May 21st – May 27th, 2020
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that so far there has been no spike in coronavirus cases in areas beginning to reopen, but spikes are being seen in areas that remain closed.
President Trump announced plans to resupply and maintain the U.S. stockpile of medical equipment made in America, keeping a 90-day supply to gird against future flare-ups or outbreaks as the nation begins to reopen its economy.
Pray for wisdom for President Trump and his advisers as they do all they can to reopen and stimulate the economy.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the roughly $3 trillion House coronavirus relief bill passed last week is “dead on arrival” in the Senate, saying he would insist on “narrowly targeted legislation” in its place.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky took issue with Dr. Anthony Fauci in a Senate hearing, saying that no one is omniscient and they “shouldn’t assume that one guy with a Ph.D. or an M.D. knows everything about the future.”
Pray for Congressional members facing the same challenges about what to do during this time as the rest of America.
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
The Supreme Court is grappling with the issue of “faithless electors” and many of the Justices appeared uncomfortable with the idea of unleashing Electoral College representatives to disregard the popular vote in their states. How they decide will have significant implications for the November election.
The Supreme Court of Wisconsin struck down the governor’s stay-at-home order, ruling that his administration overstepped its authority when it extended the mandate for another month without consulting legislators.
Pray for members of the Supreme Court as they begin to formulate final decisions on cases brought before them and reveal those decisions next month.
CURRENT EVENTS
WARS AND TERRORISM
The latest report to Congress by the Pentagon’s Inspector General says that though Islamic State can still mount small arms attacks and continue to wage a “low-level insurgency” in both Iraq and Syria they remain unable to hold territory.
Militants wearing police uniforms stormed a maternity hospital in Afghanistan, killing at least 24 people, including two children, amid an escalation in violence that threatens to undermine U.S. efforts to extricate itself from its longest war. Islamic State was responsible, U.S. special representative says.
Pray for the total defeat of Islamic State and of Al Qaeda and their related militant groups.
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS
After cries of anti-Semitism, police in Ukraine are investigating a senior city government official’s request for a list of “all Jews” in the city, including “addresses and mobile phones, and Jewish students at universities with addresses and phones.”
The U.S. sent three naval ships on patrols near oil-and-gas operations off Malaysia’s coast, a show of support for the Southeast Asian nation whose offshore explorations in the South China Sea have faced pressure from China.
Pray about the scourge of anti-Semitism in actions and in rhetoric being seen in greater numbers across the globe.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
In a shared power unity government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his fifth consecutive term as Israel’s prime minister this week after three inconclusive elections and more than a year of caretaker administration.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a strong political warning to Israel saying Israel must stop any action that strengthens the Chinese Communist Party, even if that means canceling projects already planned.
Pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu and the corruption charges he faces while still maintaining leadership in Israel’s government.
THE ECONOMY
The American consumer paid more for groceries in April as prices increased 2.6 percent, marking the largest one-month rise in 46 years, according to Labor Department reports. Meat, poultry, fish and eggs showed the highest increase.
Retail consumer prices fell in April by the largest monthly drop since the last recession, after energy prices collapsed and shutdowns disrupted demand for products, forcing some retailers to evaluate whether they want to reopen at all.
Pray for businesses executives in America as they plan for, reopen or maintain their businesses.
ACROSS THE STATES
Washington state government agencies will freeze all hiring, personal service contracts and equipment purchases to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Governor Jay Inslee announced.
Some city governments in Texas are “drunk on power” as they continue with stricter coronavirus measures than those being implemented under state reopening orders, Representative Lance Gooden said.
Pray for state governments to deal wisely with the potential losses of multi-billon dollar drops in revenues due to the coronavirus pandemic.
VERSE OF THE WEEK
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night. – Psalm 92:1-2
