Pray the Vote
The acting mayor, former mayor, and the city clerk of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are being accused of election bribery in a complaint filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The three officials are alleged to have violated Wisconsin’s election bribery law when they accepted private funding in order to facilitate in-person and absentee voting and to purchase and place absentee ballot drop boxes. The complaint stated the privately funded absentee ballot drop boxes in the 2020 election were illegal under multiple Wisconsin statutes and in violation of federal law.
A new report on discrepancies in the ballot counts of six key battleground states in the 2020 election has turned up more than 250,000 “excess votes” for President Joe Biden, and perhaps far more. The peer-reviewed study for the journal Public Choice found that the excess voting may challenge—or explain—the margin of victory of President Biden over former President Donald Trump in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Pray for those who are continuing with investigations into the 2020 presidential election. Pray for the election officials as they prepare for the 2022 mid-term elections in November, with earlier primaries.
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
This week, thousands of American and Filipino forces began one of their largest combat exercises in years. The exercises include live-fire maneuvers, aircraft assaults, urban warfare, and beach landings in a showcase of U.S. firepower in the northern Philippines near its sea border with Taiwan.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an independent panel be established regarding suicide prevention and response in the military. The panel will review studies that focus on nine Army bases stateside and overseas, including three bases in Alaska that experienced an increase in suicides.
Pray for America’s military forces currently deployed to eastern Europe in support of NATO allies.
Pray for AMERICA’S Freedoms
Senator Marco Rubio and a number of bipartisan colleagues introduced legislation to reauthorize the Independent Bipartisan United States Commission on International Religious Freedom through fiscal year 2024. Senator Rubio stated, “Freedom of religion is a God-given right afforded to all individuals. Our nation is blessed to have a constitution that protects this right and a proud tradition of defending this principle since its founding.”
Pray that members of Congress who seek to support religious freedom around the world would protect it in the U.S.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
A Russian oligarch and at least two senior Ukrainian peacekeepers suffered symptoms from a suspected poisoning attack but have since recovered following a meeting in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv earlier in March. Their symptoms included red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their hands and faces.
Afghanistan’s Taliban backtracked on their announcement that high schools would open for girls, saying they would remain closed until a plan is drawn up in accordance with Islamic law for them to reopen.
Pray for the safety of negotiators as they work on terms of peace in Ukraine.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
According to a new report published in the Journal JAMA, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven up death rates due to heart disease and strokes in the U.S., widening already existing disparities in racial and ethnic health outcomes. Mortality rates from heart disease and stroke rose 4.3 percent and 6.4 percent respectively in 2020, partly due to decreased testing, exams, and interventions during the pandemic.
Vaccine maker Moderna said it will soon seek emergency use authorization for its two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for children under six years old. They report that preliminary data shows children in that age group had a similar immune response to adolescents and young adults when given a similar dose of the vaccine.
Pray for U.S. health officials as they continue to study data and evaluate the current status of the virus in this nation and around the world.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
A United Nations special investigator accused Israel of apartheid in a report submitted to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report claims that Israel gives Jews special rights and privileges while subjecting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to discrimination under permanent military rule. Israel has denied the allegations in the report, calling them “baseless.”
A historic gathering of U.S., Israeli, and Arab diplomats concluded with fresh momentum for discussions to create new Middle East defense partnerships. The ministers from Bahrain, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, and Israel pledged to meet regularly to boost economic and security ties.
Pray for Israel’s relationship with its neighbors and with the Palestinian people.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
Manufacturers from across America signal they will be paying more for raw materials in the next six months and some of those costs will be passed on to customers. Costs of steel and nickel, for instance, have hit record highs as supply constraints and soaring energy costs resulting from the war in Ukraine puts a toll on numerous industries.
Sales of new homes fell for the second month in a row as inflation rises and mortgage rates move upward. However, the median sales price of a new home increased by 0.7 percent for the 12 months ending February, rising to $400,600.
Pray for U.S. commerce and economic officials as they monitor inflation and endeavor to support the nation’s manufacturing and business.
Pray for Justice in America
The Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS has uncovered more than $1.8 billion in fraudulent activity related to federal COVID-19 stimulus funds. So far, more than 660 criminal cases related to various stimulus bills have been closed. They stated, “These cases included a broad range of criminal activity, including fraudulently obtained loans, credits and payments meant for American workers, families and small businesses.”
Pray for federal officials who are seeking to recover funds fraudulently obtained during the pandemic and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Pray for Goodness in America
A mother and two children were able to leave the war zone in Ukraine and unite with family in North Carolina thanks to the help of a total stranger who donated airline miles. The “Good Samaritan,” as he was called, said he only wishes he could do more.
Give thanks for all in the U.S., Poland, and within Ukraine who are helping Ukrainian refugees during this time of turmoil in their country.
Pray for America’s Media
A new study has found that the strict content moderation and censoring policies of major social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google) are making people more isolated and polarized, causing more dangerous extremism in society.
Pray for wisdom for technology officials as the social media platforms’ decisions affect other corporations, news media sources, and “culture influencers” across the U.S.
Pray for America’s Education
A Massachusetts school district has apologized for designating a time slot specifically for families of color to attend an event on its available summer resources before most other families. A spokesperson for the school district said that it regretted using the term “priority families” and that it was not meant to cause harm in any way.
A recent survey conducted by Harvard and Politico found that more than 40 percent of parents believe that wearing masks in schools was harmful to the social, emotional, and mental well-being of their children.
Pray for wisdom for school officials and educators as they seek to address equity and discrimination.
Pray for America’s Technology
Google has announced its latest plans for using smartphones to monitor health. The plan is to test whether capturing heart sounds and eyeball images could help people identify issues from home. Readings could enable early detection of heart valve disorders, as one example.
Pray for discernment for tech and health care officials as smart technology increasingly monitors people with or without health issues.
Pray for Needs Across the States
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a measure into law that will eliminate out-of-pocket costs for abortion services. The law prohibits health plans and insurers from imposing a co-pay, deductible, or other cost-sharing requirements for abortion and abortion-related services. The new legislation also allows a woman to sue any police department or legal authority which arrests or charges her for hurting or killing her child. It allows nurse practitioners to perform abortions and also seeks to legalize the killing of babies after their birth.
The Oklahoma House voted 78-19 to ban all abortions unless it is necessary for saving a pregnant woman’s life. The bill now heads to the state senate. If signed into law, it would take effect immediately, but would likely face legal challenges.
Pray for state governors and legislatures as the abortion issue is hitting nearly every state; pray that the Supreme Court would ultimately stand for the sanctity of the life of the unborn.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
”When God’s sovereignty doesn’t seem to work for our benefit, we question his goodness. We fixate on our difficult circumstances which result in discouragement, disengagement from our relationship with God, and a failure to resist temptation. Satan wants us trapped. He hopes we’ll wallow in our hardship, doubt God’s goodness, and neglect to live in a manner worthy of Christ.
How do we end this cycle? In Psalm 34, David invites us to break free from wallowing when he exhorts: ’Taste and see that the Lord is good’ (34:8). Our circumstances might not change, but if we fix our eyes and feast our souls on God’s goodness, he can change us.” – Lauren Washer, author and Bible teacher, November 2020
