1. Praise:

   Shabbat's Torah portion begins with Exodus 25. For the next 15 chapters we have the instructions from God to Moses, and then the building by Moses and the children of Israel of God's dwelling place, the Tabernacle. This length and detail indicate how important this is to God.

   • Lord God, we thank You that all of these instructions are focused on one vital issue which You state in Exodus 25:8: And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

   • Abba, Your deep desire to dwell with us is one more example of 1 John 4:19.

   • We are so grateful that although You give us Your commandments to follow, yet knowing our sinful nature, ultimately it is Your mercy that permits us to commune with You (Ex. 25:21-22).

   • Lord Yeshua, our faithful High Priest, we bless You for revealing that while we are initially saved by Your death and resurrection, Your intercession perfects our salvation for all eternity (Heb. 7:25).

   • "God, be exalted above the heavens, and Your glory above all the earth;" (Psa. 108:5) Amen!

2. Government & society:

   Israel's national elections, which are yet to be scheduled, must take place by October. Yet most of the opposition is already campaigning on the old "anyone-but-Bibi" Netanyahu slogan. Please pray that Israel's next leader and coalition will advance God's kingdom. Also there are issues impacting Israeli society today to pray for, so let's pray for the current coalition to continue to work for what is best for Israel and which will bring God the most glory (Psa. 115:1-3).

   • Lord God, guide us as we pray for Israel's current government (Psa. 32:8; Luke 11:1b).

   • Messiah Yeshua, anoint Netanyahu to lead Israel for as long as it is Your will (Job 32:8; Prov. 2:6).

   • Abba Father, gift Bibi with wise and godly advisors and real friends (Prov. 17:17; 18:24; 27:6).

   • King of Israel, guard over Netanyahu and his coalition against distractions and diversions from the election campaign that would hinder them from leading Israel today (Deut. 6:4-5; 10:12).

   • Almighty God, move upon Your people when they go to vote so that the next government has many more children of Issachar and of Zion than the current one has (1 Chr. 12:32a; Zech. 9:13).

   • Also Abba, use the elections to diminish the children of Greece from the government (Psa. 75:4-7).

   • God of justice, as Israel has a serious need for judicial reform, let this issue be clearly and openly debated in the election campaigns (Isa. 1:25-27).

   • Israel has no written constitution, therefore, God of Jacob, enable Your Word have the final say in all areas of life about which Your Word speaks (Psa. 119:9, 116, 154; Isa. 8:20).

   • Lord God, in agreement with the above, You ordain the death penalty for murderers and kidnappers, so let the legislation for that be approved and applied swiftly (Ex. 21:12, 14, 16; Eccl. 8:11).

   • Shield of Abraham (Gen. 15:1), shield all ex-hostages from being used by the Israeli media and left-wing groups against the Zionists in Israeli society (Psa. 47:9; 59:11; 91:4).

   • Thank You Almighty Provider, for miraculously aiding Israel's economy to do better than expected despite what You nation has had to deal with since October 7th 2023 (Psa. 132:13-15; Ezek. 36:8-11).

3. Foreign relations:

   The world's cursing and betrayal of Israel and the Jews comes from their hatred of Israel's God (Psa. 83:1-4). The fruit of that hatred is the gross darkness of Isaiah 60:2 running rampant in the West and elsewhere. Therefore, it is possible that we are about to see God's glory being manifest through Israel unto this rebellious world (Isa. 60:1).

   • Lord God, thank You for teaching us that as we pray for Israel and the nations, our aim should be for Your kingdom and Your glory to be revealed in the world (Psa. 57:5, 11; 108:5; Isa. 55:8-9).

   • Lord Yeshua, open up the eyes of believers to see the link between the gross darkness overtaking their nations and their leaders and people cursing and/or betraying Your nation (Num. 24:9b).

   • Abba, let the growth of anti-Zionist turn Israel into that prophesied set-apart nation (Num. 23:9b).

   • Lord God, surround Israeli representatives and diplomats out in the world with Christian Zionists who will encourage them to use Your words to defend Your nation (Isa. 55:11).

   • King of Israel, in line with the prophetic portion, give Netanyahu wisdom in order that there might be a real peace between him and as many gentile world leaders as possible (1 Kin. 5:12).

   • Almighty God, embolden Bibi and Israel's other leaders with strength and courage to resist all well-meaning but anti-biblical advice from its "friends" (Num. 23:23; Psa. 33:10-11; Ezek. 37:4-10).

   • God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, protect Israel from Jewish communities living among the gentiles who often push Israel to do or say things which are out of line with Your will (Neh. 4:1-14).

   • Sovereign Lord, with the UN refusing to fire Francesca Albanese, their vicious anti-Zionist Special Rapporteur for human rights in the "Palestinian territories," who recently said Israel was the enemy of mankind, fulfill Obadiah 1:15 against that organization and its various outreaches (Hag. 2:22).

   • King of kings, guard Israel's UN Ambassador Danon and his team against the anti-Christ spirit that runs amok in that organization (Psa. 143:10).

   • Abba, Gideon Sa'ar has done a great job as Israel's Foreign Minister, so give him a place in the next government where he can continue to defend Israel – for Your glory's sake (Psa. 75:5-7; 115:1-3).

   • Lord Messiah, guide Israel to those nations, especially non-Western ones, that respect it and want its help and let Israel increase its outreach to them (Deut. 4:7; 26:19; Psa. 141:9-10; 148:14; Isa. 62:12).

4. Gaza:

   We see God "interfering" with Trump's dangerous Gaza "ceasefire" plan (Prov. 16:1, 9). Still, he insists on pressing ahead with phase two. His so-called "Board of Peace" met this past week and despite all the hot air, there was no major new news. Meanwhile, Hamas' leaders repeatedly state that they will not disarm or give up rule over Gaza. Unfortunately, most of the West ignores this.

   • Lord God, as infuriating as it is to see Trump ignoring Hamas' stated intentions, we trust in You who rules overall (Psa. 103:19) and ask for Your plans to be suddenly fulfilled (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Lord of hosts, as You are the One who causes wars to cease, and disarms the enemy, do not let this war against Hamas to end until You accomplish all of that (Psa. 46:9; Ezek. 39:3; Mic. 4:3; 5:10).

   • Abba, let Israel be more influential than any other nations on Trump's "Board of Peace" (Eccl. 7:19).

   • We thank You Lord for Bibi's stance that no Turkish soldiers will be allowed in Gaza (Ezek. 3:9a).

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

   • Thank You Lord for both Israeli Defense Minister Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Zamir, both of whom know Hamas will not voluntarily disarm and are preparing the IDF to finish the war (Psa. 44:4-6).

   • Lord of hosts, reinforce Your angelic protection over all IDF soldiers in Gaza against any attacks, explosive devices, kidnapping attempts, accidents or friendly fire incidents (Psa. 32:7; 121:4).

   • We bless You God for how the IDF is destroying tunnels under the area in Gaza they control [more than 55%], for finding weapons caches and for killing many terrorists (Job 12:22; Psa. 95:4; 139:12).

   • Lord, show more Israelis that Gaza is part of their God-given inheritance (Zeph. 3:4a; Zech. 9:5).

   • King Yeshua, shine Your light through believers in Gaza, and save many Muslims (Matt. 5:16).

5. Internal security:

   We press on in prayer for Israel to extend its sovereignty over all the land west of the Jordan River and to have increased success against Palestinian terrorists inside of God's land. We see amazing answers to both, which is why the opposition to Israel's extension of sovereignty has increased, including from its Western "allies"!

   • Abba, as You are planting Your people in Your land with all of Your heart and soul (Jer. 32:41), and doing it for Your name's sake (Ezek. 36:21-24), show the Body of Messiah how central this is to Your end-time plans and burden them to seriously intercede for this to be done (Luke 11:2; 1 John 5:14-15).

   • King Yeshua, rip from the Body the unbiblical term, "West Bank," and replace it with the terms You knew when You walked among us – "Judea and Samaria" (Matt. 2:1; 24:16; John 4:4).

   • Lord God, anoint America's Israeli Ambassador Mike Huckabee with Your boldness and wisdom to warn Trump against stopping Israel from extending sovereignty over Your land (Lev. 25:23).

   • We praise You for Finance Minister Smotrich, Justice Minister Levin and Defense Minister Katz who are advancing legislation so that Jews can more easily settle in Judea and Samaria (Josh. 1:6).

   • Abba, continue to give Israelis strategic guidance for the various steps needed to extend Israel's sovereignty over all of their land today (Psa. 32:8; Isa. 30:21).

   • Lord God of Jacob, may Your people become as jealous for Your land as You are (Ezek. 36:5-15).

   • Abba Father, overrule in the election campaign so that the issues of sovereignty and a Palestinian State will be openly talked about to show Israelis which party is for what (1 Kin. 18:21; Jam. 1:8).

   • Almighty, remove the lying spirit of Islam which influences world leaders to reject Your will and to mistakenly think that the "two-state solution" can bring peace (Psa. 28:3; 120:6-7; Jer. 6:14; 8:11).

   • King of kings, arise and drag the UN down into Your Valley of judgment as they pass one resolution after another to divide Your land and create Palestinian State (Joel 3:1-2).

   • Lord God of hosts, anoint Israel's forces in Judea and Samaria to fight like the prophesied sons of Zion against all Palestinian terrorists (Zech. 9:13-15; 10:3a-7; 12:5-6).

   • Guardian of Israel, aid Israeli security forces to guard its Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian borders against weapons being smuggled in for the Jew-hating terrorists (Job 28:11b; 42:2; Obad. 1:6).

   • Lord God, set the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Islamic Jihad against each other (Zech. 14:13).

   • Lord Yeshua, with Ramadan starting this past week, please reveal Yourself to many Muslims who live in Your land and thus expel from Your land the satanic Islamic spirit (Psa. 125:3).

   • God, totally expose and stop all Ramadan-inspired terror attacks against Your people (Psa. 121:4).

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

   Israel has seriously damaged Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas since Oct. 7th. Yet Trump stopped it from defeating them by his absurd "ceasefires." Today, they are all rebuilding their military capacities aiming to destroy the Jewish Nation. The West, for the most part, has no clue that a ME/Islamic mindset plans for many generations to come. Only if Koranic Muslims are saved will they give up Allah's goals of killing every Jew on the planet!

   • Abba Father, You make covenants, not deals, so fulfill Your covenants with Israel, including Your unconditional covenant concerning all of the land (Gen. 15:17-18; Psa. 105:5-11; 111:5, 9).

   • Lord God, turn Trump's heart so that he either attacks Iran or not as per Your will (Prov. 21:1).

   • Messiah Lord, protect and encourage the Iranian Body and give them great wisdom to know exactly how to pray for their nation now, especially during Ramadan (Psa. 50:15; 86:7).

   • Lord God, reveal the lies of Iran's leaders as they negotiate with America on a new nuclear deal and suddenly remove them from power over that nation (Psa. 6:10; Jer. 49:38b).

   • Lord of hosts, download to Israel Your strategy, tactics and timing in order to destroy all of Iran's remaining ballistic missiles and launchers (Psa. 144:1; Prov. 21:30-31; Jer. 49:35).

   • God of gods, throw Iran's many proxies, whether in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq or anywhere else, into the traps they have set for Your nation Israel (Est. 7:10; Psa. 35:8; 57:6).

   • God of Israel, block Your nation from agreeing to any treaty with either Syria or Lebanon based on the desires of the US administration if it is not totally in line with Your will (Psa. 29:11).

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

   • Lord God, use Turkey's evil President Erdogan for Your glory as You did with Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, and many other wicked leaders throughout history (Ex. 9:16; Eccl. 8:8b; Rom. 9:17).

   • Abba, as Hizbullah has just rejected the Lebanese government's plan for them to disarm, encourage Israel to increase its attacks against them everywhere in Lebanon (Psa. 29:5; Isa. 2:10-17).

7. Aliyah:

   We are so privileged to see God fulfilling His Word to bring back home His scattered people (Jer. 31:10). Yet we also have a great responsibility as Messiah's Body to be actively involved with this prophetic fulfillment (for example see Isaiah 49:22; 60:10-11).

   • Lord God, for Jews in the captivity who are blind to the signs of the times, let the increase of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism pry open their eyes and turn their hearts toward Zion (Jer. 51:9-10).

   • Abba Father, let the millions of Jews in NYC see the anti-Semitic graffiti on the walls and flee from that Babylon now while they still can take their finances with them to Israel (Isa. 48:20; 60:9).

   • As nations like Belgium make circumcision illegal, remind Your people that once gentiles decide to not let Jews live as Jews, history shows that they then decide to not let Jews live (Psa. 106:47)!

   • God of Jacob, show Your people in the nations that most gentiles link them with Israel regardless of whether they agree with Israel's policies or not (Matt. 26:71-73).

   • 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 genuine concern of major life changes; an inflated fear of children serving in the IDF; family members who refuse to return; thinking that they are too old or too infirm; etc. (Prov. 3:5-6).

   • Lord Yeshua, arise as that prophesied "Breaker" (Mic. 2:12-13) and create for all Jews who are stuck in the captivity, but who want to return, major and sudden breakthroughs (Isa. 42:13-16).

   • King Messiah, cast out the mountain which 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).

   • Abba Father, bless and direct Israel's emergency plans to receive and settle many tens of thousands of new immigrants over a short span of time (Ezek. 36:8-12).

   • Gracious King, 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:

   Jeremiah 32:37-44, Ezekiel 36:24-28, Zechariah 12:2-10 and many other verses say that "all Israel" will be saved in their land. So we pray for Israeli Jews to receive the truth that Yeshua is their long-awaited King Messiah.

   • God of Israel, fulfill Zechariah 12:10 and pour out Your spirit of grace upon Your people who are living in the land, and turn many look unto, that is to trust in, Your Son (Psa. 2:11-12; Acts 19:20).

   • Lord of the harvest, please send forth laborers into the Jewish harvest fields – including the various Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] sects residing in Your land today (Matt. 9:37-38).

   • King Messiah, save many Jews living in Jerusalem and let them start declaring today: Blessed is He who comes in the name of YHWH (Psa. 118:26; Matt. 23:39)!

   • Lord Yeshua, make this the time when secret Jewish believers confess You openly (Matt. 10:32).

   • Abba Father, just like Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, so today remove that veil You placed over Your people eyes about Yeshua being their Savior and Messiah (Gen. 45:1; Rom. 11:25).

   • We thank You that Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:15 how the Tanach has all the truth needed to prove Yeshua is Messiah, so please reveal Him to many Jews who actually do read all of Your Word.

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

9. Body of Messiah:

   I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse [i.e. make little of; denigrate; despise; treat with contempt] you (Gen. 12:3a). Believers should be aware that God's declaration to curse those who curse Abraham and his seed applies to them as well. Yeshua set us free from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13), but not from the curse of this promise. "Cursing" Israel (Num. 24:9b), or the Jews, brings God's curse on the Body, making it easier for massive deception to boldly walk in and be embraced as if it were from heaven – such as replacement theology!

   • Lord God, show believers that how Satan first caused humanity to sin is still his favorite tactic today as he continually asks both them and non-believers, Has God really said? (Gen. 3:1a)!

   • Messiah Yeshua, anoint Your Body to perceive that the only Word of God You read and trusted in while on earth was the Old Testament – the Tanach – and thus they need to also read and trust in what is contained there (Luke 24:44; John 5:46; 2 Tim. 3:15-17).

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

   • Messiah Lord, give Your Body more elders who teach and preach all of the Word (Acts 20:27), and who also proclaim Your eternal love for, and covenant with, Israel (Deut. 7:6-8; Jer. 31:35-37).

   • God Almighty, send forth many more children of Issachar to the Body – those who see the signs of the times and understand Israel's place in Your end-time plans (1 Chr. 12:32).

   • As Your Body intercedes for Israel, and for any other burden, provide them with ammunition in the form of specific verses from Your Word which relate to those prayers (Isa. 55:11).

10. Water:

    Please pray with us for God to release rain over the Sea of Galilee, as well as over all of the rest of His land (Matt. 5:45b).

11. IFI:

    We get very weary as weekly we face new issues to war against for Israel. We do thank you for being like Aaron and Hur as your prayers and support help to hold up our hands (Ex. 17:10-12).

Blessings and Shabbat shalom from Zion
Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team
1 Tim. 3:16