence people to interpret its collected data correctly (Luke 12:2).

   • Lord, gift total alertness to all Israeli drone operators and cyber-warfare warriors (1 Chr. 5:18).

   • Remove all unbiblical considerations which hinder Israel's leaders from waging war against Your/its enemies in a biblical manner – like the US elections or hostage/ceasefire deals (Psa. 18:34; 68:30).

   • If it was Your will for Israel to attack in such a way that Hizbullah would be destroyed, and it bowed to American pressure instead, forgive its political and military leaders and release them completely to destroy Hizbullah completely in the very near future (Psa. 18:34-42; 44:4-6).

   • Lord, see our persistent prayers as if we were hitting the ground with our arrows, and hear us as we ask You to crush Hizbullah once and for all (2 Kin. 13:17-19; Luke 18:1).

   • As the IDF has been on high alert for an extended period – actually since 1948 – maintain them as that new sharp threshing instrument with teeth at this time (Isa. 41:15; Mic. 4:11-13).

   • Maintain Your hand on Israel as Your tool of judgment against all living terrorist leaders, as they are mass murderers, specifically Hamas' Sinwar and Hizbullah's Nasrallah (Jer. 51:20-23; Rom. 13:3-4).

   • Lord God, confound all those who hate Zion, like these terrorist leaders, Iran's current leaders, the Houthis in Yemen, terrorists in Syria and Iraq, and those who despise Your people and Your nation Israel throughout the West (Psa. 70:2; Jer. 17:18).

   • Prosper the advancement of Israel's Iron Beam anti-missile laser system but caution Israel to not become even more defensive/passive in its military strategy (Rom. 13:3-4).

   • Stir up division and distrust between Iran and its proxies – especially Hizbullah (Jer. 17:18).

   • Cut all of the ties Iran currently has with Russia, China and North Korea (Psa. 40:14-15).

   • God, break Elam's [ancient Iran's] bow (Jer. 49:35), and destroy its evil leaders (Jer. 49:38b).

   • At this time increase the internal strife in Iran's society and set its people free (Psa. 9:1-11; 27:2).

   • Protect Your Body in Iran and lead it in prayer during this intense situation (Psa. 10:17; Luke 11:2).

   • Do the same for the Body in Lebanon, Syria and throughout the Middle East (Psa. 91:14-16).

5. "Operations Swords of Iron:"

   The IDF is defeating Hamas in Gaza. Hamas members are being killed or captured and its weapons caches are being destroyed or depleted. While a "ceasefire/hostage" deal is being pushed by Israel's Western "allies" and the media, the chances of that happening at this time are nil. Netanyahu's redlines for the negotiations are clear and correct, exactly what we expect from a Son of Zion who leads the Jewish Nation and knows the lessons of history.

   • Lord, support Bibi in his determination to stick to his redlines in order that Hamas never again rules over Gaza or becomes a threat to Israel – despite all the opposition to him (Prov. 21:1; Ezek. 3:9)

   • Forbid Israel from submitting to outside pressure and agreeing to a ceasefire, which would rob it of the victory You want it to have, as well as making the blood of the 1200 murdered on Oct. 7th and the blood of Israel's soldiers to have been shed in vain (Num. 35:32-34; Psa. 44:4-6; Mic. 7:10).

   • We bless You for the families of the fallen soldiers, most of whom insist that Israel continue the war until there is a definite victory over Hamas (2 Sam. 23:10, 12).

   • Let their demands get more coverage in Israel's mainly left-leaning mainstream media (Prov. 11:10).

   • God of hosts, rescue the hostages and fight against Israel's enemies in such a way that all will see that You are still the mighty One of Jacob. (Isa. 49:24-26)

   • Shine a huge spotlight on where the hostages are being hidden (Psa. 102:19-20; Zech. 9:11-12).

   • Aid the IDF to find them and set Israel free from Hamas' emotional blackmail (Psa. 140:8-10).

   • God, continue to impart new tactics and strategies to the IDF against Hamas who can no longer fight as army but as individual groups of urban guerilla fighters (1 Chr. 14:15; Prov. 21:30-31).

   • Uncover all undiscovered terror tunnels in Gaza and along the Egyptian-Gaza border (Obad. 1:6).

   • Let all of Israel's foes fall into the traps that they set for Your people (Psa. 141:10).

   • Lord God Almighty, direct Israel (Prov. 16:9) to repossess Gaza after the war since it is part of the inheritance of Judah (Josh. 15:1, 47; Judg. 1:18).

6. Internal security:

   God's Word does not return to Him empty (Isa. 55:11). So as Jews read and study Deuteronomy for Shabbat's Torah portions over the next few months, let us pray for Israel to obey God and possess more of the land which He promises to Israel over 80 times in that book.

   • Biblical truth is confirmed by two or three witnesses, so Your promise of the land is settled forever, therefore we ask it to be fulfilled as soon as heavenly possible (Gen. 15:18; Matt. 18:16; Rom. 15:8).

   • Use Deuteronomy 12:20a in the Torah reading to confirm to Israel that now is the time to extend its sovereignty over much more of Your/its land.

   • Cast out from Israel all man-centered thoughts which birthed the "Oslo Accords Two-State Solution" disaster and replace it with thinking based on Your Word and promises (Lev. 25:23; 1 Kin. 21:3).

   • Anoint Finance Minister Smotrich, who is pushing for Israeli civilian rule over many more Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, to be exceedingly successful (Jer. 32:41-44; 33:12-14).

   • Thank You God, for the IDF's massive incursion this past week into the terrorist infested areas in Samaria under the Palestinian Authority, pre-empting these terrorist groups (Deut. 32:41; Psa. 89:10).

   • Lord God, let Israel's surprise move capture all the terrorists and destroy their infrastructure in line with Your promise in Isaiah 54:14-15 in Shabbat's prophetic reading (Psa. 139:7-12).

   • Increase Your angelic armies protecting Your nation Israel today (2 Kin. 6:16-17; 2 Chr. 32:7-8).

   • Lord, also increase "work accidents" among Your enemies, where terrorists blow themselves up while trying to blow up Israelis (Psa. 9:16: Gal. 6:7).

   • Lord Yeshua, save multitudes of Jews who are now settled in Your land (Ezek. 36:24-27, 37).

   • Also, save many Palestinians and turn them into Christian lovers of Zion (Matt. 5:44; Rom. 11:11).

7. Aliyah:

   God's regathering of His scattered people is an open witness to the truth of His Word and the reliability of His promises (Jer. 31:8-10). This is also an answer to believers who have been praying for Him to save the remnant of Israel (Jer. 31:7-9).

   • Thank You for the approximately 30,000 new immigrants to Israel since Oct. 7th 2023 (Ezra 9:8).

   • Abba Father, show all believers that aliyah is an answer to the Body's 2,000 year old prayer for You to sanctify Your name through Your will being done on earth (Ezek. 20:41-42; Matt. 6:9-10).

   • God, unstick every Jew who is stuck in captivity (Psa. 107:14-16; Isa. 14:1-2; Zech. 10:8-10).

   • As today's anti-Israel demonstrations throughout the West are at least a partial fulfillment of Your prophetic hunters, Lord let them very effective in chasing Your people home (Jer. 16:16).

   • Lord Almighty, stop them from fighting for the right to live in "peace and safety" among the gentiles and turn their efforts instead towards making aliyah (Jer. 51:9).

   • King of Israel, turn Israel's diplomatic outreach to the Jews in exile from trying to help them remain there to encouraging them to come home (Psa. 14:7; 147:2; Amos 9:14-15).

   • Shut all doors to other nations where Jews might go, and open wide the doors in Israel (Isa. 22:22).

   • May the 6,000 Jews who have immigrated from North America so far this year act as a siphon to draw many more of the better than five million who remain in exile (Isa. 11:11-12, 16)

   • Bring home Jews with practical, as well as medical and scientific, skills (Neh. 4:16-18).

   • Draw all Israelis living in the nations back home, especially Messianic believers (Isa. 35:10; 51:11).

   • Change the rabbinical definition of "who is a Jew?" to line up with the biblical definition and open Israel's doors to everyone You see as Jewish to easily get their citizenship (Psa. 119:116; Isa. 62:10).

   • Move upon Israel today, even in its wartime situation, to arrange houses, jobs, schools and Hebrew classes to facilitate the successful integration of every new immigrant (Ezek. 28:25-26; 36:8-12).

   • Release funds from wealthy Jews and Christians to support aliyah and the successful integration of the new immigrants into Israeli society (Ezra 1:4; Isa. 60:9).

8. Salvation:

   YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel (Jer. 31:7b). God was speaking to the watchmen [notzrim = Christian in today's Hebrew] when He said this (Jer. 31:6a). It is His will for all Israel to be saved, yet usually He waits for us to ask Him for it (Ezek. 36:37; John 15:16).

   • Lord Yeshua, move upon more believers to pray for all Israel to be saved (Luke 19:10; Rom. 10:1).

   • Abba, heed their prayers and reveal Messiah Yeshua as Israel's Savior to many more Jews (2 Sam. 22:3; Isa. 43:11; 45:15; John 6:44; Tit. 2:13).

   • When Your people read Isaiah 55:1-3 in the prophetic portion this Shabbat, cause them to stop and meditate on what this means and who this is talking about (Psa. 1:2; 119:48).

   • Save many of Israel's current sons and daughters of Zion – showing them that their King Messiah has already come and is returning very soon (Zech. 9:9; 12:10; 14:1-4).

   • Use Messianic Jewish soldiers in the IDF to draw others soldiers to You (Rom. 11:14).

   • Lord Yeshua, show secret Jewish believers when and how to openly confess You (Matt. 10:32).

   • [Please seek God about a specific group or groups of Jews to intercede for this week.]

9. Body of Messiah:

   Believers in Israel's King Messiah should see that the current restoration of God's nation and His people to the "Promised Land" is a fulfillment of the prophetic word. Yet too many either do not see this, or worse, reject this. They need our prayers.

   • Messiah Yeshua, show all of Your Body how Israel's restoration and its salvation is central to Your prophetic plans to return in glory (Zech. 8:1-8; 12:2-10; Matt. 23:37-39; 24:30).

   • Abba, reveal to the Body that the only thing You declare You will do with all of Your heart and all of Your soul – in all of Your Word – to plant Israel back in their land (Jer. 32:41)!

   • Heal Your Body of its blindness that prevents them from seeing that the word "scripture" in the New Testament historically only refers to the Tanach (Matt. 22:29; Luke 4:21; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Gal. 3:8).

   • Raise up more sons and daughters of Zion as teachers in the Body (Acts 20:26-27; 2 Cor. 2:17).

   • Since anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are attacks against Israel's cultivated olive tree into which believers are grafted, warn them that if that tree is cut down – their faith dies as well (Rom. 11:17-18).

   • Lord, cast out from the Body all anti-Semitic and anti-Zionistic spirits (Num. 24:9b).

   • Expose replacement theology as a demonic, Jew-hating doctrine (1 Tim. 4:1).

   • Please Lord, teach Your Body that whatever they say or do, the ultimate goal must be Your glory (Psa. 115:1-3; John 14:13; 17:1, 4-5; Rom. 3:23; 11:36; 15:7; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Cor. 1:20; Phil. 2:9-11).

10. IFI:

    We are very encouraged by how God's Word addresses those times when His children feel overwhelmed (Psa. 61:2; 77:3). That seems to be our experience more often during these days than ever before. Yet His grace sustains us and your prayers and backing are a huge help towards us as well. Thank you.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Psa. 134:3