Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
The U.S. Army announced the creation of a series of policy reforms and technological changes to improve and modernize the branch’s digital strategy as part of a larger shift in both culture and mindset within the Army that will make the branch more technology-focused and operational in multiple domains by the year 2028.
The Air Force announced that its recent tests on a new 5,000-pound bomb designed to neutralize bunkers were successful. The new weapon is known as the GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator, and the test release was at an elevation of 35,000 feet.
Pray that military leaders’ implementation of new programs and weapons will benefit the overall national security.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against New York’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers after a group of 17 Christian medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, protested in a lawsuit that the mandate violated their religious freedom by not allowing employers to consider religious exemptions.
Pray for judges across America to uphold the rights to religious freedoms whether for COVID mandates or for other reasons.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
China reportedly tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle from a near-orbital trajectory in August amid an intensifying race for the next generation of long-range weapons that are harder to detect and intercept. Both the U.S. and Russia have conducted tests of hypersonic weapons in recent months, and North Korea said last month it had tested a newly-developed hypersonic missile.
Cross-Strait tensions continue to concern the U.S. as Chinese officials disapprove of Taiwan’s president for promoting a “two-state theory” of relations between Beijing and Taipei. The mainland communist regime has utilized a surge in fighter-jet sorties to assert sovereignty over the island democracy.
Pray for U.S. diplomats and military allies as China is determined to expand its power in the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and South America.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The Food and Drug Administration released new targets on the amount of sodium that can be added to processed and prepared foods, recommending that companies cut back 12 percent over the next two and a half years. “Too much sodium is making people sick,” said the acting commissioner of the FDA. “It’s leading to hypertension, strokes, and even kidney damage and it’s preventable.”
Deaths from drug overdoses in the U.S. reached an all-time high over the course of a 12-month period at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from the CDC, which reported the number of deaths from overdoses during that period reached 96,779.
Pray for health care officials and families as they address drug addiction across America.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israel is advancing military plans to confront Iran’s nuclear program and oppose the Islamic Republic’s growing influence in the region. “The Iranians today are closer to creating fissile material for nuclear weapons than they ever were in the past,” an Israeli security official stated during a briefing. “In light of Iranian progress of their nuclear program, we are preparing for all options and scenarios, including military capabilities.”
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has launched a new caucus to protect the future of the Abraham Accords, the next step to solidifying the relationship between Israel and its Sunni Arab neighbors to assure the agreements can survive the test of time.
Pray for wisdom for Israeli leaders and the commitment of the U.S. as that nation’s ally.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
Proctor and Gamble is among manufacturers that are raising prices on a variety of popular home goods due to a sharp increase in freight transportation and raw materials cost. “We do not anticipate any easing of costs,” the P&G finance chief said.
Americans’ spending increased last month despite supply constraints and the Delta variant, reflecting both healthy demand and higher prices. The Commerce Department said that retail sales rose to a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent from the prior month.
Pray for U.S. agencies to be able to address the supply chain issues and for economic officials as they assess inflation.
Pray for Justice in America
Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller Jr. faced his sentencing after posting social media videos criticizing military leadership over the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in August. The Marine pled guilty to all charges during his court-martial. The judge issued a letter of reprimand and ordered $5,000 of pay for one month. Scheller had been sent to the brig on September 27 and was released October 5 after his lawyers reached an agreement with the Marine Corps. The Secretary of the Navy must still decide whether Colonel Scheller will be honorably discharged or not. Currently, he is considered to be on active duty.
Pray for the Secretary of the Navy to follow the law and military regulations in his decision and for accountability within the military’s chain of command.
Pray for Goodness in America
Thousands of candles lit up the night sky at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. one evening last week to honor fallen law enforcement officers. More than 4,000 members of law enforcement and their families attended the candlelight vigil which paid tribute to 701 officers who died in the line of duty in previous years, including 434 who died in 2019 and 2020.
Give thanks for the show of support to America’s fallen law enforcement, and pray for greater support for those who “protect and serve” each day.
Pray for America’s Media
Advertisers are looking for new ways of reaching customers now that consumers are able to view video content from services that eliminate direct advertising. Agencies are interested in creating new agreements with media partners and are considering deeper connections through direct sponsorships.
Pray that the American public would be able to discern truth from error when viewing advertising that is growing more subtle.
Pray for America’s Education
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association severed ties with the National School Boards Association over a letter comparing parents’ behavior at school board meetings to “domestic terrorism or hate crimes.” The Pennsylvania association wrote in an internal memo that the final “straw” in the organization’s decision to leave the association was a letter sent to President Joe Biden in September “suggesting that some parents should be considered domestic terrorists.”
A Texas public school administrator told teachers if they have a book on the Holocaust in their classroom, they should also offer a book with an “opposing” point of view. The comment was made during a training session with teachers on what books they should allow in their classrooms.
Pray for educators and parents as important decisions are made about policies and curriculum in the education of America’s children.
Pray for America’s Technology
Among the first uses of 5G to hit the consumer market is the delivery of home broadband internet service. The superfast networks are ushering in a new era for much more than smart phones and broadband internet—everything from enhanced virtual reality videogames to remote heart surgery, and drones and Wi-Fi for superyachts.
According to the Treasury Department, around $500 million was paid out by victims of ransomware to their attackers in the first six months of 2021. They said that such attacks continue to skyrocket. The report states, “Ransomware is an increasing threat to the U.S. financial sector, business, and the public.”
Pray for U.S. officials and software engineers to find ways to prevent hackers from entering both public and private domains.
Pray for Needs Across the States
The Indiana Board of Education has approved five major characteristics they felt were most likely to help students build a lifetime of success. They defined these as academic mastery, career and post-secondary readiness in credentials and experiences, communication and collaboration, work ethic, and civil, financial, and digital literacy.
An audit of the Utah Department of Health found the agency appears “strongly influenced” by the federal government over the Utah legislature and has been slow to implement recommendations made by state legislators. The audit urges the Utah agency to prioritize the demands of the legislature.
Pray that state agency leaders would be responsive to the people they are working for on the local level.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“Let me tell you something about living for God. This life is a race. This isn’t a short jog down the track. This is a long-distance, endurance race. If you plan to succeed in this race, you need the endurance that is born from faith! If you plan to make heaven your home one day, you need that faithful endurance that springs from an unshakable hope in the promises of God. … The writer of Hebrews… admonishes us to lay aside every weight and sin which so easily besets us and run with patience, or endurance, the race that is set before us. The message is simple. The only way to run this race is with the endurance that is born of a forward-facing faith.“ – Pastor Jeremy Poling, Rock Church, Harrisburg, Virginia, August 2021
