Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
In response to recent criticism, General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that calls to China following the incidents of January 6 at the U.S. Capitol were “routine” and “perfectly within the duties and responsibilities” of his role. He said he has regularly made similar calls “to assure both allies and adversaries in this case in order to ensure strategic stability.”
Australia plans to host an expanding array of American military forces to deter conflict as strategists worldwide are concerned the balance of military power in the Indo-Pacific is shifting toward China. Australia’s defense minister said, “This will include greater area cooperation through rotational deployments of all types of U.S. military aircraft to Australia. We will also establish combined logistics, sustainment, and capability for maintenance to support our enhanced activities.”
Pray for America’s military leaders to make wise decisions in dealing with both allies and adversaries.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma sent a letter to National Archives and Records Administration activist outlining his concern about the blanket application of a “Harmful Language Alert” on the nation’s pillar documents—the Constitution and Declaration of Independence—stating “it should be removed immediately.” At the same time, in Florida, dozens of University of Florida students said the U.S. Constitution should be abolished and even signed a petition to do away with it. “It’s time for a new Constitution,” they said.
Pray for government officials and for educators as students’ values are being formed regarding the foundation of the nation and its freedoms.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The minister of defense for the Netherlands resigned over the government’s handling of the evacuation of refugees from Afghanistan, a day after the Dutch foreign minister also stepped down. Motions of censure had been passed by the parliament against the two high officials.
A former Nobel Peace Prize nominee has warned that Iran and ISIS are on the move in the Middle East. Juliana Taimoorazy says that both are ready to jump in to fill the void after the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of this year. She said that Iraq is really Iran 2.0.
Pray for members of the administration and leaders in Congress to seek wisdom from multiple sources and then from the Lord in their formulation of foreign policies.
Pray For AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a warning to the chief of Afghan evacuation operations that measles is spreading among refugees and poses a “major public health threat” that includes the potential for “larger imminent outbreaks” in U.S. communities recovering from the coronavirus. “The large number of unvaccinated Afghan evacuees as seen already has the potential to seed countless U.S. community outbreaks,” the memo said.
Vaccine-maker Pfizer announced that a smaller dose of their COVID vaccine is safe and generates a “robust” immune response in a clinical trial of children ages 5 to 11. Approval by the Food and Drug Administration could take four to six weeks. Assuming the data meets all of the FDA standards, school-aged children could get their inoculations by the end of October or early November.
Pray for the health, physical, emotional, and mental, of America’s school-age children.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israel’s military has stepped up its activities in the Red Sea “exponentially” in the face of growing Iranian threats to Israeli shipping. The country’s just-retired military commander stopped short of confirming a series of attacks and mishaps on Iranian ships that have been attributed to Israel, but he described Iranian activities on the high seas as a top Israeli concern.
Israeli agents killed Iran’s top nuclear scientist late last year using a remote-controlled machine gun and artificial intelligence, according to a new report just released by the New York Times. The assassination was carried out when then-president-elect Joe Biden promised to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement the Times said.
Pray for the security of Israel as it continues to face threats from Iran and Iran’s proxies.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
The supply of homes for sale across America is reportedly near a record low as the gap between supply and demand widens. A report released by Realtor.com said the nation is short 3.25 million homes, an increase of 1.4 million from the 2020 gap. The prime factor in the lag in single-family home construction is a labor shortage that began before the outbreak of COVID-19, which the pandemic only worsened.
According to a report released by the Department of Labor that covers the period through July, consumer prices have continued to rise, increasing 5.3 percent for the year. Concerns that inflation is coming in “too hot” as the country continues its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic are starting to ease as core consumer prices slowed their climb in August. Experts say the numbers are starting to come in line with forecast expectations.
Pray for U.S. officials and economists as they evaluate the economy and monitor inflation.
Pray for Justice in America
The U.S. Department of Justice announced it will probe prisons in Georgia for civil rights violations. The assistant attorney general who oversees the department’s civil rights division said the investigation will be comprehensive but will focus on “harm to prisoners resulting from prisoner-on-prisoner violence.” Eighteen homicides in Georgia prisons so far this year have spurred the investigation.
Pray for the ministers and lay leaders across the country who conduct prison ministries and for believers who are among the incarcerated.
Pray for Goodness in America
The world’s largest tree has been wrapped in foil to protect it against flames from a fire raging in California’s scenic Sequoia National Park. The base of the General Sherman Tree has been wrapped in aluminum-based burn-resistant material. The tree is 275 feet tall and over 36 feet in diameter at the base, making it taller than the Statue of Liberty from its base to the torch.
Pray for all the firefighters who are dealing with the wildfires in the Western United States, and that the actions being taken would prevent the giant sequoias from being burned.
Pray for America’s Media
Local and national news agencies had been capturing images of the numbers of migrants under a Texas bridge by the use of camera drones. The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded any drones flying over the region. Earlier images showed thousands of migrants gathered under the international bridge at Del Rio, Texas, waiting to be processed. The FAA says it acted for “special security reasons.”
Pray for accurate reporting on the situations at the U.S.-Mexico border, among Afghan refugee camps, and with regard to the coronavirus.
Pray for America’s Education
The pandemic has intensified concern about students’ emotional well-being. Educators and parents need to be alert in addressing children’s needs. Many children have suffered as a result of COVID-19 and returning to classrooms has added to the trauma for some. Eighteen states have now adopted standards or guidelines for social and emotional learning (known as SELI), less focused on academics but more on installing competencies in areas like managing emotions, building relationships, making decisions, and feeling and showing empathy.
Pray for America’s teachers and for wisdom to deal with the crises that children have faced as part of a year of being out of the classrooms.
Pray for America’s Technology
New York Governor Hochul wants Facebook to censor pro-life posts with “information on any and all existing efforts to combat misinformation regarding abortion laws, procedures, and their availability.” She also asked Facebook to “take additional action to curb the spread of this misinformation, as Facebook has with information related to COVID-19, vaccines, and voting rights.” She told Facebook that pro-life groups’ goal “is clear: to sow fear, confusion, and shame, and to advance an agenda to control women’s bodies.”
Members of the U.S. Senate have vowed to investigate Instagram’s negative impact on the self-esteem of young users after a recent report showed that the platform’s parent company, Facebook, knew but didn’t disclose how the image-sharing platform is harmful to teen users.
Pray for executives of the major technology companies and members of the federal government as social responsibility of platforms is assessed.
Pray for Needs Across the States
New Hampshire’s Executive Council voted 4-1 to reject family planning contracts with three reproductive health providers across the state that also provide abortion care with separate funding. Governor Chris Sununu said it was not something he agreed with.
Mark Gordon, the governor of Wyoming, is petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population, turning management of grizzly bears to the state. The grizzly bear population, following 46 years and more than $52 million in investment from Wyoming, has by all measures been fully recovered since 2003.
Pray for state governors and legislators dealing with issues of local importance.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“Human life is sacred, from the womb to the tomb. … I was rescued from abortion myself in 1950 when my mom was pregnant with me, and my grandfather convinced her to have me. [Her group Speak for Life] bridges the gap with the generations. [We] don’t believe the children are our future. We believe the children are present. Right now, we are breathing the same air together, and our young people, our children need to articulate, to e able to talk about and defend the dignity of all human life, human dignity.” – Dr. Alveda King, evangelist, September 2021
