Pray the Vote
A corporate watchdog has reported that a handful of very large American companies, including Comcast, AT&T, and Home Depot, are weak in the support of voting rights and democracy. The scores show that, of the dozens of business titans ranked by Accountable.US, over 60% received a failing grade from the group.
The secretary of state of Michigan has been ordered to purge 25,000 deceased voters from the state’s voter rolls—some 24,000 of whom had been dead for 20 years. The state had sought to evade responsibility for maintaining voter rolls, opening the door to error and wrongdoing.
Pray that those who are in charge of voter rolls across the country would keep them up to date.
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
Current and former military leaders are calling for a Space National Guard. The House Armed Services Committee voted in June to establish the Space National Guard, but leadership in the House has delayed moving the bill forward.
Enlisted airmen who work some of the Air Force’s most difficult jobs will receive $900 to $5,400 less pay annually, beginning next month, as the service addresses financial challenges that impact the ranks. The Air Force is facing a $3 million shortfall in the Special Duty Assignment Budget for 2023.
Pray that members of Congress would rectify the budget shortfalls that the military is experiencing.
War in Ukraine
Russia withdrew more forces from the Kharkiv region early this week, retreating from a swath of northern Ukraine. This comes as Kyiv’s forces continue their advance into Russian-occupied territory and the government pledged that all areas seized by Moscow would be retaken.
Despite the rapidly advancing Ukrainian counter-offensive, the Kremlin insisted that Russia will continue to wage its war in Ukraine until all of its military goals have been achieved. A Kremlin spokesperson said that President Vladimir Putin “is in constant, round-the-clock communication with the ministry of defense, and with all the military commanders” and has confidence in his military leaders.
Pray for an end to the conflict in Ukraine and for the refugees who desire to return home.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
The New York state supreme court ruled that Yeshiva University must host an LGBTQ club that violates tenets of Orthodox Judaism, and the school took the matter to the Supreme Court to preserve religious freedom. After the university filed an emergency application, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor temporarily blocked the lower court order that would have required Yeshiva University recognize an LGBTQ club.
Pray for the leaders of all religious-based schools and for judges and courts to uphold their freedom to exercise moral authority within their systems.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The State Department is working on a program to address climate change in Asia and the Pacific. The department has allocated over $1.5 million in combined funding for virtual filmmaking classes for Pacific Island youth, an interactive workshop program in developing solutions to the climate crisis in Sapporo, Japan, and a project to elevate the role of women-led organizations in climate policymaking and programs across South Asia.
Officials in Seoul and Washington say Pyongyang has completed preparations to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017 as North Korea has passed a law allowing pre-emptive nuclear strikes. Kim Jong Un declared he would never abandon nuclear weapons to counter the U.S. in a speech delivered to North Korea’s parliament.
Pray for members of the administration as they address matters of foreign relations.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Premiums for many Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) health insurance plans will be rising next year, a sign of how rising labor costs and other expenses are starting to ripple through the healthcare community.
According to the CDC, almost a quarter of all young adults received mental health care treatment last year. The percentage of all adults who received mental health treatment also increased to 21.6 percent.
Give thanks for the people who are availing themselves of assistance with mental health. Pray for families who are faced with decisions regarding healthcare and insurance.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The director of Israel’s Mossad said that the Israeli spy agency will continue its operations against Iran, regardless of the possible nuclear agreement. “Even if a nuclear deal is signed, it will not give Iran immunity from the Mossad operations,” he said. “We won’t take part in this charade and we don’t close our eyes to the proven truth.”
With Israel’s election coming November 1, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a bid to return to the position, remains just shy of the majority he needs. In a weekend poll, his political bloc stands at 59 seats while the opposing coalition is at 56. Those who are non-aligned remain at five.
Pray for the people of Israel as they prepare to vote again and for the potential leaders of Israel’s government.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
According to the Adobe Digital Price Index, the cost of groceries rose again in August and shows no signs of abating. The index showed that prices increased 14.1 percent compared with a year ago, and a little over 1 percent since July.
Americans are increasing their use of buy now, pay later services for groceries. One credit company reported a 95 percent growth in U.S. grocery purchases while another reported more than half of the top 100 items bought via its credit services are groceries.
Pray for families who are using credit to purchase groceries and their ability to pay off those bills.
Pray for Justice in America
U.S. authorities have seized more than $30 million in cryptocurrency plundered from an online game this year by hackers linked to North Korea. Investigators said this is one of the largest successes in retrieving digital revenue from Pyongyang. It still remains only a fraction of the hundreds of millions in cryptocurrency purloined, but the sum recovered is far higher than previously known.
Pray for the investigators going after cryptocurrency or other funds taken as the result of ransomware hacking.
Pray for Goodness in America
A new study by the Journal of Experimental Psychology conducted a series of experiments with different acts of kindness and discovered how givers consistently undervalued how much a cup of hot cocoa meant to its recipients. A similar report by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology concluded that people underestimate the power of reaching out to friends, family, and colleagues.
Pray for God to guide you in offering encouragement or kindness in the lives of those around you.
Pray for America’s Media
A poll commissioned by Parents Defending Education found that 68 percent of parents feel uncomfortable with the idea of allowing their children to use TikTok without supervision. The outcomes were similar for other social media apps such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter.
Pray for parents and guardians as they seek to monitor children’s use of social media to protect them from potential danger.
Pray for America’s Education
Representative Andrew Garbarino of New York introduced a resolution urging all 50 states to include 9/11 in K-12 curriculum “so that the American people may never forget that fearful day.” According to his office, only 14 states require students to be educated on the events of September 11.
Students in Oklahoma have sued the state’s Education Department over enforcement of a transgender “bathroom bill,” alleging the state’s law violates the U.S. Constitution and Title IX by discriminating based on sex, gender identity, and transgender status.
Pray for education officials to ensure that accurate and factual curriculum is taught to America’s schoolchildren and young adults.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Under a new bipartisan proposal, New Jersey would adopt a rule that would tax out-of-state residents who work for New Jersey companies, even if they never cross the state’s boundaries, while providing some tax relief for New Jerseyans who face the same burden from other states.
A number of Minnesota legislators have asked Governor Tim Walz to call a special session to address a number of issues left unfinished during the 2022 legislative session. This includes the needs of school districts, communities, and townships for state support as they continue to face the ongoing effects of the pandemic.
Pray for members in state legislatures as they work to conduct the legislative business of their states.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“Prayer is an act of faith. Just by praying to God, you are declaring your trust in someone other than yourself. Your faith is increased as you pray and watch how God answers your prayers. God says in Jeremiah 33:3, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.‘ God is awesome in power and there is never a time when He is not beside you. He is faithful and holy.” – Pastor Charles Stanley, In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia
