Pray the Vote
A grand jury in Colorado has indicted a county election clerk who questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election. Allegations claimed she was part of a scheme to breach voting system technology that is used across the country,
Pray for election administrators and those working behind the scenes as states get ready for primary elections.
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
Many U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are responding to calls from Ukrainian officials for foreign fighters to join a newly formed foreign legion. But both the Department of Defense and Justice Department say these veterans may be at risk for losing their earned benefits. Retired veterans wishing to obtain formal permission from their service secretary should contact the branch for which they served last. Congress could pass legislation making an exemption to the rule.
The U.S. military is asking President Biden to station several hundred commandos in Somalia to help mitigate the rise of al Qaeda’s aggressive local affiliate, al Shabaab. Such action would reverse former President Trump’s withdrawal of approximately 700 Army Green Berets.
Pray for the American veterans who are looking to possibly join the Ukrainian foreign legion.
Pray for AMERICA’S Freedoms
Congressman Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin joined Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler of Missouri and Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma in a bicameral amicus brief on behalf of the plaintiff in a free speech and religious liberty case in which a football coach lost his job for kneeling in prayer following high school football games.
Pray for school coaches and players who are experiencing pressure to stop praying before or after games.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
North Korean leader Kim Jung Un ordered his officials to expand a satellite launch facility to fire a variety of rockets, including ICBMs. Such a rocket launch by North Korea would be its most significant provocation since late 2017 and a violation of its self-imposed moratorium on long-range and nuclear tests.
One of the leading Iranian resistance groups has warned that any move to take the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps off the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization list will “heighten terrorism and mayhem” in the region. They expressed concern that President Biden’s administration will make such a move as part of negotiations to bring Iran back to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Pray for U.S. officials as they interact with foreign regimes and groups as the conflict with Russia in the Ukraine continues.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The scientific community has increased calls for President Biden’s administration to invest more resources into the study of long-term COVID-19. Federal legislators removed additional pandemic funding from the appropriations bill.
Pray for those in government who are charged with overseeing U.S. public health.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The U.S. Senate approved $4.8 billion in military aid to Israel as part of its $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package. The legislation sets aside $1 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett commended the measure. “Thank you to the U.S. Congress for your overwhelming commitment to Israel’s security,” he said.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks in Ankara and vowed to rebuild their strained relationship despite still having deep differences. “Our common goal is the revitalization of political dialogue between our countries, based on common interests and respect for mutual sensitivities,” President Erdogan said during a joint press conference with Herzog.
Pray for Israel’s leaders as they expand relationships with their neighbors and other countries in the Middle East.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
The Federal Reserve’s policy committee meets this week and will almost certainly raise interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point. It will be a first step in what is expected to be a long path to reducing inflation.
According to the Labor Department, the demand for workers remained close to a record high at the start of the year despite disruptions from the Omicron COVID-19 variant, with more than 11.3 million job openings posted at the year’s start.
Pray for employers who are seeking workers in various industries such as hospitality; pray for U.S. officials attempting to address increasing inflation.
Pray for America’s Media
The State Department confirmed a freelance journalist who previously worked on New York Times projects was killed covering the war in Ukraine. He is the first known American journalist to be killed in the Russia-Ukraine war. He was an award-winning video journalist who had also worked on projects for PBS and HBO.
Pray for the safety of journalists covering the conflict in Ukraine, as there have been other reports of injuries.
Pray for America’s Education
The Department of Education announced that Historically Black colleges and universities will be receiving funding under the Project School Emergency Response to Violence. The program will be operational in the short term to help HBCUs enhance campus security and provide mental health programs for students and faculty impacted by the threats.
A leaked video from a presentation called “Growing Young Voices: Understanding Black Lives Matter for Teachers,” shows that fifth-graders at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools performed a politically-motivated poem that reinforced the notion that American police kill people purely on the basis of their skin color.
Pray for teachers, education officials, and parents who seek to ensure a safe and beneficial environment for students to learn.
Pray for America’s Technology
A Chinese state broadcaster is running ads on Meta-owned Facebook, reaching out to global users with pro-Russian talking points about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meta said it would ban ads from Russian state media and stop recommending context from such outlets. But that has not stopped countries close to Moscow, like China, from using their state channels to buy ads promoting the pro-Russian line.
Pray for technology officials and U.S. leaders as they consider how to address the disinformation that is coming from many sides in the social media world.
Pray for Needs Across the States
The governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, vetoed a proposed congressional districting map, expressing concern that the map did not grant minority voters adequate representation, and the legislature should “go back to the drawing board.”
Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland and legislative leaders agreed to halt the state’s gas tax for 30 days in an effort to cushion the financial impact on residents as gas prices continue to rise.
Pray for all the state governors as they endeavor to do what is best for their constituencies.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“During each of our worship services, we pray for the peace of the whole world. Peace is more than the balance of power and absence of war. It is a state, a state by which God’s presence reveals itself. For Christ is our peace, writes St. Paul. Moreover, we are called not only to forgive our enemies but to love our enemies. We can take it one step further. Let us see no enemy in any of our brothers and sisters. Let the love of Christ break down all barriers.“ – Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, March, 2022
