1. Praise:

    The instructions for keeping the original Passover in Egypt are found in this Shabbat's Torah portion. Of extreme importance is that both God and Moses identify the Passover as the lamb that is slain and its blood as a shield to protect the children of Israel from God's righteous judgments on the gods of Egypt and that nation (Ex. 12:6, 11, 21, 27).

    • Lord Yeshua, we praise You for this foreshadow of who You are and what You blood does for us (Rev. 1:5; 5:6, 8-9, 12-13; 6:16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7; 21:22-23, 27; 22:3).

    • Hallelujah! Messiah, You are the Lamb that Abraham prophesied about (Gen. 22:8; 1 Cor. 5:7).

    • We thank You for being the Lamb of God who carries away our sins (John 1:29; cp. Isa. 53:5, 7).

    • Messiah Yeshua, we bless You for justifying us before God by Your blood (Rom. 5:9; Heb. 9:14).

    • Abba Father, what a joy to know that we can come into Your presence with boldness because of Messiah Yeshua's blood (Heb. 10:19).

  2. Government & society:

    As we pray about the next Israeli elections, which will be in October at the latest, we are asking God for even more sons and daughters of Zion to be very influential in whatever governing coalition is formed. Also, we continue to pray for other issues impacting Israeli society and PM Bibi Netanyahu's current governing coalition.

    • Lord God, let this be the time when Zechariah 9:13 is completely fulfilled in Israel – in politics, the military, throughout society, and even spiritually (Isa. 55:11).

    • Abba Father, use the elections to strip all children of Greece from Israel's government (Psa. 75:4-7).

    • God of Jacob, shield Your people from ungodly influences that would turn them away from voting in line with Your will for Israel at this time (Psa. 33:10-11; 115:9-11).

    • Abba, rule over all of the political parties' deals to run together as one and forbid any political unities that would harm Your people (Job 34:34; Dan. 2:21; Amos 3:3).

    • Sovereign Lord, let critical issues be debated during the campaign, like the extension of sovereignty, and forbid that the opposition runs only on an anti-Bibi campaign again (Zech. 8:16a).

    • Righteous Judge, may the much needed judicial reform also be a major topic of discussion in the election campaigns and on the various parties platforms (Isa. 1:25-27).

    • King Messiah, fulfill Psalm 46:10, Proverbs 9:10, 19:21 and 21:1 in all areas of Netanyahu's life.

    • Abba Father, bring to him wise and godly advisors and reliable friends (Prov. 17:17; 18:24; 27:6).

    • God Almighty, do not let Netanyahu and other coalition politicians view everything they say and do today through the filter of an as-yet-to-be-called election campaign (Matt. 6:34).

    • Lord God, greatly influence Israel's coalition to complete all that You have ordained for them in the time they have left to serve Your nation (Prov. 16:8, 9).

    • God, protect Your people from all demon-inspired social media posts (Deut. 33:29; Isa. 54:17).

    • Yeshua Lord, gift Israel's medical personnel to minister to the returned hostages and to all injured soldiers – physically, mentally and emotionally (Prov. 20:5; Jer. 30:17; 33:6).

    • Lord God of heaven's armies, make Israel the head of the nations in all military matters – and guide it to become as self-sufficient as possible, as quickly as possible (Deut. 28:10-13).

  3. Foreign relations:

    The expansion of hatred against Israel in today's world is a fruit of hatred against Israel's God (Psa. 83:14). This is essentially a spiritual issue as idol worship expands in the earth, especially in the West. "Mother Earth," "New-Age," "Self-worship," "Freedom to do what I want," and often "Democracy," are all idols adhered to, while God's infallible Word is being cast down. Thus this loathing of the God of Israel is focused against His chosen nation.

    • Abba Father, further Your kingdom policies on earth during 2026 (Luke 11:2).

    • Faithful One, bring Psalm 9:19-20, Psalm 33:10-11, Isaiah 8:9-10 and Lamentations 3:37 to pass against every anti-God plan against Your land and Your people (Num. 23:19).

    • Lord God, fill all Israeli leaders with divine courage to "just say No!" to all external pressures or demands that are against Your will for Your nation today (Neh. 2:20; Prov. 3:7).

    • God, let alarm bells ring loudly within Israel's political and military realms, and within the US Body, as Trump heaps praise on Turkey's anti-Christ like President Erdogan (Prov. 19:6; 22:24).

    • Almighty Judge, defend Israel against the humanistic lawfare being used against it (Psa. 35:1).

    • Lord God of the nations, fulfill Obadiah 1:15 against the UN and its outreaches (Hag. 2:22).

    • King Yeshua, show believers how furious You are with Israel's unreliable "allies" (Ezek. 29:6-9), and then burden them to cry out for mercy for their nations (Ezek. 22:30-31).

  4. Gaza:

    Trump ignored Israel's concerns about the future of Gaza and invited some of its open enemies to his "board of peace" – Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan. Most of the other nations are not pro-Israel either. We are praying for the US Body to see the danger Trump has placed their nation in. Is it a coincidence that this very weekend, a massive deadly winter storm is forecast to impact over 200 million Americans? Meanwhile, what is Israel to do? That is our main prayer burden.

    • Lord God, bring all plans of the nations that are opposed to Your plans to nothing (Psa. 33:10-11).

    • Abba, block all nations who are enemies of Israel who have been invited to be on Trump's "Board of Peace" and cause Phase II to be totally unsuccessful from its very beginnings (Prov. 21:30).

    • We praise You Lord that Bibi is speaking out against allowing soldiers from either Turkey or Qatar to enter Gaza, and we ask You would give him a forehead of steel to maintain this stance (Ezek. 3:9a).

    • Abba Father, do not let Bibi's acceptance to be part of this "board of peace" dilute his objections to Turkey and Qatar, but in fact, use his seat at the table to keep them away (Psa. 1:1-6; 68:2).

    • God of Jacob, continue to harden Hamas' leaders' hearts as so far they are refusing to do what they agreed to when they signed on to Trump's "peace" plan (Ex. 4:21; Psa. 55:21; 59:7).

    • Lord Yeshua, let Hamas' pride drag them down into destruction (2 Sam. 22:28b; Prov. 16:18).

    • Sovereign Creator, create another huge trembling like the Philistines experienced (1 Sam. 14:15), and use that to shake and destroy all of the tunnels under Gaza (Job 9:6).

    • Lord of hosts, guide the IDF on how to effectively fight against Hamas (2 Sam. 22:35a).

    • Lord God, when the IDF is released, press them to destroy Hamas swiftly (Joel 3:4).

    • God of Abraham, fulfill that which You threatened to do to Gaza in Amos 1:6-7 (Psa. 125:3-5).

    • Abba Father, we ask for You to fulfill Your day-after plan for Gaza (Zeph. 2:4-7).

    • God of Jacob, remove Israel's reluctance to repossess Gaza, as it is theirs to possess (Judg. 2:1-4).

  5. Internal security:

    The Torah portion again declares that God has promised all of the land of Canaan, i.e., His land, unto the Jewish nation. In the portion the Feast of Passover is linked with the land which God swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob's descendants.

    • Lord God of Israel, as Your people read Shabbat's Torah portion, let all questions of whether You want them to extend sovereignty over all of their land be settled (Ex. 12:25; 13:5, 11).

    • Abba, You are planting Your people in Your land with all of Your heart and soul (Jer. 32:41), and You are doing it for Your name's sake (Ezek. 36:21-24), so wake up the Body of Messiah to see how important this is to You and to seriously intercede for this to be done (Luke 11:2).

    • Lord, erase from the Body the unbiblical term, "West Bank," replacing it with "Judea and Samaria."

    • King of Israel, raise up in the next government biblical Zionists who are jealous for Your sake to see all of the land of promise come under Israeli rule (Psa. 75:6-7; Jer. 32:41-44; Zech. 8:2-8).

    • In Your jealousy Lord God, tear down the "two-state solution" idol (Ex. 34:14; Ezek. 36:5-15).

    • Lord, encourage Finance Minister Smotrich to move ahead with both legalizing and expanding the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (Isa. 54:2-3; Obad. 1:17-20).

    • Abba, please make sure that the issues of sovereignty and a Palestinian State are openly debated in the upcoming election campaign so that Israelis know who is for what (1 Kin. 18:21; Jam. 1:8).

    • We praise You God for reducing the number of terror attacks in Israel last year and ask for that to be continued during this year as well (Psa. 121:4).

    • Abba Father, we are in total agreement with what King David confessed about You, and ask for You to again be Israel's Savior who saves [them] from violence (2 Sam. 22:2-3).

    • Lord, go before Israel's security forces and expose and destroy all terrorist activities throughout the land, including revealing every smuggling route for weapons (Job 12:22).

    • God of Israel, prevent Israel from being swayed by America to see the Palestinian Authority [PA] as anything other than a modified version of Hamas – and as a huge part of its problem (Jer. 13:23).

    • Lord, set Hamas and the PA against each other like You did in Gaza decades ago (Hag. 2:22).

    • Almighty God, uncover and stop any Israeli-Arab terrorist plans against Israel (Psa. 34:16).

  6. External security – Middle East [ME] plus:

    The situation in Iran is not over. America has moved more military assets to the ME – but whether that is aimed at Iran or not is anyone's guess. So far Trump's threats have been as empty as Yeshua's tomb after the resurrection. Yet he can change his mind in an instant, so once again, only God knows! Meanwhile, we pray for what Israel should do or not do concerning Iran, the Kurds and its other ME neighbors.

    • Sovereign Lord, Your thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:6, 8-9), so be very clear and precise as You guide us in prayer (Psa. 10:17).

    • King Yeshua, magnify confusion in every nation that hates Zion (Psa. 35:4, 26; 129:5).

    • Lord God, as in the Torah portion in Egypt, put a miraculous "difference" between Israel and its ME enemies so that at least some Muslims and Arabs will come to know that You are God (Ex. 11:7).

    • Messiah Lord, protect and encourage the Iranian Body and impart great wisdom to know exactly how to intercede for their nation now (Psa. 50:15; 86:7).

    • We bless You that although the Iran regime has cut off all internet connections in that nation, the believers in Iran are never cut off from their connection with You Lord (Matt. 28:20b). Hallelujah!

    • God of Israel, You said You would destroy the king and princes of Elam – ancient Iran – yet You also said Israel is Your weapons of war, so speak clearly to Israel if it is supposed to deal with Iran militarily at this time (Jer. 49:38b; 51:20-24).

    • Righteous Judge, judge all nations who still have financial dealings with Iran – although they know that Iran is the world's #1 supporter of terror and what it just did to its citizens (Jer. 12:13; Hag. 1:6).

    • Sovereign God, maintain Israel's healthy skepticism of Syria's current radical Islamic leaders in the face of Trump's push to get Israel and Syria to sign a "peace" treaty (Psa. 140:1-2).

    • Lord God Almighty, frustrate Turkey's plans to build a "ring of fire" around Israel as it already has troops in Syria and is trying to also position them in Gaza (Psa. 17:8-9).

    • King of kings, either through Israel or sovereignly, arise and protect the Kurds in Syria from the onslaught against them from both the current Syrian regime and Turkey (Psa. 7:9, 11; 11:5).

    • God, magnify the IDF's attacks on Hizbullah's efforts to rebuild anywhere in Lebanon (Ex. 23:27).

    • Messiah Yeshua, as Your priests (1 Pet. 2:9) we ask You to fulfill Joel 2:17-21 and drive Hizbullah far off from Israel's northern border (Isa. 41:11-12).

  7. Aliyah:

    From the prophetic portion: Fear not My servant Jacob; be not dismayed, Israel: for, behold, I will save you from afar and your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, be at ease, and none shall make him afraid. Fear not, Jacob My servant, says YHWH, for I am with you! I will make a full end of all nations to where I scattered you, but I will not make a full end of you. Yet I will discipline you in measure, and not leave you totally unpunished. (Jer. 46:27-28; cp. 30:10-11)

    • Almighty, we thank You for the aliyah – a sign of Your faithfulness to fulfill Your promises despite most nations being against Jews returning and repossessing Your land (Isa. 43:12; Heb. 10:23b).

    • Lord God, while Israel has more Jews than any other nation, a majority of Your people are still in exile, so for Your name's sake, speed up their return home in 2026 (Isa. 43:5-7' Ezek. 36:22-24).

    • Abba Father, remove from all Jews the deceptive title, "the diaspora" [Gk. "scattering"], and replace it with the biblical term, "the captivity" (Deut. 30:3; Ezra 2:1; Psa. 126:1-4).

    • Lord, if Jews in the captivity still refuse to see the signs of the times, then let the explosion of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism open their eyes and turn their hearts toward home (Jer. 51:9-10).

    • God of Jacob, confront Jews in the West with the choice of saving their lifestyles or saving their life and the lives of their loved ones by escaping from today's Babylon (Jer. 30:10; 46:27).

    • God Almighty, destroy the cages holding Your people in the captivity: true or deceptive comfort and security; too much or too little finances; fear from false media reports about Israel; a real fear of major life changes; an inflated fear of children serving in the IDF; family members who refuse to come home; thinking they are too old or too infirm; etc. (Prov. 3:5-6).

    • Lord Yeshua, cast out that mountain that blocks aliyah for many Jews – the rabbinic definition of who is a Jew – and replace it with the biblical definition (Isa. 62:10; Mark 7:9, 13).

    • God, You promised to marry Your people to Your land (Isa. 62:4-5), so do that with all the Jewish people who are part of Your chosen remnant who return and settle there (Isa. 10:20-22; 11:11).

    • Abba Father, bless mightily Israel's emergency plans to absorb tens of thousands of new immigrants in a short period of time (Ezek. 36:8-12).

    • Lord God of Israel, may Israeli politicians speak into how they plan to increase aliyah and the ability to absorb new immigrants during the next election campaign (Prov. 16:1).

    • Lord Yeshua, show Your Body their biblical responsibility to help Jews to return home: in prayers, through finances, good works and by encouraging words (Isa. 49:22; 60:1-12; 61:5; Rom. 15:26-27).

    • Gracious God, pour out grace and favor and sufficient finances on all believing organizations whose ministry is to aid in the aliyah process (Isa. 49:22; Rom. 15:27).

  8. Salvation:

    Exodus 12 in the Torah portion – the story of the Passover in Egypt – has so many hints of the importance of the lamb's blood to God (Ex. 12:12-13, 23). We believers in Messiah are aware of this, yet most Jews, even the most religious, have rejected any need for the blood today.

    • God of Israel, open the eyes of Your people to their need to be under the blood of the Lamb in order to be protected from Your righteous judgments on their sins (Ex. 12:12-13, 23; Psa. 119:18).

    • Lord God, show them how central the lamb is to the Passover feast (Ex. 12:6, 11, 21, 27).

    • Abba Father, as they see in Exodus 12:48-49 Your provision for gentiles to partake of the Passover, let them consider how this foreshadows the gentile believers in the Body of Messiah.

    • God of Jacob, turn Jews who have serious questions about what the Tanach truly means to ask You, rather than to just ask their rabbis (1 Chr. 16:10-11; Psa. 14:2; 22:6).

    • For Your glory, Almighty King, fulfill this word once again: He sent redemption to His people: He has commanded His covenant forever: holy and to be feared is His name. (Psa. 111:9)

    • [Ask the Lord about specific groups of Jews He would want you to pray for this week.]

  9. Body of Messiah:

    A major reason why many believers, particularly in the West, are either confused by, or against, Israel's total restoration, is their rejection of the Old Testament, the Tanach, as a fundamental part of God's Word for today. Yet to Messiah Yeshua and the early believers this was the only part of God's Word that they had, loved, and trusted in (2 Tim. 3:15-17)!

    • King Yeshua, confront believers today who for whatever reason reject the Tanach as still being Your Word (Jer. 23:29; John 5:46-47).

    • Lord God, show the Body that if they reject Genesis 12:3a as being valid today, then they must also reject 12:3b, which is the gospel to the gentiles (Gal. 3:8)!

    • Messiah Yeshua, rip out replacement theory from Your Body (Eph. 5:27; 1 Tim. 4:1).

    • God Almighty, reveal to believers that if they do not know what the Tanach says about these days then they cannot know what end time prophecies You are fulfilling today (Luke 24:25:27).

    • Abba Father, promote more genuine sons and daughters of Issachar throughout the Body who see the signs of the times and know Israel's place in Your end-time plans (1 Chr. 12:32).

    • Lord Messiah, show Your Body how vital it is to You to find them walking in truth (3 John 1:4), which must of necessity include the Tanach (John 17:17).

    • You who are the Way, the Truth and the Light (John 14:6), remind Your Body of how often You warned your followers to not be deceived in the last days (Matt. 24:4-5, 11, 23-25).

  10. Water:

    The rains continue to fall and we praise Him for that. Still, Israel needs more water to fill up the Sea of Galilee and provide for its other water needs that depend not on desalinization, but on rain. Also rain and snow is a sign of God's goodness to His nation (Isa. 41:17-20).

  11. IFI:

    Thank you for continuing to hold our arms up in prayer. Specifically ask God to give us all of the strength – physically, emotionally, and mentally – to stand on our assigned posts on Jerusalem's walls as the battle against God and His people – both Israel and the true Church – intensifies.

Thank you, blessings and Shabbat shalom from Israel

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Dan. 7:21-22