1. Praise:

   In Shabbat's prophetic portion, God confronts Israel's fear of man. Today this also speaks to believers in Yeshua: I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you to be afraid of a mortal man who shall die, or the son of man who shall be made as grass, and forget [+ ignore] YHWH your Maker, who spread out the heavens, and laid the earth's foundations (Isa. 51:12-13a).

   • We are very grateful that when You teach us something important, You repeat it – and so we are often told to not fear man (Psa. 27:1; 56:11; 118:6, Prov. 29:25; Isa. 51:7-8; 52:12-13a; Heb. 13:6).

   • Thank You for being our comfort in all of life's situations (Psa. 23:4; 71:20-21; 119:76: Isa. 12:1).

   • We bless You for the comfort that comes to us through Your Word (Psa. 119:50).

   • We rejoice in being alive to see verses like Isaiah 52:9 and 66:13 begin to come to pass.

   • Again we are encouraged to read in the prophetic portion that You do reign and that You have told us who know the good news to declare that truth to the Jews and to Israel (Isa. 52:7).

   • Hallelujah! You are our shelter who guards over us from the enemy and trouble and who surrounds us with songs of deliverance (Psa. 32:7).

   • We praise You for the promise that as we seek You, You deliver us from all of our fears (Psa. 34:4).

   • God, we thank You that in the parable of the "prodigal son," although the son turned his back on his father, the father – representing You Abba Father – never turned his back on his son (Luke 15:11-24).

2. Government & society:

   God said He would bring the Jewish people home in unbelief and then pour clean water on them (Ezek. 36:24-25). So today's chaotic situation in Israel, while distressing, should not shock us. As intercessors, we are to pray in line with God's will revealed in His Word, and while not ignoring the headlines, to not get overly depressed or discouraged by them – although that is easier said than done!

   • Lord, we ask You to protect Your people from being overtaken by the humanistic spirit wreaking havoc in most of the world today (Psa. 121:4; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 Pet. 3:2-3).

   • God, arise and cast down every proud spirit creating division in Israel (Prov. 13:10; 28:15a).

   • Fulfill Your promise that when You bring Your people home they would be one nation, no longer divided, under one King – their Messiah, the Son of David (Ezek. 37:22).

   • Use the opening verses of the Torah portion, commanding Israeli judges to judge righteously and to not take bribes, to instill Your fear in the hearts of every judge in Israel today (Deut. 16:18-19)

   • Forbid Israel's High Court from judging cases which are not really a part of their judicial portfolio as supposedly impartial judges (2 Chr. 19:5-11; Psa. 9:19-20).

   • After months of chaos and threats from anti-government demonstrators, we pray that You, who can cause all things to work together for good, would do just that for Israel (Rom. 8:28; 1 Cor. 14:33).

   • Hedge in these demonstrations from moving beyond the boundaries which You have set (Isa. 43:13).

   • Let the media coverage of the anti-government demonstrations accurately report on the attendance at these various events which has dropped, at times, dramatically in recent months (Ex. 23:1; 2 Chr. 9:5).

   • Surround PM Bibi Netanyahu with wise counselors who can help him to make decisions in line with what is best for the nation – and give him wisdom to listen to them (Prov. 11:14; 15:22).

   • If he is making any decision based on what is best for his legacy – warn him that this is not pleasing to You and turn him away from that egotistical goal (2 Sam. 23:1-3; Job 33:16-17; Prov. 11:2; 21:1).

   • Anoint Netanyahu in his upcoming travels to bring forth Your Word out from Zion (Mic. 4:2a).

   • Guide Israel's governing coalition to finish everything that is in Your will for them (Prov. 8:15-16).

   • Increase the integration of the Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] into the IDF and into society and teach them and secular Israelis to work with and respect one another (Lev. 19:18b; Prov. 20:3; Rom. 13:9).

   • We praise You for Paraguay's new leader who is reopening their embassy in Jerusalem and for Uruguay opening a diplomatic office in Your city as well (Num. 24:9b; Zech. 8:22-23).

3. Internal security:

   God continues to urge us to pray for Israel to extend its sovereignty over all of its land west of the Jordan River. Since this is definitely His will as revealed in His Word, we continue to persist in prayer (Luke 18:1), even if it seems like there is no movement in this direction at this time.

   • Lord, remove all barriers to Israel doing this – whether internally or from the world (Judg. 2:1-5).

   • Cast out the fear of man and all other humanistic leanings, and replace them with a biblical fear of You in the minds and hearts of all of Israel's political and military leaders (Psa. 118:8-9; Prov. 29:25).

   • Warn Israel that extending sovereignty over Your land is much more important than "normalizing relations" with Saudi Arabia, or submitting to the will of the nations (Jer. 6:14; 8:11; Joel 3:1-2).

   • Lord of hosts, guide Israel to know how to destroy the Palestinian terror groups development and use of rockets and mortars against the Jewish State from Judea and Samaria (Psa. 46:9; 76:6).

   • Allow the increase of terrorism and rocket fire from inside Israel to convince Israelis that they need to extend sovereignty over more of their land as soon as possible (Psa. 37:9, 22; 47:4; 105:11, 44).

   • For Your glory's sake, give the IDF "new sharp teeth" to thresh its internal enemies (Isa. 41:14-16).

   • Fulfill suddenly what You have promised in Isaiah 51:22-23 in Shabbat's prophetic portion.

   • Continue to protect Israelis – especially IDF soldiers – from being kidnapped (Psa. 35:8; 57:6).

   • We ask You as the One who promises to guard over Israel to thwart all planned attacks (Jer. 31:10).

   • Anoint Israel's security personnel who watch computer screens daily in order to gather intelligence to be able to recognize items of importance (2 Kin. 6:17; Matt. 20:32-33).

   • Impart Your plan on how to deal with any internal uprising of even a small section of Israeli-Arabs during the next external war (Eccl. 8:11).

   • Let this verse from the Torah portion encourage Israel to enlarge its tents: If YHWH your God enlarge your borders, as He swore to your fathers to do, and give you all the land which He promised to give unto your fathers; (Deut. 19:8; cp. Isa. 54:1-2)

4. External security:

   While Israel's enemies are rejoicing over its internal crisis, God has not stopped guarding over His nation. Once again, we think of Micah 4:11-13 and Zechariah 12:2-3 as verses which state that God uses Israel to trap His enemies. Is this what we are seeing now?

   • Lord, in Israel's current dangerous situation, we ask You to guide us in prayer so that we do not pray against anything which You are doing for Your holy name's sake (Psa. 115:1-3; Amos 3:7).

   • Lord God, release Your angelic hosts to protect Israel's land and sea borders (Psa. 59:5; 68:17).

   • Do not allow any of Israel's enemies' curses from impacting Your nation (Prov. 26:2).

   • Warn those who boast against Israel of the wisdom found in 1 Kings 20:11.

   • Use the arrogant pride and hatred of Israel's foes to drive them to ruin (Psa. 83:1-2; Ezek. 35:11-13).

   • Help Israel to once again strive to gain total victory over its enemies (Deut. 33:26-27; Psa. 44:4-6).

   • As You did in biblical times, guide the IDF's military commanders today – especially concerning the very real threat of Hizbullah in Lebanon (Josh. 4:13-5:6; Judg. 7:1-18; 2 Sam. 5:23-25).

   • Speak to Israel's political and military leaders using Deuteronomy 20:1-4 from the Torah portion.

   • Prepare the IDF to be Your weapon of war against all of Your enemies (Jer. 51:20-25).

   • Increase Israel's intelligence gathering ability on its external enemies and its skill in deducing what has been gathered (Eccl. 8:5b).

   • If it is Your plan for Israel to preemptively strike Hizbullah, and Iran oversee this so that it happens in Your timing and with absolute devastating effectiveness (Psa. 31:15-17; Prov. 21:31).

   • Continue to shake Iran – its physical land, its society, and its economy (Psa. 18:6-7; 60:2).

   • Provide a bag with huge holes for Iran to place its $6 billion bribe from American President Biden and forbid that money from being used for any demonic activity whatsoever (Job 20:15).

   • Break the bow of Elam by breaking the circle of Iranian proxies around Israel (Jer. 49:35).

   • Shake Iran spiritually through the Iranian Body, and set more Iranians free from the wicked spirit of Islam (Matt. 16:18b).

   • Teach believers in Iran how to intercede for their nation (1 Tim. 2:1-4), and for Israel (Psa. 122:6).

5. Aliyah:

   Jews who live in the nations today are doing so not because God has exiled them, but usually because they have chosen to remain there. God's captivity is over and while there may be exceptions, most Jews living outside of Israel need to at least be making plans to return home.

   • Since You say there is a day coming when not one of Your people will remain in the captivity (Ezek. 39:25-29), we ask You to have much mercy on those who choose not to come home.

   • Draw them home in Your love (Jer. 31:3) or drag them home by increased persecution (Jer. 16:16).

   • Use the increase of natural disasters to shake Your people out of their comfort zones (Joel 3:16).

   • Lord, You said it is because You are zealous over Zion that You will bring Your people back and we bless You for seeing Your zeal at work today (Zech. 8:1-8). More, Lord (Eph. 3:20-21)!

   • Bless all who have made aliyah this summer with deep roots, including their children (Amos 9:15).

   • Let each Jew who has returned send forth a good report out of Zion to cause the rest of their family to be provoked to jealousy and to also come home and join them in their land (Jer. 3:14).

   • Remove all obstacles that make it harder than it needs to be for Jews to get citizenship (Isa. 62:10).

   • Remove any Israeli official – whether diplomat or bureaucrat – who contributes to this (Mic. 2:13).

   • Speak to more believers that it is time to both share the gospel, as well as to share about aliyah with the Jews in their nation, and in their circle of friends (Zech. 8:16; Acts 26:25; Gal. 4:16).

   • Also speak to them of what else they can do to encourage aliyah (Isa. 49:22; 60:3-12; Rom. 15:27).

6. Salvation:

   Aliyah is for His glory's sake, and so is the salvation of Israel: I bring near My righteousness; it shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not tarry, and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel My glory. (Isa. 46:13; cp. 45:25)

   • Yeshua Lord, we confess that You are God's righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21) and His salvation given for us (Acts 4:12); therefore, for Your glory's sake – reveal Yourself to many Jews today (Psa. 115:1-3).

   • Abba, as Your people read Deuteronomy 18:18-19, let them seek You as to whom this prophet like Moses was supposed to be – and show them that He is Yeshua.

   • Lord God, remove the tendency to "speed-read" Your Word from off Your people, and as they slow down, let them consider what Your Word is really saying to them today (Josh. 1:8; Psa. 1:2; 119:148).

   • Use Israeli believers as light and salt throughout Israeli society (Matt. 5:13-16).

   • YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel (Jer. 31:7b), and make it a huge remnant. Amen!

   • Abba, we believe it is time for Your to pour out Your Spirit on Your people (Acts 2:17-21), and so we lift up these Jewish groups before You, asking You to do that: all Haredi communities; Israelis who are traditionally Jewish; Israeli politicians and families; soldiers and officers in every branch of the IDF; Jews living in Judea and Samaria; Jewish criminals, prisoners, drug dealers, drug users; sex-traffickers and sex-addicts, atheists and agnostics; Jews in the occult and new age; Jews trapped in the LGBTQ+ lifestyles; those in the medical and teaching professions; Israeli judges and lawyers; high-tech people; unsaved Jews married to believers; and unsaved family members of Messianic Jews.

   • [This is a excellent prayer from Shabbat's Torah portion:] Be merciful, YHWH, unto Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed … (Deut. 21:8a)

   • Use the month of Elul, [It began this past week and it is the month of preparation for the fall feasts of the Lord], to turn Jewish hearts to honestly seek You (Deut. 4:29; Psa. 14:2; 63:1; Jer. 29:13).

   • Whenever You prompt believers to share the truth about You, may You also give them words that will pierce the hearts and minds of those they are sharing with (Prov. 15:23; 25:11; 1 Cor.. 2:13).

7. The Body of Messiah:

   We are convinced that if His Body is not filtering all that is happening in the world through His Word, then its discernment of what God is doing, or allowing to be done, will be lacking at best. Obviously, when we say God's Word we mean the whole counsel of God – from Genesis through Revelation.

   • Lord Yeshua, reveal to Your Body that the foundational doctrines of all of the New Testament were already taught in the Tanach [Old Testament] (Mark 12:24; 2 Tim. 3:15-17).

   • We bless You that both the promise of the land and Your prophetic assurance of Israel's restoration to that land are clearly expressed in the Tanach hundreds of times (2 Cor. 1:20).

   • Show Your Body that Israel is a central concern for Your kingdom purposes today (Jer. 32:41-42), and therefore Israel's restoration and salvation should be that to them as well (Rom. 11:16-18).

   • Purge Your Body from false doctrines (Eph. 4:14; Heb. 13:9), all lukewarm attitudes to Your Word (Rev. 3:16) and from all false teachings concerning Israel (Deut. 7:6-9; Isa. 52:9-10; Zech. 2:5-9).

   • Guard Your Body here in Israel, and in the nations, from all temptations to join with others who claim to be "Christians" – but are not – for the sake of a unity not of Your Spirit (Eph. 4:3), which then causes the truth of Your Word to be compromised or even destroyed (John 17:17).

   • Anoint more believers with a rich understanding of Your Word so that they can boldly declare what You are doing to others today (1 Thess. 5:1-6).

8. IFI:

   Thank you for your faithful prayers and support for this ministry.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Jerusalem

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Rev. 22:21