Praise:
In Shabbat's Torah portion Abraham sends his servant to his family in Ur to take a wife for Isaac from them. Then he adds,
I will make you swear by YHWH, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
(Gen. 24:3)Our God and King, we praise You for being totally sovereign over all of Your creation (Psa. 99:1).
We worship You Lord Yeshua as all authority over creation is now in Your hands (Matt. 28:18).
We declare with Your early disciples who knew this that You are
the Lord of all
(Acts 10:36b).We bless You Lord that Psalm 66:3 tells us to say unto You,
How fearful You are in Your works! Through the greatness of Your might Your enemies shall submit themselves unto You.
Amen!Almighty King, with all that is happening in the world today, we are so grateful that nothing ever takes You by surprise (Isa. 42:9; 46:9-10).
Government & society:
God rules over the nations and their rulers (Dan. 4:17). He uses them for His goals whether we see this or not. While we can question His choices yet we are told to pray for our leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-3). Israel's elections produced no clear path to create a 61 seat coalition. Israeli President Herzog will most likely give to Gadi Eisenkot the first try at assembling a coalition this coming Sunday. If he succeeds, he will need the backing of the anti-Zionist Arab parties. We are seeking God for His guidance as we intercede for His will to be accomplished in Israel.
God,
send out Your light and Your truth, and let them lead
us as we pray (Psa. 43:3a; [cp. 32:8]).With these election results, Lord God we ask You to have great mercy on Israel (Lam. 3:22-23).
Abba Father, block any unity government that will hinder Your will from being done (Gen. 11:6-7).
God of Jacob, increase the disagreements on essential issues of Eisenkot's anti-Bibi block and let the issue they all agree with – to end Netanyahu's political career – come to nothing (Mark 3:25).
Abba, we again pray for a coalition made up of mostly sons and daughters of Zion (Zech. 9:13).
God, war against the demonic spiritual forces empowering Israel's Attorney General who constantly interferes, to the detriment of Israel, with things that are not under her authority (2 Thess. 3:11).
God of Jacob, we ask that the Arab parties who have 19 out of the 120 Knesset seats would not have any influence with Israel's next government as while there are Israeli-Arabs loyal to the state, yet no Arab Knesset Member is willing to state openly that Hamas is a terrorist organization (Psa. 36:1-4)!
Rule in the Knesset as its members are sworn in next week and the anti-Bibi block already has plans to pass legislation and remove positive legislation that Bibi's coalition passed (Psa. 50:16-21).
God of Solomon, strengthen, encourage, protect and anoint PM Bibi Netanyahu with Your wisdom for as long as You have him as Israel's caretaker prime minister (Job 12:13; Prov. 2:6; Dan. 2:21).
God of justice, anoint the next government to legislate judicial reform in a way that lines up with Your righteousness as revealed in Your Word (Deut. 16:18; 25:15; Isa. 1:25-27).
Almighty King, 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).
Foreign relations:
The Democratic Party's victories in America this week, taking control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, puts an anti-Trump Congress to war against him during his final two years in office. More to IFI's focus is how this will impact Israel. The Democratic Party is swiftly moving away from supporting Israel and now has more Muslims and Socialists, i.e., Communists, in positions of authority. Yet we do see this as answers to our prayers to make Israel His nation that dwells alone (Num. 23:9b) and to be more self-reliant militarily.
Lord Messiah, remind Your Body that when praying for Israel and their nations, the goal is for Your kingdom and glory to be revealed in all the earth (Psa. 57:5, 11; 108:5; Isa. 55:8-9).
Almighty God, guide US believers in prayer as they are confronted by both Islam and Communism rising up to take control of their nation (John 8:47a; 10:27).
Abba Father, let the outcome of the US elections solidify to Israelis their existential need to look to You and not to man and to be self-sufficient in as many areas as possible (Psa. 20:7; 118:8-9).
Use that election result to move Israel forward to being Your nation that dwells alone (Num. 23:9b).
Abba Father, show Israel's current and future leaders how to relate to Trump and the Democrats over the next two years in a way that furthers Your kingdom purposes (1 Sam. 18:14-15; Matt. 10:16b).
Lord God, thank You for promoting more children of Zion and Issachar in Israel's diplomatic corps and we ask for the next government to maintain this trend (1 Chr. 12:32; Job 22:21-22; Isa. 48:17).
Messiah Lord, teach Israeli diplomats to use Your Word when defending Your nation, and bring to them Christian Zionists who will strengthen and help them to do this (Isa. 55:11; Heb. 4:12-13 [Note: there was no New Testament when Hebrews 4:12-13 was written!]).
Lord God, if the movement from the nations at this time for a "two-state solution" is You watching over Zechariah 12:2-3 to bring it to pass, show us and guide us in prayer (Amos 3:7; 1 John 5:14-15).
Lord Messiah, guide Israel to aid nations, especially non-Western ones, that respect it and want its help, such as Somaliland, India, Azerbaijan, etc. (Deut. 4:7; 26:19; Psa. 141:9-10; 148:14; Isa. 62:12).
Gaza:
A US general recently accused Israel of obstructing Trump's "ceasefire" plan for Gaza (Prov. 16:1, 9). Yet Hamas' rejection of disarming or giving up control of Gaza is the real roadblock. Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing to war against Hamas and to destroy them once and for all.
Abba Father, use Israel to continue to thwart Trump's naïve and unworkable plan (Psa. 33:10-11).
God of Israel, thank You for Israel's current government under Netanyahu insisting that Hamas be disarmed before any of Trump's plans to revitalize Gaza moves ahead (Ezek. 3:8-9a).
Lord, let this be continued by Israel's next government, as it is a righteous stance (Prov. 16:12).
God, from the Torah portion, fulfill the blessing on Rebekah spoken over her by her family as she left them to marry Isaac, and let her
seed possess the gate of those who hate them
(Gen. 24:60).Lord of hosts, use the confusion of Israel's election results to deceive Hamas making another huge geo-political and military mistake (Psa. 129:5; Mic. 4:11-13).
Eternal Commander, remove from the IDF's leadership all sons of Greece and release Israel to fight without being handcuffed by the humanistic leanings of these men (Psa. 44:4-6; Matt. 16:23).
Thank You God for the IDF destroying terror tunnels under the area they control (60%), and for finding weapons caches and eliminating Hamas terrorists daily (Job 12:22; Psa. 95:4; 139:12).
Abba Father, if the war with Hamas will not end until Israel commits to repossess all of Gaza, move on the next government and many more Israelis to do that (Neh. 2:20; Isa. 44:26; Obad. 1:17-20).
Internal security:
We continue praying for Israel to extend its sovereignty over all of the land west of the Jordan River and to have increasing success against terrorists in God's land. There have been many answers to these requests, yet the opposition from most of the world to Israel obeying God's will by expanding its sovereignty has increased, including from its so-called Western "allies." We also pray for Israel's next coalition to take the baton and to finish this race – for His glory's sake!
As Jews read Shabbat's Torah portion, remind them that one of the earliest title deeds in history is Abraham's purchase of the area around the Machpelah cave – which is Hebron today (Gen. 23:19-20).
We thank You Abba Father, that, as Abraham says to his servant in Genesis 24:7, You swore to him that You would give to his seed all of the land that You promised him (Gen. 15:18-21).
Therefore Lord God, forbid that Israel's next government would in any way retract from all of the great advances Bibi's coalition has done to extend sovereignty over Your/their land (Amos 9:15).
Almighty One, show Israelis how settlements contribute to Israel's overall security as they see that the uprooting of the Gaza settlements opened the door for the Oct. 7th massacre (Ezek. 36:8-12).
Abba God, reveal to more Israelis how possessing the land is a biblical command and does not rest on what any other nation, NGO or world leader says (Deut. 7:1-5; Judg. 2:1-4; Psa. 105:5-11).
God of Abraham, use the protection that Israel has provided for the Druze in southern Syria to return that area, which is part of Manasseh's inheritance, to Your people (Num. 32:19; Jer. 49:1-2).
King Messiah, burden believers to pray for Israel to possess its land (Judg. 2:1-4), showing them that this is not political, but prophetic, and for Your holy name's sake (Ezek. 36:34-36; 37:14).
Abba Father, by Your Spirit, create in both the Body of Messiah and in Your nation a zeal for Your land that matches, at least to some degree, Your zeal (Ezek. 36:5-15; Zech. 8:1-2).
We glorify You Lord God of hosts for the counterterrorism operations which Israel's security forces have been executing throughout Samaria and the great success they are having (Psa. 44:4).
Almighty King, increase Your angelic protection over Israeli shepherds and farmers who are being attacked almost daily by local Palestinian gangs (Psa. 3:5-8; 23:4).
Lord God, we thank You for always watching over Israel (Psa. 121:4), and ask You to help Israel's security guards at checkpoints and other positions to also be alert and watchful (Gen. 31:1-2).
God of Jacob, use PA President Abbas' delay of the November PA elections to cause an upheaval against his demonic rule and turn the PA and Hamas against one another (Hag. 2:22; Zech. 9:13).
Abba Father, fulfill Micah 5:9 and cut off the spirit of Islam from Your land (Job 8:22; Psa. 10:16).
External security:
It will be interesting to see what Trump does with Iran as he will lose the support of the US Congress in mid-January 2027. Israel needs to know what to do or not to do concerning Iran even as its next government is being formed. Also, Israel needs to be prepared to deal with any Iranian action as Iran sees both of its main enemies being thrown into political chaos today.
Messiah Yeshua, increase the paranoia between Israel's Middle East enemies making it impossible for them to trust each other and let that lead to huge geo-political mistakes (Psa. 129:5).
Lord God, we ask again that You would hedge in Netanyahu from approving any military offenses if it is based only on political considerations (Psa. 115:1-3).
Yet Abba, do not allow political considerations to stop him from any military action against Israel's enemies at this time – as long as that is in line with Your will (Mic. 4:11-13).
Lord Yeshua, heed ex-Muslim believers' prayers and save many Muslims (Ezek. 18:23; 2 Pet. 3:9).
Iran: Lord God, direct Bibi very clearly as to whether Israel should join with America to attack Iran if that is what Trump does, or to refrain regardless of what the US might do (Isa. 31:1-3).
Abba Father, if Israel attacks, let it not stop until Iran's regime is changed (Jer. 49:38b; 51:20-24).
Lord God of hosts, prepare Israel, Your weapon of war, to deal with Iran alone if America backs off and declares "victory," yet leaves Iran a wounded, and dangerous, beast (Jer. 51:20-24).
King of kings, use Iran's and the Houthis missile attacks against Arab nations to divide the house of Islam, and ultimately to destroy this demonic principality over the Middle East (Mark 3:24-26).
Hizbullah in Lebanon: Abba, do not let Israel be pressured by America to retreat from its agreement with the US and Lebanon, and to pull back from their buffer zones in Lebanon before Hizbullah has been completely disarmed (Num. 30:2).
King Messiah, increase Your shield over IDF soldiers in Lebanon against roadside bombs, snipers and all kidnapping attempts (Deut. 33:29; Psa. 3:3; 32:7; 121:4).
Messiah Yeshua, protect and guide Lebanese believers as they pray for their nation (Jam. 5:16b).
Other: Abba Father, open Trump's eyes to see why Israel views Turkey, Syria and Qatar as hostile nations and not as "allies" of either Israel, America, or the West (Psa. 55:19-21).
Lord Yeshua, reveal to US believers if Trump's "love-affair" with Turkey's President Erdogan, an openly anti-Semitic enemy of Israel, is one of the reasons why the Republicans lost so badly in the midterm elections (Num. 24:9b).
Aliyah:
It is God's will for Jews to return to their land as both His glory and their salvation is linked to this (Ezek. 39:28-29). Yet today, despite the increase of anti-Semitism, a majority of Jews remain in "the captivity." Only God knows what it will take to uproot them and bring them home. So while we ask Him to do that, we also ask for that to be done soaked in His mercy (Isa. 54:7).
Abba Father, we are witnesses to You fulfilling Jeremiah 31:8-9 today and pray that You would not stop until all the remnant of Israel is settled in Your/their land (Num. 23:19; Ezek. 39:28-29).
God of Jacob, You said You will gather Your people back with
great mercies
(Isa. 54:7-8), but the hunters are hunting Your people today (Jer. 16:16), especially in the West, so we pray that You will use these Jew-hating hunters to increase the efficiency of Your mercy (Rom. 8:28).Lord God, use the US election results to hasten the return of that remnant of American Jews who are sons and daughters of Zion (Isa. 43:5; Zech. 8:7-8).
King of Israel, turn Jews away from thinking that they are fleeing from danger to see that they are in fact running towards their true destiny (Deut. 30:4-6; Isa. 11:11-12).
In mercy Lord God of Israel, give to Your people dreams, visions, even nightmares, so that they see that today is the day to return to their forefathers land (Job 4:12-14; Psa. 95:7b-11).
Lord God, set free many more Jews who are mentally, emotionally, or financially trapped in their false "comfort zones" in the captivity (Psa. 107:14-16; 124:7-8; 137:4-6).
Abba, release the spirit of the sons of Issachar upon many Jews in the nations, showing them the times we live in and what they need to do – which is to make aliyah with all due haste (1 Chr. 12:32a).
As the interest in aliyah increases, Lord God increase the finances and manpower to both Israel and other organizations to handle this in a most expedient manner (Psa. 84:11; 104:24; Prov. 11:25).
Abba Father, impart an urgency on the next Israeli government to raise up a generation of Zionist gatekeepers who will open wide the gates to Your land for multitudes of Jews regardless of their skin color, financial state, or religious beliefs (Psa. 122:2; Isa. 11:11-12).
Lord Yeshua, show believers their biblical responsibility to carry the Jews home: in prayers, with finances, by good works and reassuring words of truth (Isa. 49:22; 60:1-12; 61:5; Rom. 15:26-27).
Salvation:
God tells the
watchmen
(Jer. 31:6) to pray (31:7a),YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel
(Jer. 31:7b).Watchmen
is a translation of notzrim, Modern Hebrew's word for "Christians." Thus a burden like Romans 10:1 should be a part of every believer's prayer list.Lord Yeshua, burden Your Body to persistently pray for
all Israel
to be saved (Rom. 10:1; 11:26).Lord of the harvest, send forth laborers into Jewish harvest fields, including Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] sects and the Religious Zionists who live in Your land today (Matt. 9:37-38).
King Messiah, remove from gentile believers all fears of sharing who You are with Jewish people and let those fears be overcome by Your perfect love (1 John 4:18).
King Yeshua, anoint believers in Israel to be salt and light in all that they say and do (Matt. 5:13-16).
God, use Messianic Jewish IDF soldiers to provoke their fellow warriors to jealousy (Rom. 11:14).
Lord Yeshua, anoint ex-Muslim believers to be zealous provokers to jealousy of Jews (Rom. 11:11).
Abba Father, save Holocaust survivors and their families; survivors of terrorism; ex-hostages and their loved ones; IDF soldiers and families; loved ones of soldiers killed or severely injured; Israelis with PTSD; Israeli medical personnel; widows, widowers, orphans, traumatized children; Jewish politicians, judges, lawyers, diplomats; university students, teachers, professors; scientists; rabbis and Jewish anti-missionaries; Jews, including Jewish zealots, in Judea and Samaria; Jews on their death beds; Jews shamed by 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, India, Turkey; Jews married to gentile believers; unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews.
Body of Messiah:
Using God's Word in prayer as a spiritual sword is a very powerful weapon in our intercession. Praying His Word back to Him, asking Him to fulfill what He has promised, or prophesied, gives us great confidence that He will hear and answer – in His way and timing – as His Word reveals His will (1 John 5:14-15).
Lord, burden Your Body to study Your Word and to wield Your Word in prayer (2 Tim. 2:15).
Almighty God, let the truth revealed in Your Word become the ultimate standard by which the Body judges all that we see, hear and think, and as the foundation for all our prayers (John 17:17).
Abba, challenge more believers with the effectiveness of prevailing prayer (Jam. 5:16-18).
Lord Yeshua, speak to Your Body to pray for Israel to possess all its land (Obad. 1:17); for Jews in their nations to make aliyah (Isa. 43:5-7); and for all Israel to be saved (Rom. 10:1).
King of kings, tear down any patriotic idols that believers might have that blocks them from being "Kingdom of God First" intercessors (Matt. 6:33; 1 John 5:14-15).
King Messiah Yeshua, teach Your Body the necessity of praying for their governments – including those which are anti-biblical, anti-Christ and anti-Zionist (1 Tim. 2:1-4).
Water:
We are in the rainy season and so far very little rain has fallen on this land. I have noticed since making aliyah in 1989 that the rains seem to come later in the season and last beyond the supposed cut-off date, but that does not take from us the responsibility/privilege to ask our God to release His water from heaven for His land and His people (Psa. 107:35; Isa. 41:17-20). Please pray.
IFI: Exciting days = exhausting days! Yet God sustains us especially as we remember that when we are weak, then we are strong – because we have no choice but to trust in Him! Thank you for your prayer support, your words of encouragement and your financial support.
Shabbat shalom from Zion
Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team
Psa. 50:15