Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service said that an investigation has opened into the disappearance of explosives from a Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twenty-nine Palms, California. No details on the kind or quantity of the missing explosives or how they might have disappeared were given. Local law enforcement was notified but their assistance was not requested.
The Chief of Naval Operations said the Navy “cannot tolerate extremist behavior of any kind” in a letter addressing recent incidents on ships “where symbols of hate and violence were anonymously left in living areas aboard ships in our fleet.”
Pray for military officials as they seek to improve the levels of discipline and personal integrity within the U.S. Armed Forces.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have introduced the Pro Act, a bill that would eliminate right-to-work labor laws in 27 states, arguing it would create safer workplaces and increase employee benefits by expanding union organizing. If passed, the National Labor Relations Board would immediately have power to impose fines on any businesses that “violate workers’ rights” with those “rights” being defined by the unions.
Representative Sara Jacobs of California is calling for a “truth commission” and the reevaluation of America’s history. “We haven’t really done the reckoning with the racial injustice and white supremacy of our past that we need to do,” she said. “A truth commission, a lot of people will think of South Africa, we’ve used them in countries around the world.” She added, “It’s communities all the way up to the national level having conversations about both the gory and the glory of our history and what happened. But throughout the history of our country and leading up to and on January 6, so that we can come to a common narrative, moving forward, of what we want our country to be.”
Pray for government officials as they consider protections and restrictions of America’s individual and national liberties, including the right to work and the right to express one’s own opinions.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
China has rejected U.S. climate envoy John Kerry’s contention that climate action can be treated as a “critical standalone issue” that can be “compartmentalized” as the two countries continue to dispute over trade and accusations of intellectual property theft, market access, and human rights.
Chinese officials said President Biden must change U.S. policies to avoid conflicts as well as develop a relationship of “mutual respect” and “win-win cooperation.” Beijing added it will not change its own policies because that would violate its national sovereignty.
Pray for God to work in and through the new administration as the U.S. faces trade tensions with China.
Pray For AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
After several weeks of investigation in Wuhan, the World Health Organization concluded that the coronavirus is unlikely to have leaked from a Chinese lab and is more likely to have jumped to humans from an animal. “Our initial findings suggest that the introduction through an intermediary host species is the most likely pathway and one that will require more studies and more specific targeted research,” they said.
“The jury’s still out,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said of the conclusions reached by WHO. “I wouldn’t want to be conclusive yet before we’ve seen the report. I think it’s premature for us to go there. … Rather than rush to conclusions that may be motivated by anything other than science, we want to see where that data leaves us, where the science leaves us,” he said, adding, “And our conclusions will be predicated on that.”
Pray for U.S. scientists and investigators who are still looking into the origins of the pandemic, and for those who continue working on vaccines and therapeutics.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The International Criminal Court says it can investigate Israel’s alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories. Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden have objected.
Israel’s Health Ministry is reportedly closing in on a plan to spur more Israelis to get vaccinated against the coronaviruses by bringing back certain leisure activities in the near future but making them hard to access for those who have not received the shots.
Pray for Israel’s civil and military leaders and the issues they contend with every day from outside sources.
Pray for THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
U.S. consumer prices rose moderately last month. Higher gasoline prices were offset by a slump in airline fares amid the ongoing pandemic, tempering expectations for a sustained acceleration in inflation this year, according to the Labor Department that also reported consumer prices primarily remained unchanged for the second straight month.
American consumers’ views of the economy fell in early February, down by nearly 3 percentage points, as many are uncertain about future business conditions and personal economic expectations.
Pray for individuals and families struggling with budgets and debt during the pandemic.
Pray for Justice in America
Last May, in the midst of the pandemic, more than 400 Michigan residents showed up to get free haircuts being provided by hairstylists in what they called “Operation Haircut.” The Michigan Attorney General filed charges against the stylists for disorderly conduct, being “non-essential” and violating the governor’s mandates. Now a District Court judge has dismissed all criminal charges filed against them. Roughly 15 stylists were cutting hair at the Capitol that day, yet only seven were criminally prosecuted for disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $500 if convicted.
Pray for federal judges as they rule on regulations that have been put in place by federal, state, and local agencies.
Pray for Goodness in America
In Louisiana, an emotional sanitation worker praised God profusely for helping him save a 10-year-old girl from a registered sex offender who police allege abducted her a day earlier. An amber alert had been issued earlier in the day. The worker said he was simply doing his job when “something” made him look and he noticed the car, the girl and the man who appeared to match the information. “Whoever little girl this is, you need to fall on your knees and tell God thank you… because it could have been worse.” He also urged parents to watch their children and for community members to call police when they see suspicious activity.
Pray with thanksgiving for God alerting people who have helped to intervene and save children. Pray that more Americans notice and report inappropriate or suspicious behavior to rescue trafficking victims.
Pray for America’s Media
The CEO of Microsoft said social-media services like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube need clearer laws and rules to govern whether controversial accounts have a place on their platforms, rather than being asked to make free-speech decisions themselves. “We do need to be able to have a framework of laws and norms,” he said.
Pray for lawmakers as clarifications and regulations are considered to guide social media platforms and protect free speech.
Pray for America’s Education
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance late last week for schools to reopen for in-person learning by adopting a tiered approach. It recommends that all schools adopt universal masking, maximize physical distancing of at least 6 feet wherever possible, institute regular and thorough handwashing, have regular cleaning and maintenance of school facilities, and use diagnostic COVID testing with rapid contact tracing.
Pray for American education officials to safely re-open schools and return students and teachers to in-person instruction.
Pray for America’s Technology
According to the Defense Department, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and National Security Agency, China has been using secret microchips to spy on computers in the U.S. for more than a decade. Thousands of computer servers sent information and data back to China as a result of code hidden in microchips that handled the servers’ startup process, or through malware and other “backdoor” access,
A hacking campaign identified in December and known as Solar Winds, allegedly orchestrated by Russia, used an American tech company as a springboard to compromise government agencies is the “largest and most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen,” according to the president of Microsoft.
Pray for those in national security agencies seeking to protect against Chinese tampering and Russian hacking into U.S. government computers.
Pray for Needs Across the States
The Virginia House of Delegates is considering a bill that would allow businesses to take a state deduction on $25,000 worth of spending with money used through the Paycheck Protection Program. The state Senate passed a similar version of the legislation, but it would allow a deduction of up to $100,000 worth of spending from the PPP federal program.
Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa dropped COVID-19-related mandates and enforcement on Iowa businesses from February 7 through March 7 in a proclamation that states, “I strongly encourage that all businesses or other employers remaining open with in-person operations take reasonable measures for the continued good health of employees, patrons, and others.”
Pray for wisdom for those in state governments as they continue to address public health, safety, and welfare in the ongoing pandemic.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“It may seem like we live in an age of hopelessness amidst a fallen world that has run amuck. Yet these are the days we were appointed by God to live in, and He has not abandoned us to turbulent times. We have the Word of God to keep us firmly founded and the Holy Spirit as our Teacher, Mentor, and Guide. We also have other brothers and sisters in the Christian community upon whom we can lean for support and receive help when it is needed. With all that God has provided, we are well able to live victoriously for Him in these last times!” – Rick Renner, Renner Ministries, Tulsa, Oklahoma
