Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
Representative Brian Babin of Texas said President Biden’s administration is “infringing upon the constitutional rights of Americans” by telling Navy SEALS that if they refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine, they will be prohibited from deploying with their teams.
The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command said it will conduct a rapid prototyping effort to increase the “runway independence and expeditionary capacity” of its MC-130J by developing “a removable amphibious float modification,“ essentially turning their biggest planes into flying boats.
Pray for the military’s officials dealing with chains of command, vaccine mandates, the exercise of free speech, and more that is apart from a war footing.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
A San Diego high school reversed its decision to deny approval to students seeking to paint an American flag on purchasable parking spots for a fundraising auction. The district originally denied the students’ designs, citing concerns over whether it was “appropriate treatment of the flag” to paint it on the ground. The district consulted local veterans’ perspectives on the matter and found numerous supporters despite the initial pushback from some at the high school.
Pray for Americans to respect the nation’s symbols, following protocols that have been established through history and law.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Taliban warned the U.S. against future drone operations over Afghanistan. They claimed the U.S. use of drones goes against not only international law but also “its obligations to the Islamic Emirate of Doha, Qatar.” They stated that the U.S. is violating Afghan air space with the drones and “these violations must be corrected and prevented… to prevent any negative consequences.”
North Korea’s military fired a “newly developed hypersonic missile,” their state news agency reported. They referred to the missile as a “strategic weapon,” claiming it has nuclear capabilities. They also increased tensions in the region by launching new long-range cruise missiles and ballistic missiles into the sea in September while demanding the U.S. and South Korea cease their joint military exercises.
Pray for State Department officials and those in the diplomatic corps working to ease tensions across the globe.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The State of Texas announced it will be limiting business with Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, following the ice cream giant’s decision to stop selling products in certain Israeli-occupied territories. The companies have been added to a list of “companies that boycott Israel” according to the Texas comptroller.
At the United Nations anti-racism conference, Iran’s foreign minister said his nation’s “willpower is dedicated” to the elimination of Zionism. The U.S. and 33 other nations boycotted the conference due to its history of anti-Semitism, while Iran’s foreign minister invoked the destruction of the Jewish state.
Pray for the relationship that the United States maintains with Israel and for wisdom for the administration in their ongoing efforts to restart the Iran nuclear agreement.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
Grocery prices have been steadily rising in the U.S. as the coronavirus has continued to wreak havoc on supply chains and as businesses have faced worker shortages in recent months. Those disruptions have been exacerbated by higher demand, droughts, and major storms that have devastated crops and halted food production in some areas.
Rising costs and shortages of building materials and labor are rippling across the homebuilding industry, and new home construction has turned into an uncertain and costly proposition for many home builders. Inflation worries are forcing many homebuilders to take it slow, increasing prices, and creating more problems for the supply and demand equation.
Pray for the nation’s economy as it recovers from COVID-19 and the new stresses put upon it by inflation.
Pray for Justice in America
A new survey conducted by the Convention of States Action/Trafalgar Group reveals that a majority (65 percent) of voters do not believe a person should lose his or her job if that person rejects a vaccine mandate. Twenty-two percent said they should lose their jobs and 13 percent said they were unsure. “[More] and more Americans are standing up against the forced vaccination of American workers,” wrote the president of the Convention of States Action. “The message here is clear: your livelihood should not be put at risk because you don’t want the vaccine.”
Pray for federal and state judges as cases come before them regarding lost jobs due to vaccine requirements.
Pray for Goodness in America
A Florida man was working hard outdoors laying a yard full of new sod with his brother when he had a sudden and massive heart attack. His wife recognized the symptoms and called 911. Firefighters and EMS workers rushed to the location. Even as he was being loaded into the ambulance, the man worried about the sod and what it would cost them if they didn’t get it down in time. Even as he was wheeled into surgery, in and out of consciousness, he worried about the sod. But he needn’t have. The firefighters and EMTs returned to the job site and continued laying the lawn. They were like a team of angels, the man’s wife said, they saved his life… and his lawn.
Give thanks for the generosity of spirit found among many in the United States, whether on the job or not, and meet the needs that arise around you as you are able.
Pray for America’s Media
Representative Jim Banks of Indiana is the first legislator to call out Linkedin, the only major American social media platform that operates in China, for censoring American users on behalf of the ruling Communist Party. He sent a letter to Microsoft, which owns Linkedin, criticizing them for deferring to the Chinese government by locking the profiles of Americans who refer to the Asian superpower in a critical fashion.
Senator Ed Markey and Representative Lori Trahan, both of Massachusetts, along with others, have called on Facebook to cancel the development of a version of Instagram geared toward young children due to the alleged negative effects on their mental health.
Pray for leaders and executives of media groups to recognize the responsibility they have toward the general public they purport to serve.
Pray for America’s Education
The Kaiser Family Foundation has reported that the recent spike in deaths from COVID-19 among school bus drivers in several states has left many districts few options for transporting students. About half a million school buses are used on any given day, each one needing a driver, and “school bus drivers don’t grow on trees,” according to the chief executive of NRT Bus.
A university in Pennsylvania has warned its students that “action could be taken” if they fail to use their classmates’ preferred pronouns. The school’s Office of Equity and Inclusion said in a memo that “any individual who has been informed of another person’s gender identity, pronouns, or chosen name is expected to respect that individual.”
Pray for the many school bus drivers who are retirees… for health and safety for them and for the children they transport.
Pray for America’s Technology
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that, thanks to new semiconductor plants that are planned or under construction, the global chip shortage that has hampered the automobile industry this year should be short-term in nature.
A majority of voters in battleground districts and states agree that many prominent technology companies are monopolies with too much power, according to new data reported by Axios, but those same voters are divided on what Congress should do in response.
Pray for industries increasing the production of microchips in the U.S. and for the needed rare earth minerals and other basic chemicals that have been in short supply.
Pray for Needs Across the States
The Tennessee Department of Human Services announced steps to help parents navigate the balance of raising a family and holding down a job. Beginning October 1, they have increased child care payment assistance by 10 percent across all categories of care in the Child Care Certificate Program.
Hawaii’s residents and tourists will no longer be able to swim or get in close contact with Hawaiian spinner dolphins, according to a new rule that has been ten years in the making. Biologists have long noticed that the playful mammals have been stressed by human interactions. The rule was established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Pray for state governments and agencies, particularly as they deal with matters involving children and wild creatures.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
The best teacher on prayer is the Holy Spirit. The most powerful teaching will come with the use of [prayer]. The deeper we go in its use, the more we will come to discover a depth that we cannot easily explain. Most precious of all is the intimacy that comes with walking with God in the cool of the garden; when we hear him in the quiet whisper and feel his gentle touch in the breeze, when we are touched so deeply by him in our souls that (to quote author and Pastor Max Lucado), “There are times when to speak is to violate the moment.” – Bill Pilgrim, Salvation Army, February 2008
