Pray the Vote
Newly uncovered records reportedly show over 19,000 ballots in one Arizona county in the 2020 elections were counted despite having been received after the deadline to be considered, making them invalid. The number would reportedly not have changed the election outcome. Also in Arizona, a woman accused of illegally collecting early ballots in the 2020 primary election entered a guilty plea in an agreement with prosecutors that allowed the more serious forgery and conspiracy charges to be dismissed and limited any potential for a lengthy prison sentence.
In an advisory sent to state election officials, the nation’s leading cybersecurity agency said that electronic voting machines from a leading vendor used in at least 16 states have software vulnerabilities that leave them susceptible to hacking.
Pray for the officials overseeing both the primary and upcoming general elections to be able to prevent any fraudulent activities.
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
The U.S. military stated it is investigating whether an American service member set off explosives in an insider attack on a small U.S. base in northern Syria that injured four service members in April. The suspect is no longer in Syria.
Proposed legislation on toxic exposure would rewrite America’s compact with veterans, with as many as 3.5 million veterans potentially receiving new healthcare and disability benefits. Current law requires a veteran to demonstrate that an illness was the result of military service in order to qualify for benefits. Under the new bill, a veteran with any of 23 conditions as broad as brain cancer and hypertension, who was deployed to a combat zone during the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, becomes automatically eligible for care at taxpayer cost.
Pray for America’s veterans, particularly those who have been left with physical and emotional wounds that still in need of healing.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
An advocacy group that has spent more than two decades fighting for free expression on college campuses is broadening its efforts to address cancel culture and other perceived threats to free speech across America. Part of the shift may challenge the ACLU’s primacy as a defender of free speech, as the group’s new drive aims to promote greater acceptance of a diversity of views in the workplace and elsewhere.
Pray governing officials to understand and defend the freedoms of Americans protected under the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
Anti-government protests have erupted across Iran in recent weeks. Most recently a network of Iranian dissidents linked to Iran’s largest and most prominent opposition group took control of servers and security cameras across the capital city of Tehran, using their access to post and send hundreds of thousands of anti-government messages. More than 5,000 closed-circuit cameras installed at government centers and other key areas were taken control over by the group.
At least 50 people were killed and others injured on Pentecost Sunday when gunmen attacked worshipers at a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria. The U.S. State Department says it has raised concerns about religious freedom conditions in Nigeria even though advocates claim President Biden’s administration is pushing a “political narrative” as the West African country faces increasing extremist and communal violence
Pray for the president, officials at the White House, and those in the State and Defense Departments responsible for making and carrying out the nation’s foreign relations priorities.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The White House has announced that the first COVID-19 vaccinations for children under five years old could be available by June 21, pending action by the FDA and CDC.
The Novavax vaccine was 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19, but the Food and Drug Administration is reporting concerns about a risk of possible heart inflammation from the vaccine.
Pray for government health officials as they continue to address issues surrounding the coronavirus.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Secretary General in Jerusalem to facilitate a diplomatic solution to avoid Iran developing a nuclear weapon. “Israel prefers the diplomatic route to rule out any possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon, but maintains the right to act against Iran to defend itself and stop its nuclear program if the international community fails to do so within a relevant amount of time,” he said.
The Israeli Parliament voted against applying Israeli civilian law to Israelis in the occupied West Bank, a decision that edged the fragile coalition government closer to collapse and undermined the two-tier legal system that distinguishes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in most of the territory.
Pray for the members of Israel’s government as they deal with matters that are divisive and volatile.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
According to a new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll, more than 8 in 10 Americans believe the state of the nation’s economy is poor or not so good. Over a third said they were not satisfied at all with their present financial situation, a figure that represents the highest dissatisfaction level ever recorded on the question, which the Journal said had been asked every few years beginning in 1972.
According to the Labor Department, fewer Americans applied for jobless aid last week with the number of Americans collecting unemployment at historically low levels.
Pray for the members of the Federal Reserve who are overseeing the monetary supply and interest rates.
Pray for Goodness in America
A woman attending a graduation party in West Virginia is being credited with saving lives after she shot an attacker who opened fire toward a crowd of guests. The chief of detectives in her town told a local news outlet, “Instead of running from the threat, she engaged with the threat and saved several lives last night.”
Pray with gratitude for individuals who respond to situations when they can, and for others who say something if they see something untoward happening.
Pray for America’s Education
Middle school students in Wisconsin are under investigation for misappropriating pronouns when referring to a classmate, and they are being charged by school district officials with sexual harassment. The parents of the students are asking the school district to stop the investigation and clear the records of their children of any sort of charges or investigation.
Families across the nation are increasingly looking at the benefits of homeschooling their children in the wake of recent school violence and the “woke movement.“ Others are seeking to make the public school system more accountable.
Pray for the parents of school aged children who are making an effort to address the nature of the education they want their children to receive.
Pray for America’s Technology
Calling it “one of the most despicable cyberattacks I’ve ever seen,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said hackers working for the Iranian government last summer attempted to break into and damage computer systems at Boston Children’s Hospital. According to the director, the FBI was able to help thwart the hackers before they did damage to the hospital’s computer network, but he cited it as an example of the potential high impact hacking threats that the U.S. faces from the governments of Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea.
Pray for U.S. cyber security officials as they work to protect America’s critical cyber networks from nations with malevolent intentions.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Legislators in Delaware announced plans to pass major gun reform in the final weeks of the legislative session, including banning the sale of assault weapons, limiting high-capacity magazines, and increasing the purchasing age for most firearms.
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has asked the state’s School Safety Center to conduct in-person, unannounced audits of public schools to see how quickly staff can enter a building without being stopped and detect weak spots in school safety.
Pray for state officials as they address concerns about the safety of the nation’s schools.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“We’re here [at the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast] representing the Christian worldwide community to let our Israeli friends and brothers and sisters know that they are not alone, that we stand with them. It’s a privilege and an honor to further the bridge between Christians and Jews because we all know without the Jewish faith, the Christian faith is not there whatsoever. And it’s a celestial foundation that we are privileged and grateful to have our faith and build upon that.“ – Nick Vujicic, Life Without Limbs Ministry, Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast, 2022
