1. Praise:

   Shabbat's Torah and prophetic readings both point out the power of intercession. They also show us that intercession must be focused on God's glory and not on what is best for Israel. Of course, this would also apply to prayers in general – including personal prayers.

   • Lord Yeshua, we praise You for being that prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15; John 6:14; 7:40) whom God has raised up for us – especially as Moses was the greatest intercessor in the Tanach – the Old Testament – and today You constantly intercede for us (Ex. 32:9-13; Num. 11:2; 21:7; Heb. 7:25).

   • Abba Father, we thank You for the encouragement in Shabbat's prophetic portion in Ezekiel 36 to persist in prayer as after You expressed what You would do with Israel in these days, in 36:37a You said that You would wait for Israel to ask You to do that which is Your revealed will.

   • Lord Yeshua, we are truly blessed to co-labor with You as we pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done on earth (Luke 11:2; 1 Cor. 3:9).

   • Thank You Almighty God for revealing in the Torah portion that Your grace and mercy depends on You to distribute and does not depend on how good or righteous we are (Ex. 33:18-19; Rom. 9:15).

2. External security:

   Operation Roaring Lion, Israel's name for its joint war with the US against Iran, is from Joel 3:16: YHWH also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but YHWH will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. [See also Gen. 49:9; Num. 23:24; 24:9; Mic. 5:8; Rev. 5:5] America's name for it is Operation Epic Fury. They jointly attacked Iran last Shabbat, and their goal, according to PM Bibi Netanyahu and US President Trump, being regime change. If that happens, and that is still a big if, then our more than two decades of praying specifically for regime change will be answered!

   • Lord God, we praise You for this joint action against the Shi'ite rulers and their disciples in Iran and ask for this to not be cut short until Your goal for this war is accomplished (Jer. 49:38b).

   • Abba, we rejoice at how You answered our prayers for Israel to obtain accurate intelligence on Iran so that even in the very first minutes of the attack the Ayatollah and 40 senior defense heads of his dictatorship were eliminated (Josh. 11:7; Job 12:22; Prov. 6:14-15).

   • Lord God, press Israel and America to focus on eliminating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp [IRGC] and the Basij paramilitary wing, both of which are mafia-type, ruthless, anti-Persian gangs who fight to keep the ruling clerics in power (Num. 35:16; Job 24:13-14; 1 Tim. 1:9).

   • Messiah Yeshua, may this be the time when the Iranian people are set free both politically, and then through a revelation of who You are, may many be set free spiritually (Jer. 49:38a).

   • Lord God, use this war to break Iran's bow, spear and its chariots (Psa. 46:9; Jer. 49:35).

   • Lord, may Bibi and Israel give You glory as Jews celebrated Purim this past week and the book of Esther very clearly reveals You are in control of their collective destiny (Est. 8:15-17).

   • We bless You for Your protection over Israel as the deaths and damages from Iran's response have been minimal compared to what they would be without You watching over Your nation (Psa. 121:4).

   • Still Abba, for Israelis, innocent Iranians, and US soldiers who have been either injured or killed, please send comfort and healing to them and/or their surviving loved ones (Psa. 23:4; Luke 1:78-79).

   • Messiah Lord, at this time of joy among many Iranians, guard over Your Body there, and give them wisdom in prayer for their nation, especially now during Ramadan (Psa. 50:15; 86:7).

   • God, thank You for Israel's aggressive response to rocket fire from Hizbullah, Iran's Lebanese proxy, and please oversee the IDF's ground invasion into Lebanon to protect Israel's north (Prov. 21:31).

   • Lord of lords, thank You for Iran attacking many Arab nations in response to the US-Israel attack and that those nations are irate over it; use this at this time of Ramadan to divide the house of Islam in the Middle East and bring this satanic spirit to complete ruin (Mark 3:24-26).

   • Abba, Iran's attacks on its neighbors are an answer to our prayers for Iranian leaders to make major geopolitical mistakes, therefore arise and use this for Your glory (Job 12:23-25; Psa. 68:1; 30).

   • Abba, use the "day-after" plans for this war to hasten Your Son's coming (Matt. 24:22, 27-28).

   • God of Jacob, do not let Israel be distracted regarding Turkey's President Erdogan's evil plots against the Jewish nation and his anti-Christ like moves to rule over much of the ME (Prov. 16:18).

   • Messiah Yeshua, give the Turkish Body wisdom on how to pray about their nation (Psa. 50:15).

3. Foreign relations:

   The war against Iran impacts Israel's foreign relations. It exposes what nations are its allies as opposed to those who are either lukewarm or in reality its enemies.

   • King of kings, use the war to further Your foreign policy on earth, and continue using Israel to bring it to completion (Deut. 28:9-10; Psa. 9:19-20; 33:10-11; Luke 11:2).

   • God, enable Israeli leaders to hear Your voice louder than the world's (Job 33:14-18; Psa. 29:3-9).

   • Abba, as in the Torah portion, may Your presence be evident within Israel today (Ex. 33:15-16).

   • King of kings, guard over the relations between Netanyahu and Trump yet without Bibi needing to compromise on anything which is vital for Your kingdom purposes surrounding Israel (Dan. 2:21).

   • Lord God of Israel, fill the mouths of Israel's Foreign Minister Sa'ar and its UN Ambassador Danon with Your truth and use their words confound all of Your – and Israel's – enemies (Jer. 1:9-10).

   • Messiah Yeshua, show believers who are citizens of nations who are not genuine allies of Israel the deadly seriousness of Your threat in Isaiah 60:12 which is exactly for this time of Israel's restoration.

   • Almighty Savior, release Your Spirit and birth a huge revival in nations who have recently blessed Israel – like India, Ethiopia, Somaliland, Argentina, the US and any others (Gen. 12:3a; Psa. 117:1-2).

   • Abba, we thank You for establishing a closer unity between Israel, Cyprus and Greece in economic, security, and many other areas (Num. 24:9b).

   • Lord of hosts; anoint with wisdom and great success their unstated but vital goal of standing together against Turkey's aggression in the eastern Mediterranean Sea arena (Psa. 36:11; 92:11).

   • God, hasten the time when Israel will be the head of the nations (Deut. 26:19; 28:13).

4. Government & society:

   As we continue praying for Israel's leaders, we see God making some of them into sons and daughters of Zion (Zech. 9:13a). Although the offspring of Greece who leads most Western nations are not happy with this, yet it encourages us to press in and intercede for them – for His holy name's sake (Psa. 115:1-3). This also has implications in the upcoming Israeli elections as we do not want to see His nation move away from His leading.

   • Lion of Judah use Operation Roaring Lion to influence more Israelis to vote for sons and daughters of Zion as they perceive how dangerous Israel's neighborhood can be (1 Sam. 15:1-3; 2 Sam. 5:3).

   • Almighty King, as You have set Bibi Netanyahu to be Israel's leader today (Dan. 4:32), anoint him and use him to do Your will – yet to do nothing else (Ex. 31:3; Psa. 80:17; Prov. 21:1; Phil. 1:6).

   • King of history, use Bibi's understanding of history to make him even more of a "son-of-Issachar" type of leader, as we know that he has been warning the world against Iran having nuclear weapons for more than four decades (1 Chr. 12:32).

   • Lord God, move in the hearts of Israel's current coalition to finish everything that You have ordained for them during the time they still have left to serve Your nation (Prov. 16:8, 9).

   • Abba Father, download to Defense Minister Katz wisdom and boldness (Prov. 28:1b; Eccl. 8:1).

   • Lord of hosts; use Operation Roaring Lion to turn more Israelis to You (Psa. 80:3, 7, 19).

   • Almighty Redeemer, we ask You to protect the IDF reservists who have been called up to defend this nation once again and comfort their families who hold down the homefront (Isa. 35:4; 40:29-31).

   • Lord of hosts, enable a just ultra-Orthodox [Haredi] draft law to be passed and remove the divisive issue that most Haredi young men do not serve in the IDF (Job 34:29-30; Prov. 13:14; 29:8).

   • Abba Father, comfort, heal and save all ex-hostages and families of the emotional and mental trauma that they struggle with today and likely for the rest of their lives (Psa. 30:2-3; 147:3; Isa. 61:1-3).

5. Gaza:

   The war against Iran will have a direct impact on the war in Gaza. We are praying that the impact will further God's plans and not man's.

   • God of Judah, arise and overrule Trump's Board of peace, and let Your plans prevail (Prov. 19:21).

   • We thank You once again, King of kings, that when it comes to the nations of this world, You are always in control and never defeated (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Almighty, use Operation Roaring Lion to put the fear of Israel's God into the hearts and minds of those nations on that Board of Peace who, like Iran, desire to see Israel destroyed (Ex. 14:24-25).

   • Abba Father, let Israel's presence on Trump's "board of peace" diminish the influence of Turkey and Qatar both concerning Gaza and with the US President himself (Psa. 1:1-6; 68:2).

   • Creator God, use the attack on Iran to further harden Hamas' leaders against refusing to disarm and to give up control over Gaza (Ex. 4:21; Psa. 55:21; 59:7).

   • We are thrilled that a wonderful side effect of the war – both in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria – is to halt all of the finances that Iran has been sending to support Palestinian terrorism (Matt. 21:12b)!

   • Lord of hosts, prepare the IDF so that when the war against Hamas reignites, Israel's warriors can gain a total victory and to gain it swiftly (2 Sam. 22:35a; Psa. 44:4).

   • Lord Yeshua, protect the Body in Gaza and use them to draw many Muslims to You (Luke 10:2).

6. Internal security:

   Both the Torah and prophetic readings emphasis God's promise to give Israel all of His land. That promise was one of Moses' strongest points as he stood in the gap before God, asking for mercy for Israel after they worshipped the golden calf. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself, saying to them, 'I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever'! (Ex. 32:13)

   • Lord, as Your people read that verse, as well as Exodus 32:11-13, stir up their hearts to believe in Your promise to them of inheriting Your land forever (Isa. 54:2-3).

   • Abba Father, confirm this promise to them through Ezekiel 36:28 in the prophetic portion.

   • Lord Messiah, we ask this not only for Israel's sake, but as You state in the prophetic portion, so that many Muslims will come to know that You – and not Allah – are the faithful God (Ezek. 36:36).

   • Lord Yeshua, burden Your Body to pray for Your will to be done concerning the land as You have linked its fate with the sanctification of Your name (Psa. 87:2; 115:1-3; Prov. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:3).

   • God of Israel, as You are jealous over Your land (Ezek. 36:5-7), arise and tear apart all plans to create a "Palestine" on it – including from Israel's "friends" (Psa. 125:3; Zech. 14:1-3).

   • God of Abraham, honor the efforts of Israeli politicians to extend sovereignty over Your land by giving them even more influential positions in the next government (1 Sam. 2:30b; Prov. 12:2a).

   • Lord, give increased prosperity to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria that Finance Minister Smotrich and others have legalized to be part of Israel (Isa. 44:26; Jer. 31:4-5; 33:12-13).

   • God of David, we praise You for the miraculous freedom that Jews had to ascend the Temple Mt. in 2025 to pray and praise You there, and ask that this would increase during 2026 (Psa. 48:1).

   • King Messiah, use our prayers as silver trumpets (Num. 10:9) and reinforce "Operation Iron Wall," Israel's war against Your/their enemies inside Your/their land (Josh. 1:5; Ezek. 37:10).

   • King of hosts, fulfill Your declaration and release a crushing fear and dread of the IDF on Israel's foes in Your land (Ex. 23:27; Deut. 11:24-25; Josh. 2:9-11; 2 Chr. 20:29).

   • God of Israel, aid Israel to resist being swayed by America to view the Palestinian Authority as anything more than a politicized version of Hamas – and a huge threat to Israel (Jer. 13:23).

   • Messiah Yeshua, during Ramadan, save many Palestinians who are Muslims and by this drive off the spirit of Islam from Your land (Psa. 125:3).

7. Aliyah:

   God is gathering His people home in mercy while at the same time His hunters, the anti-Semites and anti-Zionists, are being used to drive them out of their nations (Jer. 16:16). While both are part of His plan, it is hard to watch as most Jews, especially Western Jewish leaders, just refuse to see the signs of the times.

   • Abba Father, in line with Your plans found in the prophetic portion in Ezekiel 36:21-24, we pray for You to take Your people from the captivity and bring them home – for Your holy name's sake.

   • Lord, may a fruit of this war against Iran be that the almost 10,000 Persian Jews who are stuck there can openly make aliyah (Isa. 11:11-12; 43:5a).

   • Abba Father, let Jews in the West see the feeble attempts most of their leaders make to protect them and as they compare that to the lengths to which Israel goes to protect its Jews, open their ears to hear You calling them back home (Psa. 107:2-3; Isa. 27:12-13; 49:11-12; Ezek. 11:15-20).

   • Lord, You often move in ways that are counterintuitive to our thinking (Isa. 55:8-9), so we ask You to use the results of Operation Roaring Lion to draw multitudes of Jews back home (Hos. 11:10).

   • Almighty God, let the expansion of anti-Israel/anti-Semitic acts in the West wake up all Jews who never considered making aliyah to decide to move to Israel as soon as possible (Jer. 50:4-8).

   • Lord God, break open the gilded cages that hold Your people in "the captivity" (Psa. 124:7-8).

   • Almighty Savior, bring to a total fulfillment of Isaiah 27:12-13 at this time.

   • King Messiah, draw Jews back home with their silver and gold, stocks and bitcoins (Isa. 60:9).

   • Lord Yeshua, bring back whole families and communities together (Ex. 12:37-38; Jer. 31:3-5).

   • God of Israel, use Israeli Minister of Aliyah Ofir Sofer to remove many of the bureaucratic stones of stumbling in Israel which often hinder Your people who want to return (Isa. 62:10).

   • 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).

8. Salvation:

   Psalm 106:47 links Israel's salvation with aliyah and then with God being praised. Save us, YHWH our God, and gather us from the nations to give thanks to Your holy name, and to triumph in Your praise.

   • Lord God, as Jews read the Torah portion, let them seek You about how You sanctify them before Your throne today (Ex. 31:13; Ezek. 38:21-23; John 17:17; Eph. 5:25b-26; 1 Thess. 5:23).

   • Abba, let Your people consider that in the Torah portion between Exodus 33:12 to 34:9 the word "grace" is found nine times and then let them ask You for this grace (Zech. 12:10; Eph. 2:8).

   • Lord Yeshua, thank You that the best description of what it means to be "born again," or born from above, in one place in all of the Word, is found in Shabbat's prophetic portion in Ezekiel 36:25-27!

   • Messiah, as Your people mediate on that remind them of the times when believers told them of how they must be "born again" (John 3:5-7).

   • God, let the fruit of their salvation be a deep repentance of their past sins and a desire to give You all of the glory as we see in Shabbat's prophetic portion (Ezek. 36:31-32).

   • Messiah Yeshua, turn many Jews to actually read the New Testament for themselves (Acts 19:20).

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

   • Lord Yeshua, reveal Yourself to Israeli and Palestinian Muslims during Ramadan (Luke 19:10).

9. Body of Messiah:

   To be aware of what God is doing today, we need to be familiar with all of His Word. Most end-time prophecies point to Israel's restoration and salvation, so if we know this we are able to pray in line with His will for His nation regardless of the deceptive lies about Israel and its people in much of the Church, in the nations and in the global media.

   • King Yeshua, by Your Spirit teach Your Body Your Word so that all deception will be exposed and rejected because it does not line up with the truth of Your Word (Num. 23:19; John 17:17).

   • Messiah Yeshua, rebuke all elders who consciously avoid speaking about Israel and the war between America, Israel and Iran, out of fear of causing division in their congregations (Gal. 4:16).

   • Abba Father, warn members of Your Son's Body who curse Israel or the Jews in their hearts, or verbally (Ex. 20:20), and also break all snares of generational anti-Semitism (Psa. 124:7-8).

   • Messiah Yeshua, gift Your Body with more sons and daughters of Zion who teach the whole counsel of God – from Genesis to Revelation (Zech. 9:13; Acts 20:27; Eph. 4:8, 11-15).

   • God, confront adherents of replacement theology with New Testament verses such as: Matthew 1:1; Romans 15:8-12; Galatians 3:8; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Revelation 5:5-6; 22:16; plus many others.

   • Lord Yeshua, raise up more believers with a spirit of Jethro who rejoiced when he heard how good You were to Israel in delivering them from their enemies (Ex. 18:8-9).

10. Water:

    Please continue to ask God to supply all of Israel's water needs before the rainy season ends – which is in about another month or so (Matt. 5:45b).

11. IFI:

    Sirens and safe rooms have become part of our daily life at this time in Israel. Yet knowing that the war which Israel and America is pursuing is the most just war since WWII, we take comfort in His continuous protection and bless Him for bringing us to His kingdom for just a time like this. Thank You for your prayers and support.

Blessings and Shabbat shalom from Zion

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

1 Cor. 1:9