1. Praise:

    In Shabbat's prophetic portion, the prophet Samuel encourages a fearful Israel after they asked for a human king. And what he said applies to us as well: YHWH will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, because it pleased YHWH to make you His people. (1 Sam. 12:22)

    • Lord God, we thank You that You have chosen us to be part of Your people (John 15:16, 19) – and that You did it for the sake of Your glory (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14).

    • We praise You God that You have also chosen Israel, as well as us, to be Your people because You loved us (Deut. 7:7-8; 33:3; John 3:16; 1 John 4:19; Rev. 1:5).

    • Lord God, as we are now a kingdom of priests, we rejoice that You said to Aaron in Shabbat's Torah reading how You are our "portion" and our "inheritance" (Num. 18:20; Psa. 94:14).

    • YHWH has established His throne in the heavens; His kingdom rules over all.Psa. 103:19

  2. Government & society:

    Israel is in election mode and the anti-PM Bibi Netanyahu parties are already blaming him for every difficult thing that Israel is facing. Obviously, much of this is a twisting of facts to make their weak case, so we are praying for protection over Israeli voters against manipulation by lies, innuendoes, half-truths, etc., from both man and AI.

    • Abba Father, shine a spotlight on Matthew 6:9b-10 as a specific prayer burden for multitudes of Your Son's disciples worldwide concerning Israel's next elections and its results (Psa. 115:1-3).

    • Almighty King, arise and protect Israel from all types of manipulation during this election season, especially through the various media channels (Num. 23:23; Psa. 63:11).

    • Lord God, as in Shabbat's Torah portion, let Your chosen leader for Israel at this stage of its history become very evident to Israel's electorate (Num. 16:7).

    • As is revealed in Shabbat's prophetic portion, enable more Israelis to accept that while Israel needs a human prime minister, yet You Lord God, are, and have always been, its King (1 Sam. 12:12, 19).

    • God of all, clothe Netanyahu with the spirit that David had when he was dealing with King Saul in all of his dealings with US President Trump and that administration (1 Sam. 18:14-15; Matt. 10:16b).

    • King of kings, let Israeli voters see through the exaggerated and unfair attacks against Bibi from the opposition who blame him for Trump's total surrender to Iran (Psa. 124:1-6).

    • Lord God, bring to Netanyahu and all the other current government ministers, godly counselors, and open their ears to hear them (Prov. 9:9; 11:14; 24:6).

    • Abba Father, warn the current government against governing today based on what is beneficial for their political futures and not on what is best for Your nation (Psa. 148:13-14; Prov. 27:23).

    • King of Israel, use the elections to increase the influence of Israel's "sons of Zion" (Zech. 9:13-17).

    • Lord God, also use the elections to decrease the influence of Israel's "sons of Greece" (Psa. 75:4-7).

    • Sovereign One, reign over all that happens from today until the formation of Israel's next governing coalition so that it works out for Israel's good and Your glory (Psa. 115:1-3; Rom. 8:28).

    • Abba Father, guide the ultra-Orthodox [Haredi] who do join the IDF to bring out a good report and bless them and the many Haredi rabbis in Israel who openly support this growing trend (Num. 1:2-4).

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

  3. Foreign relations:

    As disciples of Messiah Yeshua, His Father's foreign policy should be our goal: May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:9-10). This objective should be exalted over our loyalty to any nation, including Israel.

    • King Messiah, remind Your Body that when interceding for Israel and the nations, the goal is for Your kingdom and glory to be revealed throughout the earth (Psa. 57:5, 11; 108:5; Isa. 55:8-9).

    • Lord God, as this goal includes the fulfillment of all of Your prophetic promises to Israel, we praise You for allowing us to see so many being fulfilled in our time (Num. 23:19; Isa. 55:11; Jer. 1:12).

    • Lord God, if a hatred of Israel has resulted in You sending a deceiving spirit upon the West, let the Body of Messiah discern this and stand in the gap for their nations (Rom. 1:28; 2 Thess. 2:10-12).

    • Abba Father, open Trump's eyes to see who really rules over the nations (Dan. 4:34-35).

    • God of Jacob, magnify the influence of Your opinion in the hearts and minds of Israel's leaders and its people, and decrease the influence of the world's opinions (Deut. 30:19-20; Isa. 30:30).

    • King Messiah, prepare Israel to face being sanctioned by more nations and various global entities as Your return draws nearer, by turning its face towards You (Num. 23:9b; Psa. 80:3, 7, 19).

    • Lord of lords, use Israel's UN Ambassador Danon and his team to defend Your nation in that modern Tower of Babylon which is permeated by an anti-Christ spirit (Psa. 81:10; 119:13; 1 John 2:18).

    • We bless You for the boldness of Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to protect his nation on the world's stage and ask for his personal protection and salvation (1 Sam. 2:30b; Jer. 31:7b).

  4. Gaza:

    It seems that Israel is waiting for its war against Hizbullah to be over before it returns to dealing with Hamas. Praying for Israel to not be deterred from destroying Hamas is vital for both the Jewish nation and for God's ultimate kingdom goals which include Israel possessing all of its land.

    • Lord God, You cause wars to cease and disarm the enemy, so do not let this war end until You have totally disarmed Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terrorist groups (Psa. 46:9; Ezek. 39:3; Mic. 4:3; 5:10).

    • King Yeshua, bring forward the next steps in Gaza in such a way that You receive the glory as it is seen in Israel and among believers that You commanded deliverances for Jacob (Psa. 44:4-5).

    • God, reinforce Israel's stance that its buffer zone in Gaza remains part of Israel proper (Isa. 54:2-3).

    • Lord God, when the war against Hamas restarts, let the IDF accomplish a great victory (2 Sam. 23:10, 12), and let Hamas be trapped in the snares they are currently setting for Israel (Psa. 7:15-16).

    • Abba Father, remove any legal and/or humanistic restraints hindering the IDF from warring against Hamas, or any other murderous terrorist organization, in a biblical manner (Zech. 10:5).

    • As recent surveys have revealed that about 80% of Gazans want to leave, God help Israel to expedite this as swiftly and efficiently as possible (Job 38:13; Psa. 10:16; Jer. 12:14-17).

    • God of Jacob, show more Israelis that Gaza is part of the tribe of Judah's inheritance and so retaking Gaza is a very biblically-based "day-after" plan (Josh. 15:1, 47; Judg. 1:18; Prov. 16:9).

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

  5. Internal security:

    The only time in God's Word that He states that He will do something with all of His heart and soul relates to Him planting the Jews back in their land (Jer. 32:41). This is being accomplished today, and it is also linked with Israel's salvation (32:37-40)! As our God is doing this in such a definitive manner, this should be a major prayer burden for Messiah's Body.

    • Lord Messiah, move more believers to pray for Israel to possess its land (Judg. 2:1-4), teaching them that this is not political, but prophetic, as well as for Your name's sake (Ezek. 36:34-36; 37:14).

    • King Yeshua, by Your Spirit, create in both Your Body and in Your nation a jealousy for Your land that matches, at least to some degree, how You feel (Ezek. 36:5-15; Zech. 8:1-2).

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

    • Almighty God, forbid that the next Israeli government would remove even one tent peg which the current coalition put in the ground in order to expand Israeli sovereignty over their land (Isa. 54:2-3).

    • King Messiah, spread Your people throughout Your land (Isa. 54:2-3; Jer. 32:41-44; Obad. 1:19-20).

    • God of Abraham, use the protection that Israel has provided for the Druze in southern Syria to return that land, which is a part of Manasseh's inheritance, to Your people (Num. 32:19; Jer. 49:1-2).

    • God of Moses, as You said in Exodus, go out with Israel's army against its enemies in the land and let Your fear go before the IDF (23:27); drive out Israel's enemies (23:30); and expand its land to be in line with Your vision of all that the Promised Land entails (23:31-33).

    • Abba, place armed civilians in the right place at the right time to stop terrorist attacks (Josh. 4:12).

    • Lord God, aid the IDF to secure Israel's longest land border with Jordan (Psa. 3:8).

    • Lion of Judah, pit the Palestinian Authority and Hamas against each other (Zech. 14:13).

  6. External security:

    There is no deal between America and Iran! It is only a "Memorandum of Understanding" [MoU] which will last 60 days while they try to work out the details of an agreement (in Trump speak – a "deal")! The US did not consult with Israel on this MoU, yet Israel is supposed to leave Lebanon within 60 days regardless of the dangerous situation with Hizbullah still attacking its northern communities. What Trump has done is seen by Israelis, Iranians and others, as a betrayal. We are angry, disappointed and shocked, yet our God still reigns and our hope is in Him and not in any man, regardless of why He has allowed this to come to pass (Rom. 8:28). Concerning Hizbullah Trump has disparaged Israel's attempts to defend itself from that terrorist organization and had the audacity to publicly say Syria could do a better job with less loss of life! He would not be the first world leader in history whose pride and cursing of Israel has led himself and his nation to utter ruin (Gen. 12:3a; Prov. 16:18; Isa. 60:12; Zech. 12:9).

    • Lord, we are so grateful and encouraged that absolutely nothing takes You by surprise (Isa. 42:9).

    • Sovereign Lord, Your thoughts and Your ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:6, 8-9), so please be very clear and precise as You guide us in intercession (Psa. 10:17; Amos 3:7).

    • We remind You of Psalm 33:10-11 in relation to this MoU and expect You to have the final word!

    • Divine Judge, reward all proud world leaders who think they control Israel's destiny (Psa. 94:2).

    • God, use this betrayal to guide Israel along Your path of it being a separated nation (Num. 23:9).

    • Iran: Lord Yeshua, in mercy show the Body in America that how Trump has cursed and treated Israel is so much more dangerous than his appeasement of Iran – as that brings Your judgments (Zech. 2:8).

    • Almighty King, regardless of what was agreed to in the MoU, speak clearly to Bibi and Israel's other leaders as to what You want them to do to guard over Your nation (1 Chr. 12:32).

    • God, listen to the boasting of Iran's leaders who say that since they survived, they have defeated both the US and Israel, and repay their arrogance swiftly and suddenly (Psa. 12:3; 86:14; Prov. 15:25a).

    • Lord God, anoint Israel to help the Iranians overthrow their wicked regime (Jer. 49:38b).

    • Abba, as in Shabbat's Torah portion, open up the earth beneath all of Iran's nuclear facilities and swallow them up as their goal to destroy Israel is a clear provocation against You (Num. 16:30)

    • Lord Yeshua, protect and use all believing Iranians for Your name's sake (Psa. 5:11; Jer. 49:38a).

    • Hizbullah in Lebanon: Lord, burden US believers to pray for mercy over their nation as Trump's belittling and cursing of Israel and Bibi demands a response from You (Psa. 9:19-20; Ezek. 22:30).

    • God, remind Bibi that if he submits to Trump concerning Israel's security and does not press on with the war against Hizbullah his chances of winning the next elections steeply diminish (1 Chr. 28:20).

    • Lord God, use Israel as Your weapon of war (Jer. 51:20-23) to totally erase Hizbullah and to set free northern Israel and all of Lebanon from Hizbullah's reign of terror (Prov. 28:15: Psa. 9:5-6; Isa. 14:5).

    • Abba, teach Israel that the best way to hurt its Middle East enemies is to hold on to any land that they capture – like South Lebanon which is a part of Israel's inheritance anyway (Deut. 11:24).

    • Almighty God, guide Israel to be the head of the nations in the use of drones – both offensively and defensively – and to use what You show them to let Hizbullah reap what they sow (Deut. 28:7, 13).

    • Meanwhile, Lord God, arise and defend the IDF from Hizbullah's use of drones (Psa. 68:33-35).

    • King Yeshua, anoint the Lebanese Body to be part of the solution and teach them to pray for their government, and to bless and not curse Your nation (Num. 24:9b; Rom. 15:27; 1 Tim. 2:1-4).

    • Other: Lord God, encourage and enable Israel to remain in their buffer zones in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza as these are also part of the land You promised to Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 15:18).

    • Sovereign King, openly expose Qatar's hidden schemes – and do so quickly (Psa. 55:21; 140:1-3).

    • Lord Yeshua, teach Your worldwide Body that if Israel is destroyed You cannot return (Zech. 14:1-4); this would prove Your Word is a lie and so destroy the promise of eternal life (Jer. 31:35-37; John 17:17); therefore move upon them to intercede for You to continually guard over Israel (Psa. 121:4).

  7. Aliyah:

    Prayer moves God and God moves His people to make aliyah. Thus praying for aliyah goes a long way to further God's kingdom coming to earth (Luke 11:2).

    • Lord God, for Your holy name's sake, bring home a huge multitude of Jews today (Ezek. 36:22-24).

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

    • Lord God, we praise You for regathering Your people in great mercies (Isa. 54:7-8), yet we hear of the hunters attacking Your people today (Jer. 16:16), especially in the West, so we ask You to use these Jew-hating hunters to positively impact Your mercy (Rom. 8:28).

    • Abba, give the spirit of the sons of Issachar to many Jews in the captivity, showing them the times they live in and also what they ought to do – to move to Israel as soon as possible (1 Chr. 12:32a).

    • God of Isaac, move on elderly Jews living in the nations to bless their children and grandchildren to return home – and to also offer emotional and financial support (Ezra 1:3-4).

    • Lord God, teach Your people the lesson of history that when Jews live among the gentiles, at some point those nations/gentiles could not, or would not, protect them (Deut. 28:37, 64-67; Psa. 137:3-4).

    • Abba, we thank You for Israel developing plans to deal with emergencies which might result in huge numbers of Jews needing to make aliyah within a short period of time, and we ask You to oversee all the details so that the plans will ultimately be blessed by You (Prov. 21:30-31).

    • Lord Yeshua, give Your Body more elders who understand and speak about the link between may Your name be sanctified (Luke 11:2) and the aliyah (Ezek. 36:21-24).

    • King Messiah, teach 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:

    Romans 11:26 says that all Israel will be saved! In context, all Israel refers to a remnant of His people (Rom. 9:27; 11:5; cp. Jer. 31:7). We believe prayer can increase that remnant as: 1) God does not want any to perish (1 Tim. 2:1-4), and 2) the Lord Yeshua told us to pray for Him to send forth laborers into the harvest (Luke 10:2).

    • As Your return draws closer, Lord Yeshua exponentially increase the size of the Messianic Jewish population – both in Israel and globally (Matt. 16:17-18; Acts. 19:20).

    • King Messiah, please speak very clearly to secret Jewish believers in Israel when You tell them it is time to come out of the closet (Luke 12:8-9).

    • God of Israel, as You promised in Ezekiel 36:26-27, give Jews who are back in the land a new heart and new spirit, and Your Spirit, and then let the fruit of their repentance be evident (Ezek. 36:31-32).

    • Messiah Lord, as June is Pride Month, walk among Israel's LGBTQ+ community, and as they see You and Your holiness, as mentioned above let hate their rebellious sin (Ezek. 20:43).

    • Lord Yeshua, save a huge remnant of Holocaust survivors and families; survivors of terrorism; hostages and loved ones; IDF soldiers and families; loved ones of soldiers killed or severely injured; Israelis with PTSD; medical personnel; widows, widowers, orphans, traumatized children; politicians, judges, lawyers, diplomats; university students, teachers, professors; astronomers, scientists; rabbis and Jewish anti-missionaries; Jews in Judea and Samaria; Jews on their death beds; Jews with shame over past abortions; Israeli archeologists and tour guides; Israelis in the nations; Jews who just made aliyah; alcoholics, drug-addicts, hippies, LGBTQ+, new agers; Jews in Iran, Ethiopia, Turkey, India, and China; Jews married to gentile believers; unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews.

  9. Body of Messiah:

    We are called to be God's servants on earth. But if we are not aware of what God is doing, because of not knowing what His Word states about these last days, then often we just get in His way – or worse, hinder His kingdom plans by praying out of line with His will.

    • Abba Father, send out Your light and truth and let Yeshua's followers be led by them (Psa. 43:3a).

    • Lord Yeshua, please gift Your Body with genuine sons of Issachar who know the signs of the times and what Israel, and the Body, are supposed to be doing (1 Chr. 12:32).

    • King Messiah, strip away from believers any idols of patriotism that interferes with them from being "Kingdom of God First" intercessors (Matt. 6:33; 1 John 5:14-15).

    • Lion of Judah, teach Your Body the centrality of intercession as a divine tool to see Your kingdom come and Your will be done here on earth (Matt. 6:10; Luke 11:2; cp. Psa. 50:15).

    • King of Israel, show Your Body the necessity of the restoration of Israel on their land – including the return of the Jews to that land – in order for You to return in glory (Zech. 14:1-4; Matt. 24:30).

  10. IFI:

    Daniel 7:25 states that one of the attacks which God's enemy uses in these last days is to wear down the saints. This describes what we at IFI often feel. So we need your continued prayers for us as well as for Israel and we thank you in advance for holding up our arms.

Blessings and Shabbat shalom

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Rev. 1:11-18; 22:21