Pray the Vote
A New York court ruled the state’s latest House district maps drawn by partisans illegally favored their party. The state has banned partisan gerrymandering in its Constitution, and members of the minority had argued that the districts drawn by the legislature violated that ban. A five-judge appellate court panel agreed and the case is expected to go to the state court of appeals.
A formal complaint against the city clerk of Green Bay, Wisconsin, has been filed, alleging participation in illegal ballot harvesting in a close April 5 city election.
Pray for officials as they work to settle redistricting issues while primaries are already underway in many states. Pray for integrity in every election, whether federal, state, or local.
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
A Pentagon watchdog office reported that U.S. military bases in the Arctic and sub-Arctic are failing to prepare their installations for long-term climate change as required, even though soaring temperatures and melting ice are already cracking base runways and roads and worsening flood risks up north.
The U.S. Space Force will have its first boot camp class consisting of only future Guardians, a pivotal move for the newest military branch created two years ago. Boot camp will be at Joint Base San Antonio for 72 men and women.
Pray for Defense Department leaders as maintenance for America’s military bases is considered.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
The bipartisan American Innovation and Choice Online Act, sometimes referred to as the “non-discrimination antitrust bill,“ would ban large technology platforms from engaging in certain competitive behaviors. These actions would include unfairly preferencing their own products, impeding access to a rival company’s products, predatory use of sales data, and retaliation against users for raising potential issues of legality with law enforcement.
Pray for members of Congress as they give consideration to protecting small businesses from the anti-competitive stance of tech giants.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The head of Tibet’s government in exile made a rare visit to Washington this week to rally support from President Biden’s administration in persuading China to address decades-long grievances of Tibetans living under Chinese rule.
Since the beginning of March, five cargoes of Russian oil, or about 6 million barrels, have been loaded and bound for India, as India appears to be collecting as much Russian oil as it can. China is also buying crude from Russia. These transactions help Russian fund its war in Ukraine.
Pray for wisdom for U.S. officials responding to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Public health officials in the U.S., as well as in the U.K. and other parts of Europe, are investigating dozens of mysterious cases of severe hepatitis in children 1 to 6 years old without a clear source being identified. The CDC says the infection with adenovirus, the cause of colds and other common illnesses, is seen as a possible factor.
According to a CDC study, hospitalization rates for unvaccinated children ages 5 to 10 were twice as high as among those who were vaccinated during the record COVID-19 surge caused by the Omicron variant.
Pray for the health of America’s children whose lives have been up-ended during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israel has successfully tested a new defensive laser system that experts say will enhance the country’s border protection. It is called “Magen Or,” Hebrew for “Light Shield.” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, “It marks the first time that a high-power, Israeli-made laser system successfully intercepted various targets, constituting a breakthrough on a global scale.”
There has been a week of near-daily violence at the Temple Mount between Israeli authorities and Palestinians as Jews celebrate Passover and Muslims are participating in the month of Ramadan. The growth of Jewish visitors to Jerusalem’s holiest site is escalating fears among Muslims that they are losing control of the sacred ground around the Al Aqsa mosque.
Pray for discernment for Israeli leaders as they seek to keep peace in Jerusalem.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
The acute labor shortage in the U.S. has several factors: not yet a full recovery from the pandemic, childcare costs, and substance abuse. According to findings by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a rise in dependency on substances such as opioids and methamphetamines particularly affects people aged 25 to 34.
Home prices in the U.S. reached a record $375,300 last month as mortgage interest rates increase and a shortage of homes for sale continued to thwart buyers. Small groups of neighborhood volunteers are blocking companies from buying single-family homes, rewriting homeownership rulebooks to protest investor purchases of suburban housing.
Pray for the president’s administration to make wise decisions so the U.S. economy might turn around.
Pray for Justice in America
Officials at the Justice Department said federal prosecutors have charged about 20 people in the past two weeks with allegedly engaging in various fraud schemes related to the COVID-19 pandemic that amounted to about $150 million in improper government payments.
Pray for U.S. attorneys and judges who are involved in the cases of those who have perpetrated fraud against America.
Pray for Goodness in America
A member of the Texas Army National Guard drowned while attempting to rescue two migrants who appeared to be drowning in the Rio Grande River. In a statement, the Texas Military Department said, “The service member selflessly attempted to help two migrants who appeared to be drowning as they illegally crossed the river from Mexico to the United States.”
Pray for the family of Specialist Bishop E. Evans, who acted selflessly to help people who were in danger, despite the illegality of their actions.
Pray for America’s Media
Social media platform Twitter has agreed to sell the company to billionaire Elon Musk for $44 billion in cash, with major implications for online discourse. Musk has said that free speech on Twitter is a social imperative for a functioning democracy.
Pray for wisdom and discernment for the social media owners and operators as they navigate the sale.
Pray for America’s Education
According to analysis by the Associated Press, homeschooling numbers this year dipped from last year’s all-time high, but are still significantly above pre-pandemic levels. Some families that may have turned to home education as an alternative to hastily assembled remote learning plans have stuck with it. They say “health concerns, disagreement with school policies, and a desire to keep what has worked for their children” as factors.
The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, said that there are partisans who “just don’t want public schools” during a debate over education. Claiming that there are those who are sowing distrust between teachers and parents, she referenced the recent Florida parental rights bill.
Pray for American parents who are desirous of greater participation in determining how and what their children learn at school.
Pray for America’s Technology
Three federal agencies and a number of international partners issued a joint advisory regarding Russian cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure that could affect “organizations both within and beyond Ukraine.”
Pray for U.S. and international cybersecurity professionals and officials to succeed in their efforts to thwart hacking, ransomware, and other malevolent activities.
Pray for Needs Across the States
A bipartisan panel of North Carolina legislators, educators, and business people released a report on changes they say could help students succeed in school. The recommendations begin with more child care support for infants and toddlers and run through plans to help more young adults afford college.
A Kansas district judge ruled against a new congressional map that would likely make it harder for a member of the political minority to win election. It was the first time a court declared that the Kansas Constitution prohibits political gerrymandering. An appeal is expected.
Pray for state legislators, many of whom will be facing re-election, to act in the best interest of their constituencies rather than do what is politically expedient.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“Prayer is the breath and heartbeat of Christianity. Thus, a prayerless Christian is a dead Christian. Every religious system has a place in it for prayer, but only Christianity offers the privilege of speaking to a living, acting God. For the Christian, God is only a prayer away.” – Grant Adams, Grace Bible Baptist Church, Casper, Wyoming, 2019
