Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
The U.S. and South Korea are closing in on an agreement that would resolve a years-long dispute over how to share the cost of American troops based on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. reached a parallel accord with Japan that would extend their burden-sharing agreement for another year.
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas arrived in Norway as part of a training mission in Europe, marking the first time American bombers have operated out of the Scandinavian country.
Pray for America’s military leaders and the relationships the U.S. military has with other forces and nations.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas introduced H.R.127, a bill to provide for the licensing of firearm and ammunition in possession and the registration of firearms, and to prohibit the possession of certain ammunition. The law, if passed, would create a national gun registry, set a minimum gun ownership age of 21, and require licensing and psychological evaluations. Gun owners would have to complete a government training course, and they would have to pay for insurance.
Second Amendment rights groups are urging the president to respect the 105 million law-abiding gun owners and instead target the illegal use of firearms, saying the plan under consideration would “criminalize” those who respect gun laws.
An 11-member panel of the Ninth U.S. Court of Appeals will reconsider a three-judge court’s split ruling last year throwing out California’s ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. The court’s decision would potentially have impacts nationwide.
Pray for federal and state lawmakers developing laws that will affect Second Amendment rights, and for the courts who interpret those laws.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
China has rejected allegations about conditions for Muslim Uighurs and other minorities living in its Xinjiang region, saying that they enjoy the freedom of religion and other fundamental rights, and they invited the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit the province. In January, outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China’s actions against the Uighurs were “crimes against humanity,” and declared the Chinese government is committing genocide. President Biden dismissed the genocide charge against China, calling the mass detainment a “different norm.”
A human rights group based in South Korea reports that the North has been enslaving political prisoners, including children, in coal production to boost exports and earn foreign currency as part of a system indirectly linked to its nuclear and missile programs. A United Nations estimate says up to 200,000 people are held in a vast network of gulags run by the North Korean secret police, many of which are located near mining sites.
Pray for discernment for U.S. officials as they respond to the nations that are persecuting or enslaving their inhabitants.
Pray For AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The Food and Drug Administration said Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective, and it is expected they will issue its emergency use authorization within days. J&J says it will have 3 million to 4 million doses ready for distribution within a week.
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he expects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to soon relax some COVID-19 recommendations aimed at curbing its spread for people who have been vaccinated.
Give thanks for the recent reduction in COVID hospitalizations and pray that the pandemic continues to wane.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Talks that broke down in 2014 have now resumed about a gas pipeline that would cross political fault lines and deliver reliable energy to the impoverished Gaza Strip, moving discussions from the abstract to more concrete decisions. The goal would be to have gas flowing to Gaza in 2023, giving Gaza 24 hours of electricity a day and providing a basis for major economic growth, contributing to peace and stability.
Two studies from Israel provide the first evidence that COVID-19 vaccines may prevent coronavirus infection, meaning the vaccines help to stop transmission of the virus from person to person. If confirmed, it could lead to life returning to normal sooner than anticipated.
Pray for the Israeli-Palestinian relationship and that the delivery of gas into Gaza would increase the movement toward peace.
Pray for THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose last week to its highest level since November, dampening mortgage applications ahead of the springtime selling season. Higher rates are a signal of expectations of faster growth and a stronger job market ahead according to the chief economist of the Mortgage Bankers Association.
A new Gallup poll shows Americans are slightly more optimistic than they were several months ago about economic conditions in the U.S. overall. The index suggests their outlook is the best it has been since November and is 20 points higher than when it was at its lowest point in the spring of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pray for continued and sustainable job growth in the U.S. as the coronavirus pandemic ebbs.
Pray for Justice in America
The Department of Justice said it would investigate the rising tide of hate crimes in America, as Asian Americans have experienced a growing number of racially motivated attacks. Some suggest these attacks are related to China being the origin of the coronavirus outbreak.
Pray for Americans to seek peace and empathy between themselves and others, and that Christ-followers would lead by loving their neighbors as themselves.
Pray for Goodness in America
An Arizona woman who volunteers once a week at a thrift shop came across several military awards, including a Purple Heart. The medal was inscribed with a name on the back. After researching the name, she discovered the owner had died in 1998 and that he was a veteran of the Korean War. She was able to get in touch with one of his eight children who lives in Florida. The daughter and her father’s Purple Heart were reunited.
Give thanks for the spirit of kindness and generosity that exists all across America as part of the foundational Judeo-Christian national values.
Pray for America’s Media
Representatives Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney, both of California, sent letters to major media distributors urging them to de-platform conservative media outlets. The letters to the CEOs of Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Roku, and others, asked whether they planned to renew contracts with Fox News, OANN, and Newsmax after “incendiary reports” over the past year, and why they would carry them in the future.
Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona said the pressure members of Congress are placing on cable companies about channels they distribute is “a huge, huge problem.” He said, “It’s not a First Amendment rights issue. What it is we want to make sure that people get good, truthful information.“ He voiced concerns about the authoritarian direction some partisans are going, particularly regarding a possible truth commission.
Pray for legislators to protect First Amendment freedom of speech and to curb censorship of dissenting ideas.
Pray for America’s Education
A high school principal has filed suit against his school district in Tennessee after being suspended from his position following the showing of a video in which he urged students to be wary of constraints on freedom of speech and thought, saying that in America “we talk about the marketplace of ideas.”
Pray for those standing for academic freedoms in America, and the need for the free exchange and exploration of ideas.
Pray for America’s Technology
Emissions from U.S. power plants fell 38 percent in the past 15 years, exceeding the climate targets that were set during the Obama administration that required a 32 percent reduction by 2030.
Pray for the continued U.S. progress in environmental stewardship pertaining to the use and production of fossil fuels.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis proposed legislation aimed at safeguarding future elections in the state. “Today, we are taking action to ensure that Florida remains as a leader on key issues regarding our electoral process, such as ballot integrity, public access to election information, transparency of election reporting, and more.” The legislation would address “ballot harvesting” and would prevent any “mass mailing of vote-by-mail ballots,” instituting signature requirements, and other security measures.
The attorney general of West Virginia is urging cable, satellite, and streaming companies to reject calls by lawmakers pushing for the censorship of certain news outlets. “My colleagues and I will not allow collusive anticompetitive activities to run wild, especially when the consequences mean that millions of Americans are deprived of diverse political content they wish to enjoy—content that lies at the heart of political discourse in America,” State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey wrote.
Pray for state governors and others working to protect the rights of Americans for information and election security.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“In the middle of the uncertainty that surrounds us, it is difficult for us to think of a better thing to do than to pray. And it is difficult to think of a better prayer than the one spoken by a desperate but confident Judean King Jehoshaphat.
In this context, this ancient king faced a dangerous enemy closing in on his nation, but his faith wasn’t shaken. When you read this verse, it sounds almost as if it could have been in the news today.
King Jehoshaphat said in 2 Chronicles 20:9 [NKJV], “If disaster comes upon us – swords, judgment or pestilence, or famine – we will stand before this temple and in your presence (for your name is in this temple) and we will cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear us and save us.”
That’s all we can do in a situation like this. We try to understand it, but even the most brilliant scientists and academics in the world don’t have all the right answers. And so here we are, in a situation where we can either pray or we can worry. … It takes the same amount of energy to worry as it does to pray, and one leads to peace and the other leads to panic.” – Dr. David Jeremiah, Senior Pastor, Shadow Mountain Community Church, El Cajon, California
