1. Praise:

   One of the clearest verses affirming God's election of someone before they are even born is in Shabbat's prophetic portion: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before you came out of the womb I sanctified you and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations. (Jer. 1:5)

   • Lord God, as You exist outside of time [so all of time is before Him at the same time] this choosing of people (Mark 13:20; Acts 9:15; Rom. 9:11; 11:5, 28; Eph. 1:3-11; 2 Tim. 1:9), or of Israel (Deut. 7:6-8; Psa. 33:12; 135:4; Isa. 45:4), should not shock us, yet often it does and we thank You as that reveals how Your thoughts and ways are much greater than ours (Isa. 55:8-9; cp. Psa. 77:19)!

   • We rejoice over the many things about You that we still do not know because if we understood You completely that would mean we have created a god in our image and likeness (Deut. 29:29).

   • Abba Father, we praise You for Jeremiah 1:12 in the prophetic portion which affirms once again that You do watch over Your Word to do it (Num. 23:19; Isa. 55:11).

   • Thank You Lord Yeshua for asking God to sanctify us in the Truth – Your Word (John 17:17).

2. Government & society:

   Israel's national elections are still not set. Most likely they will be held between mid-September and the end of October. The results are crucial for Israel's future. God already knows the outcome and what Israel will be facing – yet He tells us to pray, co-laboring with Him to see His kingdom fully manifest on earth through His Son's glorious reign (Matt. 25:31)!

   • Lord God Almighty, again we pray for You to "send out Your light and Your truth, and let them lead" both Israelis as they vote – and us as we intercede into this (Psa. 43:3a; cp. 23:3b).

   • King Messiah, use Your authority to override Israel's elections and to create out of it a government that will bring You glory (Psa. 115:1-3; Prov. 16:33; Matt. 28:18).

   • God of Israel, please let Israel's next elections result in what Moses asked You to do in Shabbat's Torah portion and "set a man over" Israel who will be a righteous shepherd (Num. 27:16-17).

   • Thank You Lord God for positioning more sons and daughters of Zion all over Israel (Isa. 52:2; Mic. 4:13; Zech. 2:10; 9:13); arise now and remove many of the offspring of Greece (Psa. 75:6-7).

   • Almighty God, let PM Bibi Netanyahu's understanding of history make him today even more of a "son-of-Issachar" type leader – for Israel's sake as well as for Your kingdom's sake (1 Chr. 12:32).

   • King Yeshua, oversee Netanyahu's time left in office so that he does all that is vital for Israel at this stage in history (Prov. 19:21; 21:1).

   • God of Jacob, block Bibi, or any other coalition politician, from seeing all that they say or do today through the filter of "what-is-best-for-me" in the upcoming elections (Matt. 6:34).

   • Abba, let Numbers 26:2 in the Torah portion convict every Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] rabbi who keeps their followers away from serving in the army as it is absolutely opposite of what You said to Moses.

   • Lord, as the Haredi want to pass a law stating that Torah study is an essential part of the nation – we agree and ask You would turn them to do just that – to emphasis Torah and not Talmud (Ex. 19:7-8).

   • Lord God, as Israelis hear what the parties say on critical issues, like the extension of sovereignty and judicial reform, anoint them to vote for that which lines up with Your will (Prov. 16:9).

3. Foreign relations:

   Israel faces an impulsive US President Trump and is always condemned by the UN, most major global NGOs, and most of the world's nations. Praise God for Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, as the response of his ministry is now much more forceful. Yet nothing Israel can do will stop these unjust and often anti-Semitic criticisms as this hatred of Israel and the Jews has been driven by very powerful demonic forces for millennia (Psa. 83:1-4; Ezek. 35:5).

   • Lord God, encourage Israeli diplomats with Your charge to Jeremiah in Shabbat's prophetic portion that they are to speak all which You command and to not fear as then You are with them (Jer. 1:7-8).

   • God, aid them to do that by putting Your words in their mouths as You did to Jeremiah (Jer. 1:9-10).

   • Messiah Lord, to encourage them to do this, send Christian Zionists to them who will strengthen them and even teach them how to proclaim Your Word (Isa. 55:11; Heb. 4:12-13 [note: there was no New Testament when the writer of Hebrews wrote this!]).

   • Almighty God, watch over Psalm 9:19-20, Psalm 33:10-11, Isaiah 8:9-10 and Lamentations 3:37 against every anti-Christ scheme being plotted against Your land and Your people (Psa. 33:9; 89:34).

   • God, let the growth of global anti-Zionism turn Israel into Your set-apart nation (Num. 23:9b).

   • Abba Father, if the flood of recognitions of "Palestine" by many nations is Zechariah 12:2-3 being fulfilled – show us and lead us how to pray in line with Your will (Amos 3:7; 1 John 5:14-15).

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

   • King Yeshua, release great wisdom and success to support their unstated but vital goal of standing together against Turkey's aggression in the eastern Mediterranean Sea arena (Psa. 36:11; 92:11).

4. Gaza:

   Trump's naïve plan for Gaza and the IDF's plan to destroy Hamas are both slowly moving forward. At some point Trump's plan will fail or he will back out like he has done with the US/Israeli war against Iran. We are praying for Israel to be prepared to move swiftly at the right time.

   • King Messiah, confound all nations on Trump's so-called "Board of Peace" who are either openly or secretly enemies of Israel – such as Turkey and Qatar (Psa. 129:5; 144:7-8; Isa. 33:7).

   • Lord God of Israel, forbid Israel from conceding on its demand that Hamas be disarmed totally and blocked from having any future part in the governing of Gaza (Num. 23:23).

   • Abba, if the report is true that Hamas is preparing to attack Israel and Trump is holding the IDF back from preempting them, entice Hamas to make a massive mistake which will release the IDF to destroy this modern day seed of Amalek once and for all (Ex. 17:14; Deut. 25:19).

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

   • God of justice, based on Deuteronomy 32:41 and Isaiah 34:5, render vengeance on Your enemies in Gaza – all those who hate You and hate Your people (Psa. 83:1-4).

   • Lord of hosts, as with Joshua, Gideon, David, and others, download strategies and tactics to the IDF to shock, divide and defeat Hamas completely (Josh. 6:2-5; Judg. 7:16-18; 2 Sam. 5:23-24).

   • God of Isaac, if this war will not end until Israel repossesses all of Gaza, reveal this to Your people and make them and Israel's leaders willing to do that (Judg. 2:1-4; Psa. 80:3; Prov. 16:9).

5. Internal security:

   Our prayers for Israel to extend sovereignty often target Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, yet the issue of internal security covers all the land. In each place where Israel has sovereign control, people – both Jews and Arabs – are much more secure. Many Israelis now understand how Israeli settlements are a blessing to Israel's overall security.

   • Abba, since You are planting Your people back in Your land with all of Your heart and soul (Jer. 32:41), and for Your name's sake (Ezek. 36:21-24), show the Body how central this is to Your end-time plans and have them pray persistently for this to be accomplished (Luke 11:2; 1 John 5:14-15).

   • Lord Yeshua, change the thinking of all believers who do not understand, or refuse to accept, how vital the physical land of Israel is to Your Kingdom purposes here on earth (Zech. 12:2-9; 14:1-4).

   • God, use Numbers 27:12 in the Torah portion to reaffirm to Your people that You have given them all the land which You promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 12:7; 15:18; 26:1-4; 28:10-15).

   • Abba Father, oversee Israel's plans to enhance security along the 186 mile [300 kms.] long border with Jordan through building more settlements and increasing IDF activity there (Psa. 147:14).

   • Creator, let the building of 11 new communities in the Negev, the 22 new, or renewed, settlements in Samaria, and the plans to build in the E1 corridor east of Jerusalem move ahead swiftly and be fully populated as soon as possible (Psa. 119:60).

   • Lord, bind up the few Israeli extremists in Judea and Samaria and do not let their unlawful acts stain the whole settler movement from being seen as anything other than courageous pioneers (Gal. 5:9).

   • Lord of hosts, charge Your angelic armies to war against the demonic forces behind Israel's enemies on Your land (2 Kin. 6:16-17; 2 Chr. 32:7-8; 1 Chr. 15:46; Dan. 10:12-13).

   • Divine Commander, anoint Israel's security forces to fight like those prophesied sons of Zion against all Palestinian and Arab-Israeli terrorists (Zech. 9:13-15; 10:3a-7; 12:5-6).

   • Lord God, hold Israel back from being manipulated by America to view the Palestinian Authority as anything other than a politicized version of Hamas – and a major threat (Jer. 13:23).

   • Abba Father, as the hot weather returns to Israel, protect Your people and guard over Your land from all arson-terrorist attacks (Isa. 43:2).

6. External security:

   Israel's offensive stance against those who attack it is being maintained. Even in the face of Trump trying to rein in Israel's response to Hizbullah, God has strengthened Bibi and Israel's security cabinet to order the IDF to strike back hard. Turning the other cheek was never meant to apply to nations and most definitely does not work in Israel's neighborhood.

   • Abba, if this is the time to fulfill Micah 4:11-13, then guide us as we intercede (Obad. 1:15).

   • Lord Yeshua, bring to mind Ezekiel 29:6-7 to believers who live in nations claiming to be Israel's friends and allies, but in reality are not, and then turn them to cry out for mercy (Ezek. 22:30-31)!

   • Iran: We confess Psalm 33:10-11 over the American-Iranian Memorandum of Understanding which essential hands Iran the victory – and ask for You to override it as soon as possible (Prov. 19:21)!

   • God, with Israel sidelined by Trump as he negotiates with Iran, prepare Your nation, Your weapon of war, to deal with Iran alone, so that You, and not man, will receive the glory (Jer. 51:20-24).

   • Abba, help Israel to gather accurate actionable intelligence on Iran and Hizbullah and to correctly decipher that data in order to know what it should, or should not, do (Job 34:21-22; Psa. 139:12).

   • Lord God, anoint someone in the US administration to confront Trump with his illogical scheme to release billions of dollars to Iran and then demand of them to stop funding Hizbullah (Eccl. 10:12-13).

   • Almighty King, Jeremiah 49:38b declares that Your goal for Iran is total regime change, so we pray for that to be the ultimate outcome of this war (Num. 23:19; Luke 18:1).

   • Messiah, set Iranians free from the demonic regime that reins over and crushes them (Prov. 29:2).

   • God of Israel, quicken the preparation of those You have ordained as Iran's next leaders, and give them great favor with their own people, with Israel and with America (Psa. 75:5-7; Dan. 2:21).

   • Lord Yeshua, use the war to hasten the building up of Your throne in Iran through the growth of the Iranian Body (Jer. 49:38a), and supply all of their material and spiritual needs at this time (Phil. 4:19).

   • Hizbullah in Lebanon: Israel, Lebanon and the US have signed an agreement to restore Lebanon's sovereignty by disarming Hizbullah and then having the IDF turn over most of the land it has taken to the Lebanese Army. This could be an important step forward to peace between Lebanon and Israel, yet Hizbullah supporters in Lebanon rioted and Hizbullah declared it would not recognize this deal while Iran stood openly with its most important proxy.

   • Speak Lord, and break Hizbullah, today's proud cedars of Lebanon (Psa. 29:5; Isa. 2:12-13).

   • King Messiah, we prayed for You to fulfill Joel 2:17-21 and drive Hizbullah far off from Israel's northern border, and we praise You that You are using the IDF to do just that (1 John 5:14-15).

   • Heavenly Commander, continue to wield the IDF as Your weapon of war to destroy Hizbullah who terrorizes Israelis and Lebanese and many others worldwide (Isa. 41:15-16; Jer. 51:20-24).

   • Lord of hosts, increase Your protection over all IDF soldiers in Lebanon, especially against drone attacks, and against all attempts to kidnap them (Deut. 33:29; Psa. 3:3; 32:7; 121:4).

   • Other: Lord, as Turkey's evil President Erdogan is stirring up Turkey to war against Israel, move NATO to kick this Islamic, Russian and Iranian-allied nation out – swiftly and suddenly (Jer. 11:20).

   • Messiah Yeshua, wake up the US Body to pray against this "love-affair" Trump has with Erdogan before their leader foolishly and dangerously helps to modernize Turkey's army (Prov. 16:5).

   • God Almighty, use the Kingdom of Jordan's outlawing of the Muslim Brotherhood to impact other nations to do that same – especially those in the West and Israel itself (Psa. 5:4a; 10:15; 26:5).

   • King Messiah. guide the prayers of Iranian, Lebanese and Turkish believers as they stand in the gap for their birth-nations and to bless Your nation Israel into which they are grafted (Rom. 11:18-21).

7. Aliyah:

   God is drawing His people home in mercy yet at the same time His hunters, the anti-Semites and anti-Zionists, are being used to drive the Jews out of their captivity in the nations (Jer. 16:16). While both are part of His plan, it is hard to watch most Jews, and most Western Jewish leaders, stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the demonic graffiti on city walls and in social media.

   • Lord Messiah, reveal to believers how aliyah is a literal answer to a 2,000 year old prayer for God the Father's name be sanctified – by His will being done on earth (Ezek. 28:25-26; Luke 11:2).

   • Almighty Shepherd, let more gentile believers hear Your voice and help to carry Your Jewish family back home, whether physically, financially, or through intercession (Isa. 49:22; John 10:27).

   • Merciful Abba, use the warning of Israel's consular general in NY that that city is no longer safe for Jews to shake up Jews throughout America to perceive that it is time to come home (Psa. 137:5-6).

   • God of Jacob, reveal to Western Jews that they can either hold onto their lifestyles or their life and the lives of their loved ones by "fleeing" from today's "Babylon" (Jer. 30:10; 46:27).

   • King Messiah, remove the ungodly fear of moving to Israel from Your people, and replace it with a godly fear of remaining in the nations and hoping that gentiles will protect them (Jer. 50:4-8; 51:6).

   • Lord Yeshua, do the same for the fear of many Messianic Jews in the captivity and during their worship times, remind them of Psalm 137:4.

   • God of Israel, renew the mindset of Israelis today to recognize that aliyah was, and is, the number one biblical and Zionistic reason for Israel's re-creation (Isa. 43:5-7; Zech. 8:1-8).

   • Lord God of Jacob, remove all bureaucrats in Israel's Interior Ministry or its Jewish Agency who are only lukewarm about aliyah with those who are as zealous as You (Zech. 8:1-8).

   • King Messiah, rebuke the mountain that blocks aliyah for many Jews – the rabbis limited definition of who is a Jew – and replace it with a truly kosher biblical definition (Mark 7:9, 13).

8. Salvation:

   Again we read in the Torah portion that through the shedding of blood atonement was made for the nation of Israel (Num. 25:11-13). While this killing of an Israeli leader who was fornicating with a pagan woman in God's courts was an exceptional case and is not to be taken as par for the course of how we deal with blasphemers today, it was his life's blood, and that is the principle I am emphasizing, that made atonement and turned God's fierce anger away from the rest of Israel.

   • God of David, let Jews who have serious questions about what Numbers 25:11-13 really represents ask You, rather than their rabbis, or any other person (1 Chr. 16:10-11; Psa. 14:2; 22:6).

   • Abba Father, show many unsaved Jews that Your righteous judgment against their inherited sin-nature was turned away through the shedding of Messiah Yeshua's blood on the tree (Rev. 1:5).

   • Messiah Yeshua, for those Jews who actually read and study Your Word, remove the blindness that has been over their eyes for the past two millennia and save them (Rom.11:25-26).

   • 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:

   Messiah challenged the Jewish rulers in His day with their failure to discern the signs of the times (Matt. 16:2-3). Is He challenging His Body today with their failure, or worse, their lukewarmness, about the signs/miracles that He has fulfilled, and is fulfilling, concerning Israel?

   • God Almighty, show believers that if they are ignorant of how the Tanach describes these days, they will also be ignorant of what end time prophecies You are fulfilling at this time (Luke 24:25:27).

   • Abba Father, confront any of Your disciples who do not take Jeremiah 32:41 very seriously.

   • Lord Messiah, warn believers who are lukewarm about the restoration of Israel that You – the One whom they proclaimed as their God – are jealous [+ zealous] over it (Zech. 8:1-8).

   • Divine Physician, heal Your Body of its biblical anorexia and prophetic illiteracy by giving it a deep hunger to "eat" all of Your Word (Jer. 15:16; Amos 8:11; Acts 20:32; 2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 5:13-14).

   • Lord Yeshua, reveal to more believers the biblical connections between aliyah, Israel's salvation and Your return in glory (Psa. 53:6; 147:2; Jer. 31:1-10; Zech. 14:1-4; Matt. 23:39).

   • Almighty Savior, let Your children see You as You really are – the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36), the Lion of Judah (Joel 3:16; Rev. 5:5), and still very much a Man of War today (Ex. 15:3; Isa. 42:13).

IFI: Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement and financial gifts. All of them are appreciated and uphold us as we stand in the gap for His kingdom to come on earth and as we watch Him use Israel for His glory (Psa. 115:1-3).

Blessings and Shabbat shalom

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Rev. 22:21