Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
General Frank McKenzie, USMC, head of CENTCOM, said that as America scales back its military presence across the Middle East to focus on China and Russia, it risks giving those two nations the opportunity to fill the gap and expand their influence around the Gulf.
The Pentagon intends to screen social media content for extremist material in a pilot program that is part of the policy of President Biden’s administration to curb domestic terrorism, according to internal Defense Department documents. In order to get around First Amendment restrictions on monitoring by the government, the program will reportedly rely on a private surveillance company.
Pray for America’s military members and allied forces as they continue their withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
According to the U.S. State Department’s annual “Report on International Religious Freedom,” which is presented to Congress each year, religious persecution and repression are a daily global reality, and it is in America’s best interests to champion international religious freedom through foreign policy, diplomacy, and advocacy. The publication describes the status of religious freedom in every country, government policies violating religious beliefs and practices, and America’s policies to promote religious freedom globally.
Pray for the State Department and Congress to safeguard the freedom of religion in the U.S. as they study religious freedoms abroad.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
President Biden’s administration is working to counter Russian attempts to assert authority over Arctic shipping and reintroduce a military dimension to discussions over international activity in the area. “The Arctic is a region for strategic competition that has seized the world’s attention,” Secretary of State Blinken told Arctic Council of Foreign Ministers in Iceland. “But the Arctic is more than a strategically or economically significant region. It’s home to our people, it’s hallmark has been and must remain in peaceful cooperation. It is our responsibility to protect that peaceful cooperation and to build on it.”
The International Energy Agency issued a new report stating the world must immediately stop investing in new oil and gas projects in order to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The report underscores the challenges facing President Biden’s administration, which has promised aggressive action in this decade to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030, a level to put the country on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Pray that the president’s advisors would seek God’s guidance as they relay important information on the nation’s foreign policies and how they are working.
Pray For AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Mental health struggles exacerbated by the isolation brought on by lockdowns in response to COVID-19 have led to a massive spike in the number of people seeking help. The National Alliance on Mental Illness says healing comes from making connections with others.
Pray that the church and Christian groups would facilitate the healing of mental health issues by offering additional connection opportunities.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Iran claimed that the Palestinians had won a “historic victory” over Israel after the 11-day Gaza conflict showed the power of the Palestinian arsenal. In a statement, the Revolutionary Guard said, “The intifada [Palestinian uprising] has gone from using stones to powerful, precise missiles… and in the future the Zionists [Israel] can expect to endure deadly blows from within the occupied territories.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. will play “a constructive role in rebuilding Gaza … ensuring that it is not Hamas, but is the Palestinian people who benefit from that assistance.” She stated that the administration is seeking a two-state solution as the only option for “lasting” peace in the region.
Pray for U.S. and Israeli officials working to ensure peace in the region.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
California’s farm country is experiencing a severe drought just four years after emerging from the last one, causing many farmers to scramble to find sufficient water. Some are simply letting fields go fallow. With California being the source for much of America’s fresh produce, price increases at the grocery store can be expected.
The number of houses authorized for construction but not yet started increased to the highest level since 1999. According to the chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association, soaring prices for lumber and other materials are holding back the housing market that should otherwise be picking up speed, given the strong demand for buying fueled by an improving job market and low mortgage rates.
Pray as inflation has begun to increase in the American economy.
Pray for Goodness in America
Architecture students at Kansas University spent the last twelve months making homes for people in need, converting 12 storage containers into homes for homeless families who will begin moving in next month.
Give thanks for young and college-age students who are learning the value of generosity and benefitting others.
Pray for America’s Education
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said COVID-19 vaccinations will be a “big part” of getting the nation’s children back in school full time, but the social and emotional well-being of students who have mostly been learning in front of a screen over the past year and who have experienced losses will be a major concern as well. He said he expects students will be back in their schools five days a week by this fall.
A parents advocacy group filed a civil rights complaint against a Massachusetts public school district after the school allegedly segregated students by race. Wellesley Public Schools put in writing that white students were not allowed to attend a school-sponsored “healing event” in the wake of the Atlanta shooting. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits any programs receiving federal funds from excluding any person “on the ground of race, color, or national origin.”
Pray for educators and federal leaders as efforts are made to resume in-person instruction.
Pray for America’s Technology
The world’s largest semiconductor chip maker, out of Taiwan, said it has increased its 2021 output for a key component in automotive semiconductors by 66 percent compared with last year, amidst a global chip shortage. It took “unprecedented actions” to help automakers, including reallocating capacity to other industries that are also experiencing stressfully high demand due to the acceleration of digital transformation.
Pray for the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and that production and distribution of microchips will not be impacted due to tensions with China.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Vermont Governor Phil Scott vetoed a bill that would have raised the age of juvenile offenders in Vermont to under 20 years old and keep identifying information related to their initial arrest or charge confidential. He said he had concerns about giving “young adults protections meant for juveniles, without adequate tools or systems in place.”
Five counties in rural Oregon voted to leave the state and join nearby Idaho in a measure that would require local officials to consider remaking the border of Oregon to allow the counties to become a part of its neighbor state. Lawmakers in Oregon said Idaho would also have to add legislation to remake the boundaries of its state. If it happens, Congress would still need to approve the proposal because it will affect apportionment, among other things.
Pray for wisdom for state legislators and governors and the ways in which they deal with their local communities.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
I have an unquenchable desire to slow down and find my life going deeper in my walk with Christ. I want to meet Him in the depths of my soul, away from the stress and press of everything on top. A relationship with Christ is the key to fulfilling our deepest longings. All of life is about filling the void that sin and separation from him have created within. Filling the emptiness with piles of things, earthly friendships, satisfying experiences, and sensual encounters ultimately proves to achieve less than what we had hoped for. Christ is the only one who fits. – Joe Stowell, president of Cornerstone University
