Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
An independent watchdog has found that women and minority Air Force and Space Force members face different treatment than their white, male counterparts in receiving promotions, educational and leadership opportunities, and disciplinary action.
The Department of Defense is seeking the public’s input in coming up with replacement names for the military bases currently named after Confederate leaders. The Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense that Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily with the Confederate States of America is led by Admiral Michelle Howard, and a report is due to Congress on identified assets and the cost to rename them by October 1, 2022.
Pray for America’s military as reassessments are made of discriminatory conduct and other aspects of military life.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
The state supreme court in Washington removed protections for religious employers in a state anti-discrimination law, ruling against precedents in both federal law and several federal appeals courts. Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission is now petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to review the ruling. Last week several prominent Christian service ministries, some lawmakers in Washington state and a third of the states, and even a Muslim group joined the cause, filing amicus (friend of the court) briefs.
Pray that the Supreme Court would be willing to hear the case and continue to protect religious liberty from secularist infringement.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The United Nations Special Envoy on Afghanistan Deborah Lyons told the Security Council that nongovernmental organizations supporting women were being targeted, women’s freedoms had been restricted, and the United Nations’ Afghan staff were being harassed and intimidated by the Taliban. “The UN cannot conduct its work—work that is so essential to the Afghan people—if its personnel are subjected to intimidation, fear for their lives, and cannot move freely,” she said. Senior U.S. diplomat Jeffrey DeLaurentis told the Security Council the United States was “outraged at reports that members of the Taliban have engaged in reprisals against UN staff throughout the country. This is simply unacceptable,” he said.
Iran’s president warned the West against rebuking Tehran at the UN atomic watchdog after its latest reports criticized the country, while Secretary Blinken said time was running out to revive a nuclear deal with world powers. The International Atomic Energy Agency said there had been no progress on central issues.
Pray for wisdom for both U.S. and United Nations leaders as they discuss developments in Afghanistan and with Iran.
Pray For AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
State health officials have reported half a dozen cases of measles in refugees arriving in Virginia from Afghanistan. Efforts are being made to identify those who may have been exposed in area hospitals or at Dulles International Airport.
The Food and Drug Administration said children in clinical trials testing COVID-19 vaccines should be monitored for at least two months for side effects, suggesting that the agency is considering a quicker path to authorize the shot for emergency use than full approval. They presently have two months of safety data on children who have received the vaccine.
Pray for federal and state health officials as they endeavor to maintain public health.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israeli authorities are still seeking two of the six Palestinian prisoners who escaped from Gilboa prison, one of Israel’s most secure detention facilities located near the Sea of Galilee. As the manhunt continues, Palestinians have held large-scale demonstrations in solidarity with the fugitives. About 400 people rioted at eight West Bank flashpoints, starting fires and throwing rocks at Israeli troops.
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett put the world on notice that time is running out to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. He told his Cabinet, “I am calling on world powers: don’t fall into the trap of Iranian deception that will lead to additional concessions. You must not give up on inspecting sites and the most important thing, the most important measure, is that there must be a time limit.” He warned, “They [Iran] are dragging on, we must set a clear-cut deadline that says: until here. The Iranian nuclear program is at the most advanced point ever.”
Pray for the security of Israel in view of Iran’s continuing pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
A third of U.S. consumers who used “buy now, pay later” services have fallen behind on one or more payments, and 72 percent of those said their credit score declined, according to a new study published by personal finance company Credit Karma.
The “Big Three” North American automakers – Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors – all announced that semiconductor shortages would force the companies to temporarily halt production for several weeks. Economists predict they will raise prices on the inventory currently in auto lots across the country.
Pray for Americans trying to adapt and manage their expenses as inflationary pressures increase.
Pray for Justice in America
Catholic leaders have expressed frustration with the lack of investigation and follow-up during the significant increase in hate crimes targeting Catholic churches in America. As of August 24, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recorded 93 incidents in 28 states over the past 18 months, including “arson, statues beheaded, limbs cut, smashed and painted, gravestones defaced with swastikas, and anti-Catholic language and American flags next to them burned.”
Pray for law enforcement and court officials to respond to the increasing hostilities against religious freedoms in America.
Pray for Goodness in America
A pastoral group in the greater Cincinnati area has established an outreach to police departments in an effort to “find a way to work together, to partner, to build collaborations and partnership to address” problems in their communities. The pastor of one large church said, “The police department in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, specifically, and then some other ones local here, have made it really easy to help connect us to real needs in the community, and sometimes also, within their departments. And so, these are human beings; they have souls; they have families; they have futures; they have dream’s and we just do our best as a church to be there,” he said.
Pray for churches and church leaders who reach out as salt and light in their communities helping to meet needs and working together with local officials.
Pray for America’s Media
Some of the world’s largest broadcasters, including American network NBC, are being asked by human rights groups to cancel plans to cover next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing which are scheduled to open on February 4. The request came in an open letter from rights groups representing minorities in China, including Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kong residents, and others.
Pray for broadcast executives and decision-makers as they consider whether media coverage of sporting events offers credence to the host country.
Pray for America’s Education
The largest teachers union in the U.S. influenced federal health officials to include rules for universal masking in school buildings, according to newly published emails obtained by a government watchdog group. The day after the emails were received, the CDC released updated masking guidelines for schools, saying schools should maintain universal masking requirements and “physical distancing should be maximized to the greatest extent possible.”
More Americans are deciding to homeschool their children as a significant number of mothers choose to stay home. The “movement” is growing faster and larger than some had ever imagined. The National Home Education Research Institute says two years ago there were approximately 2.5 million students being homeschooled. Today, that number is nearly 5 million.
Pray for the many parents across America who have decided to homeschool their children.
Pray for America’s Technology
Legislation signed into law by Texas’ governor aims to reduce censorship of certain viewpoints on popular social media platforms. Under the law, any web service with at least 50 million active users in the United States would be prohibited from blocking or restricting content based on the creator’s political ideas. It would also require social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, to submit regular reports about removed content, disclose their regulation procedures, as well as create a complaint system in which users can challenge restrictive measures. “We will always defend the freedom of speech in Texas,” Governor Abbott said.
Pray for federal and state officials as they seek to defend the freedom of speech and prohibit censorship.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Colorado health officials issued an order instructing a Christian school to implement COVID-19 protocols or risk being shut down, and they issued steps the school must take. In response, the school’s superintendent said parents can choose whether or not their child should wear a mask or get vaccinated. “We are not a place of public accommodation. We are a private, Christian school and operate outside the public school model and domain,” he said.
Officials in Kentucky have reached an agreement over how the state will oversee the treatment of foster children placed with private agencies after a lawsuit alleging religious coercion of children and discrimination of LGBTQ people by one private religious children’s services group. Officials have agreed to take steps to try to ensure children are not subject to religious proselytization and discrimination because of sexual orientation.
Pray for state officials as they regulate or oversee the welfare of children in their jurisdictions.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“Fear and anxiety are natural responses to some of life’s toughest situations. But left unchecked, uncontrolled worry will rob you of joy and prevent you from enjoying the abundant life God wants for you. …
In Philippians 4:6-7, we find a powerful passage that I believe provides the biblical antidote for anxiety, the prescription for peace in our lives: ’Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.’
Did you notice Paul’s prescription for battling worry? We can sum it up in two words: grateful prayer.
This passage instructs us not to be anxious, but instead to pray about everything with thanksgiving. In other words, be a worshipper, not a worrier! Turn your worry into prayers! If you have time enough to worry, you have time enough to pray!
Paul goes on to say in Philippians 4:19, ’My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Jesus Christ.’
God promises to provide for your every need – physically, financially, emotionally. So all those things that you’re worried about… hear God say, ’I’ll take care of this. Trust Me. Worship Me. Pray.’ ” – Jack Graham, founder of PowerPoint Ministries, The Antidote to Anxiety, August 2021
