1. Praise:

   In Shabbat's Torah portion Moses places this truth before the people of Israel: Know this day, and consider it in your heart, that YHWH He is the God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath. There is none else. (Deut. 4:39; cp. Isa. 46:9)

   • King Yeshua, we agree with Moses and praise You for being Lord of all (Acts 10:36).

   • We rejoice that You are returning openly as the King of kings and the Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:16).

   • While we face increasing opposition as we persist in intercession, we bless You that since You are totally sovereign, we can find our rest and peace in You (Deut. 4:34-35; Psa. 103:19; Isa. 52:7b).

   • We praise You for this statement from Shabbat's prophetic portion: The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand forever. (Isa. 40:8; cp. Mark 13;31)

   • Thank You for teaching us to use Your Word as a powerful weapon in prayer based on the reality that You are watching over Your Word to fulfill it (Jer. 1:12; cp. Num. 23:19; Isa. 55:11).

   • Hallelujah – our God reigns (Psa. 24:1; 50:12; 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; Isa. 52:7b; 1 Cor. 10:26).

2. Government & society:

   PM Bibi Netanyahu is far from perfect – but other than King Yeshua, there has never been any leader who was even close to perfection. After all, to even think you can lead others, especially a whole nation, requires some pride and ego. Yet there have been good rulers, in spite their human fallacies, and that is how we view Bibi. Besides, who else in Israel's political scene could do a better job today? And while many will disagree with this analysis, yet the bottom line for us is this: God ordains who rules (Dan. 4:17) and uses them for His purposes.

   • Lord Yeshua, all authority in heaven and on earth is Yours today (Matt. 28:18), and since we trust You, and not Israel's leaders, please lead us as we intercede for them (Prov. 16:9).

   • Abba Father, You ordained Bibi to be Israel's leader today (Dan. 4:32), therefore anoint him and use him to achieve Your will – yet nothing else (Ex. 31:3; Psa. 80:17; Prov. 21:1; Phil. 1:6).

   • Lord God, teach him to take his encouragement from You and Your Word (1 Sam. 30:6; Psa. 61:2).

   • King of kings, use Israel's current coalition for You glory (Psa. 115:1-3).

   • Abba, unite them all, turning them into sons and daughters of Zion for just this time (Zech. 9:13).

   • We praise You that the coalition unanimously agreed to fire Israel's anti-Bibi attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara who was appointed by the previous government (Psa. 75:7).

   • Righteous Judge, forbid Israel's Supreme Court from illegally delaying this firing (Lev. 19:15).

   • Lord God, impart great wisdom and boldness to Israeli Defense Minister Katz (Eccl. 9:16a, 18).

   • Lord of lords, allow the different points of view between Israel's political and military leaders create unique answers to problems and not further divisions (Phil. 2:2-3).

   • Abba Father, the videos from Hamas of a few the living hostages were like and arrow in the heart of Israeli society, so we ask You to intervene and deal with Hamas' cruelty (Psa. 94:1-3) and to comfort Your people as per the opening verses of Shabbat's prophetic portion, Isaiah 40:1-2.

   • Lord, cause families who have loved ones still hostages to cry out to You for mercy (Psa. 50:15).

3. Gaza:

   Last night Israel's security cabinet approved Netanyahu's plan to conquer and occupy all of Gaza. The goals of this new action are basically what he has been pushing since the beginning of Israel's war against Hamas: Hamas disarmed, i.e., destroyed; all hostages, both living and dead, returned; and Gaza demilitarized under total Israeli security control. The only part of this new plan that we disagree with is its "day after" scenario which is to have "friendly" Arab nations take over. This is not God's will for Gaza as it is a part of Judah's inheritance.

   • Lord God, as the IDF moves forward with this new plan, fulfill that which last week's Torah portion declared: Do not fear them, for YHWH your God – He shall fight for you. (Deut. 3:22)

   • Lord God of Israel, remember Psalm 55:18-19 and pour out Your peace on Israel while at the same time, orchestrating a huge disaster upon all living Hamas terrorists who do not fear You (Prov. 16:4).

   • Lord of lords; renew the strength, courage and motivation of the IDF troops in Gaza (Isa. 40:28-31).

   • You see the dire conditions of the remaining living hostages who are being starved and treated in a ghastly way, so we ask You to release Your anger against their demonized captors (Psa. 7:6; 21:9).

   • Abba Father, protect all living hostages during the fighting and set them free (Psa. 91:3-4; 124:7-8).

   • God of truth, if any hostages are murdered as Israel tries to rescue them, remind all Israelis that the blame of this rightly belongs on Hamas and not on the government or the IDF (Num. 35:16-21, 31).

   • The hostage situation has become a huge mountain blocking Israel's victory over Hamas, so as You told us Lord, we speak to this mountain saying, "Be moved and cast into the sea!" (Matt. 21:21-22).

   • Abba Father, we ask You to continue hardening Hamas against any ceasefire/hostage deal unless the result is that which Israel's new plan is aiming for – which is a total Israeli victory (Psa. 44:5).

   • God of the nations, remove Qatar's financial influence from swaying the response of Trump and his ME envoy Witkoff in relation to policies relating to Gaza (Ex. 23:8; 1 Tim. 6:10).

   • Use the extreme heatwave that started today against Hamas, especially as they hide in the tunnels (Psa. 19:6), yet miraculously protect the IDF soldiers and the hostages from the worst of it.

   • Lord Yeshua, continue to build Your Body in Gaza and reign as Gaza's true King (Matt. 16:18).

   • Abba Father, thank You for using this war to cause a significant remnant of Israelis to demand that Israel repossesses Gaza and reestablishes its settlements there (Obad. 1:17b; Zeph. 2:5-7).

4. Foreign relations:

   Israel is being threatened by Western nations who demand that it end the war with Hamas and feed Gaza's civilians or else they will recognize a Palestinian State. The foolish audacity of these anti-God threats places these various Western nations in a greater danger than the Islamic jihad via immigration that is already plaguing most of them. Their threats are actually against God Himself and His covenant promises. Meanwhile Israel has rebuked each one and while we are most thankful for this we need to pray for it to continue.

   • King Yeshua, You are never confused about the events and attitudes affecting the nations today, so please guide us as we pray for Your will to be accomplished on earth (Psa. 71:1; 1 Cor. 14:33).

   • Almighty God, as You have set up today's nations' leaders (Prov. 8:15; Dan. 2:21a), we ask You to use them, like You did with Pharaoh, Cyrus and others, for Your name's sake (Rom. 9:15-23).

   • Lord God, we look to You to fight against these arrogant nations who desire to divide Your land and we remind You of Isaiah 40:15, 17 and 23 in Shabbat's prophetic portion.

   • God Almighty, speak Isaiah 7:7 and 8:9-10 against these threats, making them null and void!

   • Yet Abba Father, if this "Palestinian State" campaign is actually You fulfilling Zechariah 12:2-3, then we plead with You to guide us as we pray (Amos 3:7).

   • Wake up the Body of Messiah in each of these nations to realize the truth of Numbers 24:9b and Joel 3:1-2, and then encourage them to stand in the gap for Your mercy instead (Ezek. 22:30-31).

   • Continue to put Your Word in the mouths of all Israeli international representatives (Jer. 1:9; 5:14).

   • Lord God, anoint Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon, Minster of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli and other representatives so that they continue speaking boldly and truthfully against all global threats and lies (Isa. 2:3b).

   • Righteous Judge, teach Israel how to fight the unjust lawfare being used against it (Prov. 1:3).

   • God, direct and anoint Bibi and Ron Dermer, his special envoy to America, as they interact with US President Trump and his administration (Psa. 23:3b; Prov. 19:21).

5. Internal security:

   Deuteronomy contains more than 80 verses about Israel possessing the land which God promised to them. All Torah portions from last Shabbat through the fall feasts are taken from this book. We pray that God's living Word, which is powerful and super-sharp (Heb. 4:12), will drive this truth home into the minds and hearts of Jews inside and outside of Israel, and will birth faith and works to accomplish this very clear directive of God.

   • Abba, let Your promises embolden Israel to spread its tent pegs over all of the land which You have sworn to them, despite what other nations or NGOs might say or do (Psa. 105:5-12; Isa. 54:2-3).

   • Thank You Lord God that Jeremiah 32:44 describes the land You are planting Israel in (32:41), and it extends from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea! Hallelujah!

   • God of Jacob, as You are jealous over Your land (Ezek. 36:5-7), obliterate all plans to establish a "Palestine" on it – whether from "friends" or foes (Psa. 33:10-11; Zech. 14:1-3).

   • Lord God, anoint Finance Minister Smotrich and Defense Minister Katz as they work to increase the building of Israeli facts on the ground in Judea, Samaria and in the Jordan Valley (Amos 9:14-15).

   • King Messiah, may America's Israeli Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a true Christian-Zionist, provoke Israel's leaders with his biblical zeal for Israel to possess all of its land (Judg. 2:1-5; Psa. 126:1-3).

   • God of Israel, please uproot Your enemies from Your land and do it now (Psa. 125:3; Jer. 12:14-17).

   • Lord God, as the Palestinian Authority is a part of the problem, divide them internally and set them and Hamas against each other whenever, or wherever, they interact (Job 38:13; Psa. 129:5).

   • Almighty King, release the IDF from all humanistic chains, and let it fight the terrorists in Judea and Samara in a biblical way, including asking You to lead them into battle (Psa. 18:36-40; 44:4).

   • Abba Father, extend Your divine wings of protection over all of Israel's security forces as they battle Arab terrorists in Judea and Samaria (Psa. 17:8; 91:4; 141:9-10).

6. External security – Middle East [ME]:

   While Israel has dealt major defeats to Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas, yet it has not gained a total victory over any of them. US President Trump, a strong ally of Israel, is confused by what a "ceasefire" really means to Muslims. He desires to be known as a "man of peace," yet apparently he does not see that to fundamentalist Muslims a "ceasefire/hudna" is only a recess enabling them to regain strength in order to reattack and destroy their enemies – Israel and the West today. Israel also needs to be alert concerning Syria, Turkey and possibly even Egypt.

   • Abba, You did not bring Israel back to allow it destroyed by the various anti-God forces internally or in the nations (Amos 9:14-15), so arise and scatter Your enemies, those who who hate You and Your people (Psa. 68:1; 83:1-4).

   • Abba, give Israel Your priorities as it faces multiple threats surrounding it today (1 Chr. 19:10-13).

   • Lord God, continue to make Israel an effective and awe-inspiring weapon, bringing You glory and honor in Israel, as well as throughout the world (Isa. 41:15-16; Jer. 51:20-14).

   • Lord of hosts, improve Israel's ability to collect accurate intelligence, to interpret that data correctly, and then to know whether or not to respond (2 Kin. 6:12; Isa. 29:15).

   • King of all, increase Israel's ability to use cyberwarfare offensively and defensibly (Psa. 144:1).

   • We rejoice that in Israel's modern history, Leviticus 26:7-8 has often been fulfilled. More, Lord!

   • Almighty Father, we thank You that all Israeli jets have returned safely from their assignments since Oct. 7th, and ask for this obviously miraculous protection to be maintained (Psa. 121:4; Isa. 31:5).

   • Lord God, as Trump's desire to be known as a "man of peace" can distort his thinking so that he says and does things which put Israel in a dangerous spot, please hedge him in and let his advisors warn him against seeing Israel as if it was just another nation (Ex. 33:16; Num. 23:9b).

   • Show Israel which nations today, including in the West, should be treated as non-allies (Isa. 36:6).

   • Abba, stop all additions to the Abraham Accords between Israel and other ME nations if it would be unprofitable for Israel – and overrule the future of these accords (Psa. 124:1-8).

   • God, show Israel and the US that Qatar is actually an enemy nation (Job 12:17-25; Psa. 120:6-7).

   • Lord of hosts, download to Israel divine strategy and tactics to eradicate the threat of both Iran's remaining ballistic missiles, and its nuclear program (Psa. 144:1; Prov. 21:30-31).

   • Lord God, fulfill Jeremiah 49:38b and destroy Iran's political, military and religious leadership.

   • God Almighty, encourage Israel to continue attacking Hizbullah's attempts to rebuild in Lebanon and use that to provoke the Lebanese to set themselves free from Hizbullah (Isa. 14:2b).

   • Messiah Yeshua, protect Your Body in the ME; help them to grow numerically and spiritually; and through them Lord, destroy the stronghold of Islam in the ME (Jer. 49:38a; Matt. 5:13-16; 16:18b).

7. Aliyah:

   Since God's bringing back the Jews to His land is for His name's sake (Ezek. 36:22-24), believers should be openly supporting this. After all, this is a major answer to the first part of the Lord's Prayer: Our Father in heaven, may Your name be sanctified… may Your will be manifest on earth as it is already manifest in eternity (Matt. 6:9-10).

   • As You state in Jeremiah 23:3-4, gather back the remnant of Your flock, the house of Israel, and then make them increase and be very fruitful and also set up over them righteous shepherds.

   • We bless You God that 60,350+ people have made aliyah since Oct. 7th, yet as more Jews still live outside of Israel, we plead with You to bring home many more (Jer. 31:3). [The 60,350 is to the end of March 2025. More are still coming so that the numbers of people making aliyah since Oct. 7th is more than 30,000 a year, which is an increase from the decade before! Hallelujah!]

   • Lord God, teach Your people history's lessons that when they live among the nations, at some point those nations could not, or worse, would not, protect them (Deut. 28:37, 64-67; Psa. 137:3-4).

   • Show Jews that while Israel is not 100% safe, it is safer than living outside today (Psa. 121:3-4).

   • Abba Father, destroy all deceptive "comfort zones" which are trapping Your people (Job 7:13-14).

   • Lord, give dreams or nightmares, to show them they must move to Israel (Joel 2:28b; Amos 3:8).

   • God, set Jews in Turkey, Iran and other anti-Israel nations free to come home (Jer. 16:14-15).

   • Lord, rule over Jews preconceived notions of what life in Israel is like so that they can be very flexible after they do make aliyah (Psa. 4:6-8).

   • Abba, thank You for Israeli Minister of Aliyah, Ofir Sofer, who has cleared out some bureaucratic stones of stumbling from the path of Your people coming home (Isa. 62:10). More, Lord!

   • God of Israel, retire any bureaucrat in Israel's Interior Ministry or the Jewish Agency who is less than enthusiastic about aliyah, with those who, like You, are zealous for Zion (Zech. 8:1-8).

   • Lord God, replace the rabbinical definition of "who is a Jew?" with Your definition (Psa. 119:116).

   • Messiah Yeshua, influence wealthy Christians to give generously to help finance both the aliyah and the successful integration of new immigrants into Israeli society (Ezra 1:4; Isa. 60:9).

8. Salvation:

   Jeremiah 32:37-44, Ezekiel 36:24-28, Zechariah 12:2-10 and other verses state that all Israel is saved when they return to their land. So we pray for more Israeli Jews to receive the revelation of their King Messiah, as well as praying for Jews in the captivity to be saved.

   • Abba, use Deuteronomy 4:30-31 and 7:7-8 to turn many Israelis back to You as they read that Your relationship with them is one based on covenant-mercy, love and Your faithfulness to Your promises.

   • Also use both Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and 7:9 in Shabbat's Torah portion to convict Your people of their inability to love You with all of their being and then to seek You to help them (Jer. 29:11-13).

   • As they read Isaiah 40:11 in the prophetic portion, Lord Yeshua reveal to many Jews that You are that prophesied Good Shepherd – their Messiah – for whom many of them are waiting (John 10:11).

   • Lord, show secret Israeli believers when and how they should confess You openly (Matt. 10:32).

   • Abba Father, teach believers how to share the good news of Messiah Yeshua using verses from the Tanach (Psa. 2:12; Prov. 30:4; Isa. 7:14; 9:6-7; Jer. 31:31-34; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 12:10; etc.)

   • [Seek God if there is a specific group of Jews whom He wants you to intercede for this week.]

9. Body of Messiah:

   To pray effectively for God's kingdom to come today, we need to see God fulfilling His prophetic Word (Jer. 1:12) in preparing this world for His Son's return. The main prophecies He is fulfilling is releasing the good news of Messiah globally and regathering the Jews to their land to be saved by a revelation of their true King Messiah (Zech. 12:1-10, 14:1-4; Matt. 23:39).

   • Shepherd of the sheep, reveal to believers that the word "scripture" in the New Testament refers in context only to the Old Testament – the Tanach (Matt. 22:29; Luke 4:21; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Gal. 3:8).

   • Lord, raise up more sons and daughters of Zion as elders in Your Body (Zech. 9:13; Acts 20:27).

   • Also King Yeshua, reveal to the Body that planting Israel back in their land is the one thing You said You would do with all of Your heart and all of Your soul – in all of Your Word (Jer. 32:41)!

   • Lord, let those in the Body who do see this be like spiritual leaven and influence many others in their fellowships and in their wider communities (Luke 13:20-21).

   • Lord, if the Body is uncomfortable praying for Israel to possess its land or for all Jews to return to their promised home, then at least burden them to pray for all Israel to be saved (Rom. 10:1; 11:26).

   • Lion of Judah, clearly reveal the biblical link You have woven between Israel and Your glory to Your born-again children at this season (Isa. 46:13; Jer. 13:11; Luke 2:32; Rom. 9:4).

10. IFI:

    Thank you for your financial gifts but please continue to pray for our finances. Also, there is a sense of tiredness that has impacted most in Israel, including Judy and I. Please pray for God's gracious enablement upon us to do His will.

Thank you, Shabbat shalom, and blessings from Israel

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

1 Cor. 1:9