Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he questions the pace of nuclear modernization even though military commanders have said any further delays would undermine America’s ability to retain all three legs of the nuclear triad.
President Biden ordered U.S. military troops into northeastern Syria from Iraq. According to Syria’s news agency, a large U.S. military convoy including some 40 trucks and armored vehicles with the backing of air support, entered Syria, apparently bringing arms and logistical equipment to the Kasakeh and Deir Ezor provinces.
Pray for America’s military and civilian leaders as they weigh the consequences of their decisions both in the long and short term.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
China toughened its language towards Taiwan, warning after a recent increase in military activities near the island, that “independence means war” and that its armed forces were acting in response to provocation and foreign interference, prompting U.S. government officials to urge Beijing to stop pressuring Taiwan.
The Biden Administration will send a team to Kabul for consultations on efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan, the president of Afghanistan said in an online program sponsored by the Aspen Institute.
Pray for the new administration as they face and adjust to existing and developing situations across the globe.
Pray For AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The U.S. government is buying an additional 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and will have enough to inoculate 300 million Americans (virtually the entire U.S. population) by the end of summer or early fall.
Reports of surging child abuse rates over the past year have triggered alarm among child safety advocates who fear the crisis may have been precipitated by COVID-19 mitigation policies like lockdowns and school closures.
Pray for all who are working to bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Pray for America’s children.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The chief of the general staff of the Israeli Defense Staff has urged the U.S. not to attempt to kick-start the Iran nuclear deal, saying that even if a potential deal could improve on the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Agreement, it would not be the right move for the security of the region.
Richard Mills, the Deputy Representative of the U.S. to the United Nations, announced that the United States is restoring relations with the Palestinians and is committed to a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians as the “best way to ensure Israel’s future.”
Pray for the relationship being forged between the new administration and the leaders of Israel and of the Palestinians.
Pray for THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
U.S. home prices jumped at the end of last year at the fastest pace in more than six years, fueled by demand for more living space as Americans stick closer to home during the pandemic. Prices soared 9.1 percent in November compared to 12 months ago.
The Congressional Budget Office said it expects the U.S. economy to expand more rapidly in 2021 than officials projected last year, but anticipates that it will take several years for output to reach its full potential and the number of employed workers to return to pre-pandemic peaks.
Pray for U.S. officials as they work on economic policies during the ongoing pandemic and determine the best strategy for businesses to reopen and people to return to work.
Pray for Justice in America
January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month and a multi-agency joint operation over several days in “Operation Los Angeles” recovered 33 missing children.
Pray for America’s law enforcement officials, from the local levels to the FBI and other federal agencies.
Pray for Goodness in America
The mayor of a South Carolina town called on a local Chick-fil-A manager when a drive-through COVID-19 vaccination site was backed up, saying the manager helped provide “a retail mindset” getting wait time down from one hour to 15 minutes.
Pray with thanksgiving for the way so many Americans step up in the time of need to help others.
Pray for America’s Media
A Christian university professor has been suspended from Facebook for voicing disagreement with the president’s executive order allowing trans-identifying individuals to serve in the U.S. military.
Facebook’s independent oversight board has reversed the social media platform’s decision to remove a post pertaining to the drug hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19, saying “the company failed to demonstrate why it did not choose a less intrusive option than removing the content.”
Pray for U.S. government officials as they consider policies related to social media platforms and freedom of speech.
Pray for America’s Education
Teachers’ unions and school districts are finding difficulty coming to agreement on returning to in-person classes, with teachers insisting that the promise of a vaccine is not enough to make schools safe.
According to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coronavirus transmission in schools appears to be minimal, and schools can reopen for in-person learning. A second CDC study raised concerns about sports in schools as possible spreader events.
President Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain supported teachers’ unions regarding in-person learning, saying, “I don’t think unions are overruling studies. I think what you’re seeing is schools that haven’t made the investments to keep the students safe.” He said the president has sent a plan to Congress that will “make sure that a majority of our schools could be open within 100 days.”
Pray for teachers, school boards, and students as they consider the ability to return to in-person instruction.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he is considering proposing legislation to provide civil liability protections to business owners who have had to work under restrictive conditions as a result of the ongoing shutdowns under the coronavirus pandemic.
The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency revealed that up to $31 billion in unemployment funds may have been sent to fraudsters and criminal elements. “There is no sugar-coating the reality. California did not have sufficient security measures in place to prevent this level of fraud,” the agency’s secretary said.
Pray for state leaders as they navigate the needs of businesses and provide assistance to counter the effects of the pandemic.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“God is going to make us a better nation as we strive, and there are believers everywhere, even non-believers, who are striving for a more perfect union, and I believe the Sovereign God of the universe is going to use January 6th as the moment in time that will provide us with an epiphany nexus with the transcendent. And we will be able to look back as Isaiah 6 looks back and says in the year that King Uzziah died, ‘I saw also the Lord,’ and we will be able to say it was January 6th that I began to take the incremental steps that brought greater unity, but even more importantly, greater righteousness to our nation and world.” – Dr. Barry Black, Chaplain, United States Senate
