The Presidential Prayer Team
Office of the President
January 11, 2024
A New Year, Renewed Prayer
Dear Prayer Warrior,
As we bid farewell to 2023, on behalf of myself, our board, our staff, and our volunteers, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your generous support and fervent prayers throughout the year. It has been a joy and an honor to pray with you and for you in every season. We reached 77.9% of our goal for our year-end matching challenge, which is a remarkable achievement considering the challenging times we live in. We will be prayerfully reprioritizing our limited resources toward the most critical needs through the year, and we are aware that many other ministries are struggling financially due to the uncertainty and instability we face in our lives. Economic crises, global tensions, and political divisions remind us daily of the need to keep praying earnestly and faithfully for our country and for each other.
Amid highs and lows, we must bring everything to God in prayer. We must pray for the challenges that we face, such as rising costs, hostile agendas, and dysfunction in our government. We must also praise God for the blessings that we enjoy, such as a growing membership, public figures who are outspoken about their faith, and favorable rulings regarding the protection of religious freedoms.
We have many reasons to thank God for what He has done in and through our prayer ministry in 2023. Here are some highlights that we celebrate:
- We marked our 22nd anniversary of serving America through prayer. We are grateful for God’s faithfulness and provision over the years.
- We had our highest-ever listenership during our Christmas music celebration. We are thankful for the opportunity to share the good news and the joy of the season.
- We continued to broadcast our Pause to Pray inspirational and prayer segment on stations in all 50 states. We are humbled by the privilege to lead the nation in prayer every day.
- We overcame several technological obstacles related to email deliveries that seemed to be intentional attempts to censor us. We are amazed by God’s protection and intervention in preserving our communication channels.
- We launched our Pray First Responders program, bringing urgent and timely prayer needs directly to phones. We are excited by the potential to mobilize and equip more prayer warriors for such a time as this.
I marvel each day at seeing God’s hand at work and how He opens the doors that He has prepared for us, to guide, direct, and protect us. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
As we enter 2024, we are aware that it will be a pivotal year for our nation. We will have the opportunity and responsibility to elect our country’s president and other leaders. We also recognize that it will be a vital year for our faith as we will face many challenges and opportunities. We need to pray more than ever for God’s will to be done in America and for His glory to be shown. With fresh zeal we must pray for our leaders, our candidates, our voters, and the future of our great nation.
We are excited to announce the launch of Pray the Vote 2024 to help you pray effectively and strategically for the upcoming election. Pray the Vote 2024 will be coming online in the coming weeks as primaries are set to begin, and it will provide you with a comprehensive and updated listing of key dates for each state’s registration and voting. It will also offer you Pray the Vote guides that will cover the major issues that you care about. And it will feature inspiring needs and testimonies of how prayer is making a difference in our nation.
But we need your input to make Pray the Vote 2024 useful for you. That’s why we are inviting you to take our Vital Signs survey, which will help us gauge the pulse of Americans on the issues that matter to them ahead of the election. The survey will be open until February 1st, and we urge you to take it. It will only take you less than 10 minutes to answer 15 questions. Next month we will analyze all the responses and use them to inform our topics and resources for Pray the Vote 2024 throughout the year.
I also invite you to join us in committing to pray daily for our nation and our faith in 2024. Please also invite others to join our prayer team, and we ask that you share your prayer requests and praises with us. Prayer is a precious gift that God has given to us; He hears our prayers and answers them according to His perfect plan and purpose.
Thank you again for your faithfulness in serving with us,
Jim Bolthouse
President
P.S. Please keep these key prayer needs in mind for this year:
- Pray over our great nation, for protection and peace, and for restoration in the hearts of all Americans.
- Pray for our current and future leaders, that they be willing to open their hearts to God as they serve and make decisions.
- Pray for your prayer team, for God to bless us financially that we might continue our service, and for more Americans be brought into prayer with us.
- Pray for yourself and fellow prayer team members that your relationships with God be strengthened, and for fortitude and perseverance through any adversities.
VITAL SIGNS NATIONAL SURVEY
Key Questions and Answers
Q: Who can join?
A. You and everyone who prays! We encourage you to invite family, friends, and church members to join. They can text INFO to 772911 for full information. (U.S. and Canadian cell phone numbers only at this time.)
Q: Does this work on any smart device or phone?
A: Pray First will work with any registered phone device that has a 10-digit number (U.S. and Canada with active SIM/eSIM). It is not compatible with third-party messaging systems that do not require a phone number. This allows us to use the largest text messaging providers for near-instant sending, to reach millions of cell phone across the country.
Q: When can I expect my first text message?
A: You will receive an immediate response confirming that you are now a Prayer First Responder. Regular text notifications will begin early October when the system goes live.
Q: What should I do when I receive a message?
A: When a prayer text message arrives on your phone, take the matter before the Lord. You will be joining a vast community of prayer warriors who received the same message and praying with you at the same time.
Q: What if I prefer to receive email?
A: If you are signed up to receive daily and/or weekly emails from the prayer team, those will continue with no interruption. This is simply a new service aimed at providing timely prayer needs to your fingertips as quickly and effectively as possible. Email can sometimes be slowed by service providers, or even blocked, and this service will ensure unfiltered delivery.
Q: How often will I get a text message?
A: You may receive 1 or 2 per week, with up to 8 messages per month. Messages will be limited to local daytime hours.
Q: Are there any fees?
A: This is a free service for all who participate, and most cell phone providers offer free texting. We trust God’s people will see the impact value this service and support our costs – as they have over the past 22 years.
Q: What if I need to stop for any reason?
A: You can opt-out at any time by simply replying STOP to 772911. And you can rejoin again later at your convenience.
If you have any unanswered questions or thoughts, please Contact Us here.
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