Pray the Vote
President Biden’s administration has sued Arizona over a law that requires voters to prove they are U.S. citizens. The Department of Justice says the Arizona law violates two federal statutes. The complaint says that one of those statutes requires states to accept a federal form to register voters, and the form does not require the voters to prove their citizenship. Arizona’s attorney general called the lawsuit an “absolute absurdity.”
Certain independent election watchdogs are facing reprisals from some states which would deter scrutiny of irregularities. The Wisconsin Elections Commission, for example, has fined outside election integrity monitors for “frivolous complaints,” while in Washington state the attorney general submitted a bar complaint against a watchdog lawyer.
Pray that election officials and state leaders would be ethical and above board as the midterm elections draw near.
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
The Air Force announced that promotion opportunities for enlisted troops will significantly decrease, to the disappointment of new men and women who were hoping to climb the ranks in the near future. A release from the service indicated they are concerned about the general levels of experience needed to issue promotions.
The Army has reversed a policy announced in June that allowed the high school diploma or GED requirements to be waived for some applicants hoping to enlist. Command officials told recruiters that those who had already been approved for service without a diploma or GED certificate could still serve in the Army, along with those projected to enlist that day, but no one else.
Pray that U.S. military leaders and officials would maintain a robust and ready fighting force across all military branches.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
Iran, Russia and China are coming to Latin America in mid-August to run war games. Venezuela is set to host the coalition in what is to be known as the Sniper Frontier competition, bringing together ten other nations.
The British Royal Navy said one of its warships seized Iranian weapons, including surface-to-air missiles and engines for cruise missiles, from smugglers in international waters south of Iran earlier this year. They did not say where the missiles were headed, but the cruise missile with a range of 620 miles is often used by Yemen’s Houthi group to target Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Gridley supported the seizure.
Pray for U.S. officials as they work with allies to address actions by Russia, China, and Iran. Pray for wisdom as war games take place in Latin American nations that have turned to socialism.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
A new federal rule is taking effect that requires certain private health plans to disclose the rates they pay providers for covered healthcare services. The plan should help patients with the additional transparency.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $43,598 to researchers at Appalachian State University in North Carolina to conduct a study on the adverse impact climate change is purportedly having on the mental health of young people.
Pray for federal health directors as they implement the transparency rule and for wisdom as they consider expansion to a broader contingent of health and pharmaceutical suppliers.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israel’s interim prime minister Yair Lapid stated a nuclear Iran may be on the horizon if an agreement is not reached soon. He said that Iran has developed nuclear weapons even though the Islamic Republic denies the claim. However, the interim prime minister also stated the 2015 nuclear deal, that current negotiators with the rogue state are trying to revive, is “insufficient.”
Human Rights Watch, an international human rights group, said Palestinian leaders in the Gaza Strip and West Bank could be guilty of crimes against humanity for their alleged systematic torture of dissidents. Their report to the United Nations Committee Against Torture said that Palestinian security forces, including the Hamas terror group, “use solitary confinement and beatings“ and “painful stress positions for prolonged periods,” among other things.
Pray for Prime Minister Lapid and others governing Israel while they await another election this fall.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
Average annual percentage rates for new credit cards are hitting record highs as credit card debt in the U.S. continues to swell in the midst of unbridled inflation. The average rate is now 20.7 percent, the first time the rate has eclipsed 20 percent since Lending Tree, the information source, began keeping records.
The Labor Department reported that hiring demand remained strong in late spring as employers posted 11.3 million job openings in May. This is a decrease from the upwardly revised 11.7 million the prior month. The number of times workers quit their jobs also fell slightly to 4.3 million from the previous month.
Pray for U.S. employees and employers as the labor market is impacted by inflation.
Pray for Justice in America
While some employers across America have pledged to give funds to employees desiring abortions to travel out of state to get them, a Texas insurance company is responding to the reversal of Roe v. Wade by supporting its employees with adoption expenses and medical costs associated with giving birth. Buffer Insurance’s president said that the decision to offer the new benefits was “100 percent” led by faith.”
Pray for executives and business owners across the country that are supporting the sanctity of life with aid to new mothers and families.
Pray for Goodness in America
A person in Richmond, Virginia, overheard a conversation indicating there was an attack being planned on the city’s popular Independence Day celebration and called the police to report it. Based on the tip, police were able to thwart the attack, arresting two men and seizing multiple weapons. The city’s police chief called the tipster a “hero citizen.”
Pray with gratitude for the wisdom and courage of this citizen to report the domestic terrorism threat to the authorities and that others would follow suit.
Pray for America’s Media
According to the latest annual Gallup survey of trust in U.S. institutions, Americans’ confidence in newspapers and television now has fallen to an all-time low. They concluded that the lack of trust in media is one of the most significant signs of deepening polarization in the nation. According to the poll, television news is considered the second least trusted institution in the country, following Congress.
Pray that media outlets would return to true journalism and simply report the facts about situations and events without rhetoric and ideological spin.
Pray for America’s Education
When the National Education Association met last week, a resolution was put forth that would see the term “mother” changed to “birthing parent” to promote inclusivity. It was one of many proposals to be voted on by the association’s representative assembly this week.
Parents of students in the Davis, Utah, School District are expressing concern after discovering the Department of Justice was collecting racial and ethnic data on their children. The parents say they feel betrayed by the massive nature of a settlement agreement that required a “master list of all students including each student’s name, student ID, race/ethnicity, grade, and school.”
Pray for education leaders and teachers who are promoting the radical changes in America’s schools and for parents to have greater say in their children’s education.
Pray for America’s Technology
The U.S. has tried to stop certain groups from selling key chipmaking technology to China. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman responded with disapproval after reports came out that the U.S. has lobbied allies to stop the sale of mainstream technology essential for making a large chunk of the world’s microchips. This effort would expand an existing moratorium on selling advanced systems to China.
Pray for the U.S. and allies as officials consider the need for microchips and China’s repeated use of technology for the surveillance of other nations.
Pray for Needs Across the States
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum asked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as the Department of Homeland Security to restore hours of operation at the border to pre-pandemic levels at some ports of entry into North Dakota. However, the federal agencies said longer operating hours cannot be justified because of the shrinking volume of traffic at border crossings—a decline that began before the pandemic.
A new Prevailing Wage Law in Illinois is putting pressure on general contractors to sign up with labor unions, a move the state government is assisting in top-down organizing.
Pray for state governors and other leaders as they face the growing disparity of goals and ideologies across the U.S.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“America is a nation of prayer. Whenever something goes wrong in this country, there will always be a call… to ‘Let’s Pray.’ Let’s have a moment of silence or let’s put out a call to God. America is the only nation in the history of man to have repeated invitations by presidents to have a day of solemn fasting or prayer for our nation. … Football season is coming soon. Let’s do this: let’s all meet on the 50-yard line after a game. Junior high, high school, college, pro. After the game, let’s start a movement. We’re inviting everyone to Pray Back Better. How about that? … We’ll give God thanks and exercise our freedom.” – Pastor Jack Hibbs, Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills, California, television interview, July 3, 2022
