1. Praise:  Shabbat’s prophetic portion reveals God’s goal in today’s restoration of His nation to His land. Thus says Lord YHWH; I am not doing this for your sakes, house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you defiled among the gentiles to where you were scattered. I will sanctify My great name… and the gentiles shall know that I am YHWH…when I shall be sanctified in you [Israel] before their eyes. (Ezek. 36:22b–23) Then God explains His two steps to accomplish this: verse 24 aliyah; verses 25- 27 Israel’s salvation. [See #7 below for a closer look at verses 25-27.]
    • Truly You are a mighty and awe inspiring God (Psa. 50:1-2; Isa. 9:6; 10:21; Jer. 32:18; Zeph. 3:17)!
    • We praise You for restoring Israel for Your Holy Name’s sake – and not because the Jewish people deserve it – because this means that You will absolutely fulfill this (Ezek. 36:22-23).
    • Thank You for showing us once again that by interceding for Israel’s restoration and salvation we are in essence asking for Your name to be sanctified on earth as it already is in heaven (Matt. 6:9-10).
    • In agreement with the Psalmist in Psalms 115:1-3, we desire that You alone will receive all the glory.
    • It is amazing to see You fulfill Your Word that out of the graves of the Holocaust You would create in a resurrected Israel an exceedingly great army – which is the IDF today (Ezek. 37:1-10).
    • Thank You that as a result of answered prayer we can glorify You (Psa. 50:15).
    • Lord Yeshua, You are worthy of all blessing and honor, glory and power, because You now have a name that is greater than any other name (Phil. 2:9; Rev. 5:12-13).
    • Lord God, we rest secure in You knowing that today’s events have not taken You by surprise, but they encourage us to look up, for our complete redemption draws near (Luke 21:28).
  2. Aliyah:There were reports that Israel was bringing in more non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees, while many Ukrainian Jews were placed on a waiting list. This was totally unacceptable and very upsetting, but since this revelation, and much intercession, Israel has worked to rectify this situation.
    • Bring down all humanistic lies that Israel is under a moral obligation to take in non-Jewish refugees when Ukrainians have open doors in many other Western nations to receive them (Jer. 33:6).
    • Abba, the Jews are Your people whom You scattered and which You are bringing home (Jer. 31:10). Therefore show Israel’s leaders that their responsibility is primarily to Jewish refugees (Jer. 32:41).
    • We in boldness ask this knowing that the regathering of Israel is for Your glory’s sake (Isa. 43:5-7).
    • Let everything possible be done to hasten the process of bringing Ukrainian Jews home (Jer. 31:8-9).
    • Lord, use the Jewish Agency’s new “Aliyah Express” program to remove many of the bureaucratic stones of stumbling out of the path of Your people who are returning to Israel (Isa. 62:10).
    • And forbid that these stones will be reinstated after the current Ukrainian-Russian crisis (Isa. 40:4).
    • Reunite families who are being torn apart in Ukraine as soon as possible (Jer. 3:14; 31:15-17).
    • Pour out Your wisdom on Israeli leaders who are responsible to deal with the problems that massive aliyah brings with it in the short term: housing, jobs, schooling, healthcare, etc. (Job 12:16)
    • As Israel considers how to build adequate, affordable housing, let them plant immigrants throughout Your land, including the Negev, the Golan, and especially in Judea and Samaria (Jer. 32:41-44).
    • Bless Israel’s new immigrants with an ability to learn Hebrew and adapt to all of the various cultural differences quickly.
    • Provide every group and organization that is aiding the Jewish people to escape and return home with everything that they need – including wisdom from on high (2 Sam. 19:32; Phil. 4:19).
    • As there will be a need for additional staff to deal with this situation – both in Israel and in Europe – send people with a gentle heart to work with these agencies and with Your people (1 Sam. 16:7).
    • Use the Israeli field hospital recently established in Ukraine to save both Jewish and gentile lives.
    • Use all Christian groups working with the Jews to provoke Your people to jealousy (Rom. 10:19).
    • Let the suddenness of this war and of the worldwide changes since Covid shake up Jews in exile, especially in the West, to see that they may not be able to flee to Israel tomorrow (Jer. 51:6-10)!
  3. Government:Prime Minister Bennett and Foreign Minister Lapid have spoken out on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. Yet only at the end of last week did they raise their voices about how dangerous it would be if, as part of the Iran nuclear deal being concocted in Vienna, the US removed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (which basically runs and owns Iran under the direct orders from its Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei), from the US list of terrorist organizations. While this criticism is appropriate, why did Israel’s leaders wait so long before they spoke up as even without this IRGC provision the proposed deal has deadly consequences for Israel and the world?
    • Lord, sustain this coalition in authority for as long as You desire, using it to accomplish all that is Your will, while forbidding it to touch anything that is not (Job 12:16-21; Prov. 19:21).
    • Turn the government’s focus to Your priorities, and prevent it from being distracted (Neh. 2:19-20).
    • Abba, create in Israel a Netanyahu-type of statesman who sees what is dangerous to the nation and does not care who he offends, but speaks out against it all of the time (Prov. 8:7a; 12:17; Gal. 4:16).
    • Let the sons of Issachar arise and surround Israel’s politicians with insight from You (1 Chr. 12:32).
    • Father God, move by Your Spirit and strip pride and ambition from the hearts and minds of Israel’s leaders (2 Chr. 32:26; Job 33:15-17).
    • Lord God of Israel, rebuke those of Your people who, while remaining in exile, still think they have the right and/or duty to tell Israel what to do about everything (Prov. 10:21; 14:8; 17:24; 1 Cor. 3:1).
    • Thank You that most of the government rejected Ukrainian President Zelensky’s false comparison of what Russia is doing to Ukraine today with what the Nazis did to the Jews during the Holocaust.
    • Lord, is it not time to deal with the UN who once again has a high ranking official accusing Israel of being a nation that practices apartheid against the Palestinians (Psa. 2:1-12)?
    • Show intercessors how to pray based on Your lines, and not on the headlines (1 John 5:14-15).
  4. External security:Once the Iranian deal is approved, Iran will have international legitimacy to develop and maintain nuclear weapons in less than three years. Israel cannot afford to wait until after Iran has nukes before it deals with this threat to itself and to the rest of the world.
    • Thank You for the recent meeting between PM Bennett, Egypt’s President el-Sissi and the UAE’s Crown Prince bin Zayed, which seemed to wake Bennett up to the fact that the threat Iran is to Israel is now – and not sometime in the future (Ex. 18:17; Psa. 83:3-5; Ezek. 32:24-25).
    • We also bless You for using US President Biden’s pro-Iranian policy to draw several Arab nations closer to Israel. Is this a possible foreshadow of that prophetic highway in Isaiah 19:23-25?
    • Continue to use Israel as a watchman nation which warns other nations of the very serious dangers of the current Iranian deal – and of Iran’s current regime as well (Ezek. 33:6-7).
    • Lord, arise and fight against Your enemies who want to destroy Your people (Psa. 35:1-3; 83:1-5).
    • Send massive confusion into the minds and hearts of all of Iran’s leaders (Psa. 129:5).
    • Cause extraordinary breakdowns of Iran’s infrastructures – and in its military (Jer. 51:25-26).
    • Swallow up every one of Iran’s underground nuclear plants, and make it so obvious that many will know that this is Your hand at work (Num. 16:30-32).
    • Derail Iran’s money train and burn up whatever monies do get through (Hag. 1:6).
    • Bless the Iranian church with wisdom about Your Word and a very clear understanding of Israel’s place in Your plans today (Zech. 2:8; 8:1-8; 2 Tim. 2:15).
    • Guide our Iranian brothers and sisters as they pray for their government (Luke 11:1; 1 Tim. 2:1-4).
    • During Passover, set every Jew still exiled in Iran free [around 7,000-10,000] (Psa. 106:43-48).
    • Show Israel how to aid Ukraine while at the same time not endangering its own civilians from the death waiting for them in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen from Iran and its proxies (Rom 13:1-4).
  5. IDF’s Iran Command:This unit has only one purpose – to confront and defeat Iran’s plans to wipe Israel off the map.
    • Thank You that the IDF’s Chief of Staff Kochavi established this unit as soon as he took office.
    • Shine a light on all IDF plans and strategies that are from You and blow away all else (Isa. 30:21).
    • Anoint the IDF with out-of-the-box thinking in their strategic planning (Dan. 1:17; 2:20, 23).
    • May there be unity and Your divine guidance with all those in this unit (Psa. 133:1-2).
    • Protect every Israeli spy and collaborator and bless them with great success in getting intelligence.
    • Grant Israel the clarity and the wisdom it needs to deal with all gathered intelligence (2 Kin. 6:12).
    • Bring all vital intelligence to light and guard against any misinformation (Jer. 23:24; 49:10).
    • Use the people who speak Farsi and are from Iranian backgrounds who are in this unit so that there will be no misunderstandings of what Iran says, nor will anything be lost in translation (Job 32:8).
    • Lord, sharpen Your battle-axe – the nation of Israel – for this fight (Jer. 51:20).
    • Increase the effectiveness of Israel’s cyberwarfare and acts of sabotage against all of Iran’s military weaponry and against its nuclear weapons development programs (Psa. 18:29; 60:12).
    • Thank You for the completion of Israel’s Sky Dew – a high altitude blimp with advanced missile, aircraft and drone detection systems. Let it be launched as soon as possible (Isa. 31:5).
    • Please sustain the agreement with Russia allowing Israel to attack all Iranian activity in Syria.
  6. Internal security:Israel’s security forces are preparing to confront an increase of terrorism during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month that is observed through most of April this year. Just this past week a Bedouin citizen of Israel murdered four Israelis in Beersheba – in the name of ISIS. As a result the police have raised the anti-terrorist alert level now, which is an answer to prayer.
    • Lord Yeshua, You are the Captain of heaven’s hosts (Josh. 5:14), who said that You would never stop guarding Your people (Psa. 121:4). So we ask You to be on active patrol at this season.
    • Abba, send Your comfort to the Israeli families of these terror victims (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
    • Wake up a mostly pro-Israel Bedouin community to the growth of fanatics in their midst.
    • Lord, You did not bring Israel back to be slaughtered (Jer. 31:10), therefore arise and scatter all the plans of Your enemies against Your people, especially over Ramadan (Psa. 68:1, 30b).
    • Release angelic hosts to war against the spirit of Islam at this time (Psa. 91:11; Dan. 12:1).
    • Anoint all the strategy and tactics of Israel’s security forces during Ramadan (Psa. 140:4-8).
    • Reveal to the security forces the information they need to pre-empt every attack (Job 28:11b).
    • Keep the police and soldiers alert and wise to know how to respond to provocation (Prov. 26:4-5).
    • Grant safety on the roads and bus stops, especially in Judea and Samaria (Deut. 28:6).
    • [Defense Minister Benny Gantz has refused to allow pre-approved building projects in Judea and Samaria to go forward, yet he has overseen the destruction of some settlements.] God, shake this man and change his heart – or remove him permanently from all political offices (Prov. 21:1).
    • Give the coalition wisdom and courage on any decision concerning the visits by Jews to the Temple Mount during Ramadan – which also includes Passover (Prov. 8:14).
  7. Salvation:Shabbat’s prophetic portion has the most comprehensive description of what it means to be born-again in the Word – all in one place. It is found in Ezekiel 36:25- 27: I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and all your idols, I will cleanse you. I will also give you a new heart and I will put within you a new spirit; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and make you to walk [+live] in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them.
    • Lord, as Jews over Shabbat read this very concise definition of what “born-again” means, let it remind many of that New Testament term and cause them seek You about it (Psa. 9:10; 22:26).
    • We rejoice that while this is definition found in the Tanach, it is totally based on grace – as in it You declare that You do it all (Eph. 2:8; cp. Gen. 6:8; Ex. 33:12-13; Prov. 3:34; Jer. 31:2; Zech. 12:10)!
    • Do not allow these words return to You empty but let them accomplish all Your will (Isa. 55:11).
    • Use these words like a two-edged sword to destroy all the lies about Messiah Yeshua in many pre-believing Jewish peoples’ hearts (Heb. 4:12).
    • Yeshua Lord, walk among Israel’s zealous settlers and save many – as You did with Simon (Luke 6:15b).
    • Abba, reveal Your Anointed King Messiah to many of the new immigrants from Ukraine, Ethiopia, and all other places (Luke 24:30-31).
    • Lord, speak to many secret Jewish believers that it is time to come out of the closet (Luke 12:9).
    • We ask You to save multitudes of Muslims during Ramadan – turning them from Israel’s enemies into Christians who worship the King of Israel – and who bless Your nation and people (Matt. 5:44).
  8. Water:God has been so good to Israel during this rainy season. And why not, as historically every season when aliyah has increased in Israel’s modern history, so has the rainfall.
    • Thank You for giving Israel three years of good rainfall in preparation for this increase in aliyah (Job 37:5-6; Ezek. 34:26).
    • We continue to ask for enough rain to fill the Sea of Galilee and all of the aquifers (Isa. 41:17-20).
  9. IFI:Messiah Yeshua has laid on us a great burden to hear His voice and share His will in prayer with you. Yet often the frustration of knowing how to do that in a godly manner, as well as to try and know what He is doing in these days – takes its toll. Your prayers hold up our arms and we thank you for interceding for IFI to have all it needs to fulfill His calling for this – His ministry.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Israel

For the IFI team

Via Intercessors for Israel