March 26th – April 1st, 2020
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
Larry Kudlow, the president’s top economic adviser, said the White House is working to determine whether it is worth shutting down the U.S. economy to stop the spread of the coronavirus. “The cure cannot be worse than the disease itself,” he said.
Surgeon General Jerome Adams said 15 days is “likely not going to be enough” to stem the spread of the coronavirus. “But we really need to lean into it now so that we can bend the curve in the next 15 days, and at that point we’ll reassess.”
Pray for the president and the members of the coronavirus task force working day and night to stay ahead of new health and economic issues.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
Representative Maxine Waters of California, Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, proposed having the Federal Reserve give households $2,000 for adults and $1,000 for children for each month of the coronavirus pandemic.
Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused China of carrying out “one of the worse cover-ups in human history” over the coronavirus outbreak and inflicting a pandemic and economic calamity on the world.
Pray for calm and wisdom for members of Congress as they respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
The coronavirus pandemic has begun disrupting the U.S. court system, delaying civil and criminal trials across the country, and causing some to question the protection of defendants’ rights to a speedy trial.
A spokesperson for the Supreme Court reported that all nine justices are healthy and all participated in their latest regular conference, although some did so by phone as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.
Pray for the courts and how they will address the backlog of cases when the pandemic crisis lifts.
CURRENT EVENTS
WARS AND TERRORISM
Troops from the U.S.-led coalition pulled out from a base in western Iraq as part of a planned drawdown, while training activities by the coalition were also suspended amid concerns about the coronavirus.
An official said that no one survived a Taliban attack on a military and police outpost in Afghanistan, that killed up to two dozen Afghan security forces in an ambush that appeared to be assisted by Afghan police officers.
Pray for American military men and women to be protected from the virus, and to be kept safe from attacks wherever they are deployed.
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS
Japan’s prime minister has proposed a one-year postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, calling the delay in games inevitable if they cannot safely proceed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Health officials in Nigeria reported two cases of people overdosing on chloroquine after the drug was touted as a potential cure for the coronavirus, and they were hospitalized for drug poisoning.
Pray for leaders around the world dealing with the global pandemic of the coronavirus.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Israel closed off its borders and shut down the entire country to foreigners in one of the strictest actions by any nation across the globe, making an exception for non-nationals whose “center of life is in Israel.”
An artificial intelligence method developed by Israeli researchers that helps identify, monitor, and possibly predict future coronavirus outbreak zones is receiving worldwide attention after the pilot was launched about ten days ago.
Pray for the leadership of Israel (and for leaders across the globe) doing what they can to protect their own citizens.
THE ECONOMY
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits surged by the most since 2012 as companies in the services sectors laid off workers because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Labor Department reported.
The New York Stock Exchange has been working closely with officials and regulators who all support keeping the trading floor open to help dampen the market’s volatility during this period of time and have switched to all-electronic trading during the pendency of the virus.
Pray that the world economy will bounce back rapidly when the pandemic is over and that any resulting recession would be shortlived.
ACROSS THE STATES
Indiana will be automatically extending all state-issued drivers’ licenses and vehicle registrations during the stay-at-home period ordered by Governor Eric Holcomb and while government offices remain closed.
An expansion of N95 face mask manufacturing at Honeywell’s Smithfield, Rhode Island, facility is on track to create more than 500 new jobs, the state’s governor and President Trump announced.
Pray for the leaders in every state, and especially in your own, as they deal with the particular issues growing out of the coronavirus pandemic from locality to locality.
VERSE OF THE WEEK
Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. – Isaiah 26:20
