Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
The health agency at the Pentagon is reviewing the “religious needs of our patients and beneficiaries” at Walter Reed Hospital, terminating a 20-year chaplaincy services relationship with a Catholic order on March 31, just days before Easter. The decision was called “unconscionable” by a member of Congress. Senator Marco Rubio stated he is “seeking answers” to the military’s actions. A letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed by 24 members of Congress cautioned that attacks on the Christian faith violate the First Amendment and would not be tolerated.
Pray for leaders in the U.S. military as they make decisions regarding access to religious support as well as the issue involving the chaplaincy at Walter Reed.
PRAY FOR AN END TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE
Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania have signed a joint security agreement after Romania’s foreign minister called Russia “the most direct and serious threat” to the Black Sea and Western alliances. He said, “Instead of peace and stability, the Black Sea region has become the primary target of the Russian aggression.” He added that a strong NATO presence there “is a must.”
In what has become the longest-running battle in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukrainian forces have managed to hold the eastern town of Bakhmut against high odds. The once thriving city of 70,000 people is now a smoldering ruin.
Pray for officials who are seeking an end to the war in Ukraine.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
A spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said, “The People’s Liberation Army recently organized and conducted a series of countermeasures in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, which is a serious warning against the collusion and provocation of Taiwan independence separatist forces and external forces. It is a necessary action to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
North Korea says it has tested a new solid-fuel long-range missile, capable of reaching targets on the U.S. mainland. Their state media described it as “the most powerful” of its growing nuclear arsenal, saying it would deter external aggressors.
Pray for U.S. strategists and advisers to the president regarding the rising tensions with China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has labeled the use of an animal tranquilizer mixed with fentanyl “an emerging threat to the United States.“ They report that the tranquilizer, xylazine, when combined with fentanyl, is “being sold illicitly and is associated with significant and rapidly worsening negative health consequences, including fatal overdoses and severe morbidity.”
Researchers say that a blood test that is in its experimental stage may be able to detect “signals” from 12 different cancers with a high degree of accuracy, including some that are difficult to detect.
Pray for medical researchers and scientists as they conduct testing to benefit vast numbers of Americans.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The nation of Jordan’s first envoy to Israel wrote in an article, “It is time to admit what has been obvious for a few years: The two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israel conflict is dead and cannot be revived.”
Despite recent tensions between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu, the prime minister recently said in an interview, “I think President Biden has been a great friend of Israel. … I always say America is Israel’s indispensable and by far the best ally… and I don’t think you have a better ally in the world than Israel.”
Pray for the strength of the America-Israel relationship.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
According to a survey from Job Creators Network Foundation, nearly two-thirds—sixty-three percent—of small businesses say they are concerned that America’s “shaky economic environment could force their business to close.” That number is up six points since February.
Pray for America’s small business owners as they face adverse economic conditions.
Pray for Goodness in America
It took a year, but a church in Nebraska raised over $500,000 to pay off medical bills for around 500 households in the surrounding community. In his Easter sermon, the senior pastor said, “Sometimes love has to be expressed in action. We have had an initiative all year that is just love on the move.”
Give thanks for believers and church leaders who are showing the love of Jesus in significant ways to those in need.
Pray for Needs Across the States
The Supreme Court of Rhode Island rejected an amicus brief from doctors who advised against giving children COVID vaccinations. The case will determine whether a parent has the right to decisions over his child’s medical care in the midst of a pandemic.
The attorney general of Montana said his state’s legislation banning TikTok is “pushing back against the Chinese communist government, because that’s what this is about. This is about China spying on Montanans.” He added that, once the measure is signed by the governor, the state “absolutely can” enforce the measure.
Pray for those involved in law enforcement across the states, from local police departments through the courts.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“Every day that goes by we are seeing an America we don’t recognize. But is there a point where it could go too far? Of course. Nowhere is it prophesized that America will last forever. … Sometimes I wonder if America is bending so far that it might break. …What this boils down to is an abuse of liberty to gain power. … If we curtail religious influence in society, notes [Founding Father George] Washington, then we can expect our morality to plummet. And if our morality plummets, we become incapable of self-government. … America’s greatest solution is genuine revival, leading to great change. That is our greatest hope. “ – Jerry Newcombe, D.Min., Executive Director, Providence Forum, April 2023
