Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
The U.S. carried out several rounds of airstrikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq and Syria in response to drone attacks by the militia against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. The militia have vowed revenge and both Iraq and Syria called the unilateral U.S. airstrikes violations of their sovereignty.
Officials at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada defended a decision to host a “drag show” last week, calling it “essential” and “an opportunity” to learn about the “significance of drag performance art.” Lieutenant Colonel Bryon McCarty, a spokesman for the base, said, “Ensuring our ranks reflect and are inclusive of the American people is essential to the morale, cohesion, and readiness of the military.”
Pray for the morale of America’s military troops as they face attacks in faraway places and cultural challenges at home.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
A Monmouth University poll revealed that most Americans think early voting should be made easier and voters should be required to show photo identification when casting a ballot. The polling showed that both policies have bipartisan support. Many think there should be national guidelines for mail-in and early voting in-person for federal elections.
Pray for U.S. officials looking to reform voting rights and guidelines.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Netherlands’ defense minister said that Russian fighter jets armed with air-to-surface missiles had harassed a Dutch navy frigate in the Black Sea earlier this month, conducting mock attacks and jamming communication systems.
Russia has called the movements of Great Britain’s navy off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea in the Black Sea “provocative actions.” Warning shots were fired over the bow of one ship and Russia has since warned that it would bomb British naval vessels if they made such moves in the future.
Pray for U.S. leaders to stand firmly with American allies against hostile aggressors.
Pray For AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Substandard generic drugs are flooding the U.S. market and putting all Americans at risk. Despite safety concerns, hospitals have continued to use substandard generics, and supermarket pharmacies, big-box retailers, and other drug stores continue to sell them. Some fault the FDA, but the problem seems to be that companies choose profit over safety, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
According to the CDC, nearly all reported COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are of those who have not been vaccinated. They cite this as a demonstration of how effective the shots are and as an indication that the nation may be on track for a return to normal.
Pray for American healthcare workers, physicians, and hospitals as they make decisions and recommendations for treatments and prescribe medications for their patients.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Reconstruction of Gaza after last month’s conflict between Israel and Hamas is being held up by a dispute over the fate of Israelis long held by the Islamist group and a lack of clarity over how to prevent terrorist groups from accessing aid funds.
A combination of laser beams and flaming torches lit up the night sky in a “Night of Disruption” protest in a remote part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank as Palestinians wage a battle to stop a new Jewish Settlement. The settlement began in early May and is now home to 53 Israeli families.
Pray for Israel’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, as the government faces continuing conflict with the Palestinians.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell believes it is highly unlikely that inflation will rise to levels seen in the 1970s, but he acknowledged there is significant uncertainty as the economy reopens. He said the increases in prices have been larger than certain bankers had expected and may prove more persistent, but underscored his view that shortages, including computer chips and laborers, will fade over time, bringing inflation closer to their 2% long-run target.
Even though economic growth has begun to rebound, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank president says many business leaders are reluctant to hire workers because they are uncertain of what their demand will be after the economy stabilizes. This is causing some to be cautious about essential improvements in the labor market.
Pray for the members of the Federal Reserve as they oversee and set monetary policies that impact the future of America’s economy.
Pray for Justice in America
The U.S. Army has decided not to issue a formal reprimand against Chaplain (Major) Andrew Calvert for expressing his religious beliefs online. In May, the Army harshly reprimanded the chaplain for an old post on his personal Facebook page supporting the Department of Defense’s exclusion of transgender service members, which was DOD policy at the time the post was made. Calvert was disciplined after expressing his religious beliefs. The Army’s new decision clears the way for Chaplain Calvert’s record to be cleared, resulting in the possibility of future promotions and assignments, according to lawyers for Calvert.
An off-duty police officer with the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department was suspended for praying the rosary in front of an abortion clinic back in February. The clinic was closed at the time, and the officer was not in uniform. Attorneys for the officer said his First Amendment rights had been violated and other officers faced no punishment for taking part in BLM or LGBT protests.
Pray with gratitude for the chaplain’s record being restored. Pray for those in authority to set and maintain fair standards for their members.
Pray for Goodness in America
Amazon mistakenly delivered 100 packages to a woman in Buffalo, New York. They contained do-it-yourself face mask kits for children, so the woman rerouted the packages to a local children’s hospital.
Give thanks for those in America who do good deeds every day, often recognized only by God.
Pray for America’s Education
While debates take place over the teaching of critical race theory and the inclusion of other social programs, public education faces other major issues. The challenges include classroom size, poverty levels, family factors, technology, bullying, student attitudes and behaviors, federal policies, parental involvement, student health, and insufficient funding.
Pray for school administrators and school boards as they address the many issues in children’s education.
Pray for America’s Technology
The next big hardware platform after the smartphone is likely to involve devices for your eyes, ears, and wrists. Facebook is readying competition to Apple’s Watch to release next summer, and they are also exploring “smart glasses” that simulate keyboard and mouse data entry. Google is working on virtual reality glasses and Samsung is looking at its own virtual reality devices.
Pray for those who oversee advances being made in technology and the many uses they will find in commerce and possibly defense industries.
Pray for Needs Across the States
The speaker of Rhode Island’s House of Representatives says his chamber needs more time to resolve differences between competing reform proposals on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. The Senate has already passed a bill.
Legislators in Delaware gave final approval for a spending plan for the next federal year with an operating fund increase of almost 5 percent over the current year’s budget. Among other things, the additional funding provides for across-the-board pay raises for state employees and funding for disadvantaged students.
Pray for state legislators to have wisdom in designating how state funds are to be spent.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
”There is no unity between men and God except through Jesus Christ, and His shed blood and resurrection, and the placing of our faith in that, and no where else. Unity with God is not found in any philosophical system, it is not found in any humanitarian effort, it is not found in any form of religion, including the religious rhetoric of the so-called ‘Christian community’ that seems to want to join hands with the rest of the world and sing ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends’, as though that is where the answer is.
There is peace and unity by the Holy Spirit with God the Father, through Jesus Christ, and that is a Biblical truth, and that truth necessarily excludes all who refuse to put their faith there; no matter how sincere they may be in their own pursuit of it.
We do not bring scriptural unity to the church or to our lives. Scriptural unity is in the Holy Spirit, and as in the work of justification, it is something He does. He assembles believers spiritually, to Christ and in spiritual unity with one another.” – Pastor Clark Tanner, Director of Adult Education, Adventure Christian Church, Sacramento, California
