Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
According to an assessment from Marine Corps Commandant David Berger, should a war with the United States break out, China will not just have more people, it may also have better technology. “So if we don’t have those two [numerical, technological], then it comes down to the individual intellectual edge that we need, which is what we have to bank on,” he said.
General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged a gap in the U.S. defense capabilities, saying the United States would be incapable of defending itself against a hypersonic missile akin to the experimental one that China launched over the summer. Milley said those missiles are “of great concern” as they can carry both conventional and nuclear payloads.
Pray for America’s military leaders as they work to update and improve its war-fighting capabilities on all fronts with the goal being they won’t have to use them.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The United States and Qatar signed an accord for Qatar to represent U.S. diplomatic interests in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it an important signal of possible future direct engagement between Washington and the Taliban after two decades of war. The agreement comes into effect on December 31.
Climate envoy John Kerry announced that the U.S. and China have agreed to “raise climate ambition” and work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade.
Pray for those who represent America in its relationships with foreign nations.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer said preliminary study results indicate that its experimental pill was highly effective at preventing people who are at high risk of severe complications from COVID-19 from needing hospitalization or from dying. This is the latest encouraging news for an early virus treatment.
Pray for the chemists, physicians, and executives of pharmaceutical companies as they work to produce medication and treatment for those in need.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israeli and Polish government officials condemned an anti-Semitic incident involving Polish nationalists chanting “Death to Jews” on Poland’s Independence Day this week. Participants at the gathering also burned a copy of a medieval document that offered Jews protection and rights in Polish lands.
Naval forces from Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States conducted a five-day multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea. The exercise marks the first time some of these countries have participated overtly in a combined military exercise with Israel, and it is the latest indication that the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran are galvanizing unprecedented security cooperation between the U.S., Israel, and key Arab nations.
Pray for peace and stability and for God to protect His people even in the midst of a rise of anti-Semitism.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
Some 24 million workers quit their jobs in September setting a new record. The quantity of people quitting is the highest since the U.S. has been keeping records, The Labor Department says the figure is equivalent to about 3 percent of the nation’s labor force.
Consumer prices rose to 6.2% in the year ending October, the highest rate of inflation in 30 years, according to the Department of Labor. Following the report, President Joe Biden said, “Inflation hurts American pocketbooks, and reversing this trend is a top priority for me.”
Pray for the president and Labor Department officials as they work to address the rise in inflation and pressure on American family budgets.
Pray for Goodness in America
A new law is providing service dogs for veterans suffering from PTSD. Trained service dogs help veterans cope with the ravages of post-traumatic stress and help ease their impaired quality of life. Approximately 11 to 20 percent of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from symptoms of PTSD, the Department of Veterans Affairs said.
Pray for the leaders in the Department of Veterans Affairs as they look for ways to best care for the needs of the nation’s veterans.
Pray for America’s Education
a report from Michigan’s state superintendent of public instruction said that the teacher shortage, which was made worse by the coronavirus pandemic, will likely continue for some time. “It’s a problem that existed pre-pandemic; it has been exacerbated by the pandemic, and the teacher shortage will not disappear with the pandemic.”
Pray for our nation’s educators and leaders in the Department of Education as they look to meet the needs of the nation’s students and children.
Pray for America’s Technology
Hackers are targeting the global supply chain, even as the hangover from the coronavirus pandemic continues to slow the shipping of some products across the globe. In recent months, cybercriminals have been attempting to sell network access credentials to several shipping and logistics companies on the cybercrime underground.
Pray for the nation’s security experts as they work to combat those who wish to do harm via cybercrime.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma ordered the State Department of Health to stop issuing gender-neutral birth certificates. His executive order will block the state from issuing birth certificates with an “X” nonbinary gender marker.
Legislators and state officials in Louisiana are developing plans for spending the influx of cash for roads, bridges, coastal protection, broadband internet, and more coming to them from the infrastructure package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden. They are trying to determine what the dollars can fund and strategize for how to apply for the discretionary cash that will be available.
Pray for wisdom for state officials in dealing with the funding that will come to them as a result of the passage of the infrastructure package.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“Dissention in the Corinthian church was the first problem addressed by Paul. He introduces the thoughts of [1 Corinthians 1:10-17] with an appeal for unity. It seems that quarrels had split them into factions and there appear to have been four rival parties within the church. … With the many churches and styles of worship available today, we could get caught up in this game of “my preacher is better than yours.” Paul makes it clear that God’s message is much more important than any human messenger. … I must never let my appreciation for any teacher, preacher, or author cause me to follow a man rather than the message of God’s Word. My allegiance must be to Jesus Christ and to the unity He desires in the body of Christ.“ – Pastor Lou Nicholes, evangelist and missionary, Family Times, Pottersville, New York, January 2005
