Pray the Vote
House Oversight Committee Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney of New York issued a report that found a “disturbing and even violent impact of election lies on real people—including the workers we rely on to administer our elections safely and fairly.”
According to new reports, spending on political ads for the midterm cycle will exceed the presidential election year 2020. The current rate of spending is expected to be more than double compared with the 2018 midterms. Top spending, on broadcast, cable, satellite, streaming television, radio, and online, is on pace to reach close to $9.7 billion.
Pray for wisdom for election officials, candidates, and voters as everyone prepares for the midterm elections.
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
A base housing American troops in eastern Syria was attacked by multiple drones early this week. The Pentagon said no casualties or damage were reported. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
U.S. Africa Command said it conducted three airstrikes in Somalia killing four al Shabaab terrorists. They did not provide details as to who the targets were, only that it was in response to an attack on Somali troops.
Pray for the safety of American military forces in the Middle East and in Africa.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona stated In an op-ed, “America came to be because individuals wanted to be free. The purpose of government in America is to protect our God-given rights and freedoms, not to harm the citizenry… In countless ways, the [current] government has been weaponized to take away our freedoms and give the national government more power.”
Pray for election integrity and for “We the People” as the November elections approach.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
China’s military said it carried out more exercises near Taiwan this week as a U.S. congressional delegation visited the island and met with their president who said the government was committed to maintaining stability. The five members of Congress who visited Taiwan were led by Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
The European Union expressed concern that a new U.S. tax credit plan, under the Inflation Reduction Act, intended to encourage Americans to purchase electric vehicles, would discriminate against European producers and break World Trade Organization Rules.
Pray for U.S. leaders who are evaluating the ongoing tensions between the United States and China.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
A study posted in the National Library of Medicine documents found that coronavirus lockdowns caused “significant” increases in body weight in children and young people with pre-existing obesity, of Hispanic and African American ethnicity, and living in poverty.
The CDC said that polio is unlikely to spread widely in the U.S. Those who are current with vaccinations have little reason to be concerned. About 93 percent of children in the U.S. are vaccinated against polio by their second birthday and received nearly full protection. CDC officials have been dispatched to New York to investigate evidence of transmission of polio in the wastewater in Rockland County after a case was confirmed in a 20-year-old man.
Pray for the health of America’s children and for discernment for parents as they weigh the risks and benefits of vaccinations.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon issued a warning to Israel about attempting to tap offshore gas reserves in disputed waters between the two nations, further complicating attempts by the U.S. to mediate the dispute. The Hezbollah leader said, “The hand that reaches for any of this wealth will be severed.”
The Israeli Air Force returned its fleet of F-35I Adir aircraft to full service following its grounding in July. There have been safety concerns after a potentially fatal defect was discovered in some of the aircraft’s ejection seats. The U.S. Air Force also grounded its fleet of F-35 fighters in July, citing the same reasons.
Pray for the leaders of Israel as they will face another election in the fall.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
Home prices continued to climb across nearly all the U.S. in the second quarter when buyer demand started to fade due to higher mortgage rates but still exceeded the housing market’s unusually low supply. The median sales price was higher in the quarter when compared with a year ago.
A recent survey found that optimism among small businesses remains near record lows. Owners who responded in the poll believe inflation, supply chain problems, and tax increases pose serious threats to them.
Pray for U.S. governing officials to address inflation with wisdom and for American families who are struggling to make ends meet.
Pray for Goodness in America
The Department of Justice announced the results of “Operation Cross Country,” a nationwide operation against sex trafficking that rescued 141 adults and 121 minors over a period of two weeks earlier this month. “Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters,” the bureau’s director stated.
Give thanks for all who are working to rescue people from human trafficking. Pray for those who are still entrapped.
Pray for America’s Media
A new Pew Research Center survey found the number of teenagers who say they are chronically online has nearly doubled since 2015, to more than a third. YouTube is the most popular platform among American teens. Tik Tok is also a popular app, while Facebook has dropped in popularity among youth.
Twitter says it will revive features on the social media site to promote accurate information about the November U.S. midterm election and restrict false and misleading posts. The social platform said it will apply its civil integrity policy, introduced in 2018, to the November 8 midterms.
Pray for social media company officials and the methods they use to deem posts false or misleading.
Pray for America’s Education
The American Federation of Teachers promoted the use of a pronoun card which included a question of whether the student wanted their parents to know about their pronouns. The AFT’s “Share my Lesson” website promoted using the cards in an “all” grade levels section, such as middle school. The lesson stated, “Something as simple as a Student Introduction Card could make a student feel seen and affirmed.”
As part of measures to beef up security, a rural North Carolina county will provide an AR-15 assault rifle for each school in the district. The school board and sheriff’s office cooperated on the decision, which also includes keeping in the safe extra magazines and breaching tools in order to break through a barricade set up by an attacker.
Pray for teachers and students as they return to their classrooms.
Pray for America’s Technology
New research found that Facebook parent company Meta had changed third-party websites accessed through its internal browsers in order to track all of its users’ online activities. Facebook and Instagram have injected codes into websites viewed by users in an “in-app browser,” with their IOS and Android apps, the report says.
Pray for U.S. governing authorities as they consider issues like data mining and data sharing among technology companies and potential violations of individual privacy.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration finalized new rules that will block healthcare providers from billing Medicaid to cover transgender surgeries. The rules will prohibit the use of funds for puberty blockers, hormone therapies, or surgical procedures as treatments for gender dysphoria, and will go into effect August 21.
Some parents have become upset due to the Board of Education in Fargo, North Dakota, voting to stop saying the Pledge of Allegiance at board meetings, only months after beginning the practice. The school board’s president objected to the word “God” in the text of the Pledge and the fact that it is capitalized, “clearly referring to the Judeo-Christian God, and therefore, it doesn’t include any other faiths such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism,” making the pledge a “non-inclusionary act.”
Pray for state agencies and governors, particularly those who are fighting to retain moral values and the acknowledgment of God in America.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“I realize that the nation is facing problems presently that it hasn’t faced in a long, long time. But you have a recourse that the unredeemed do not have. That recourse, as you well know, is the Lord. He still answers prayer!” – Pastor Jimmy Swaggart, Family Worship Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
