April 23rd – April 29th, 2020
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
President Trump has instructed his Administration to “make funds available” to oil companies that are reeling after the U.S. oil price fell below zero this week for the first time in history. “We will never let this great U.S. oil and gas industry down,” he said.
In a series of public warnings, President Trump and his key aides, military officials and allies, have voiced concern that attention to the health crisis by the White House and military could give rise to challenges from adversaries around the world, warning them against any attempt to test the U.S. resolve.
Pray for President Trump in this time of trial for his Administration to be able to find rest and peace in knowing God is in control and has a plan.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky said he is concerned that reports of coronavirus stimulus checks being sent to dead people are just the “tip of the iceberg” of waste coming from the massive $2.2 trillion stimulus package passed last month.
Government spending on global public health, particularly on the early detection of new pathogens, must be significantly and permanently increased, say Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Mitt Romney of Utah.
Pray that Congress will return to Washington sooner than May 4 to work on the many challenges that face them.
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
The Supreme Court ruled that juries in state criminal trials must be unanimous to convict a defendant, settling a quirk of constitutional law that had allowed divided votes to result in convictions in Louisiana and Oregon.
A federal district court in Maryland threw out the Trump Administration’s rollback of school nutrition standards, saying the administration did not give adequate public notice of the change which had gone into effect for this past school year.
Pray for judges who will be making many rulings in coming days over the civil rights and Constitutional protections of Americans.
CURRENT EVENTS
WARS AND TERRORISM
U.S. federal agencies issued a joint intelligence bulletin warning of the threat from anti-government radicals and white supremacists ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, April 25, calling the threat from homegrown extremists “persistent and evolving.”
Police in Germany arrested four suspected members of Islamic State who were allegedly planning to attack U.S. military bases. All have been identified as citizens of Tajikistan and led by a 30-year-old Tajik man who has been in jail for a year on unspecified charges.
Pray for peace this week in Oklahoma City. Pray for the protection of America’s military bases worldwide.
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS
An American aircraft was intercepted by a Russian SU-35 in an “unsafe” maneuver over the Mediterranean Sea, conducting a high-speed, inverted maneuver just 25 feet in front of the U.S. plane.
The U.S. State Department issued warnings on the threat of North Korean hackers, calling particular attention to banking and other finance. They were joined in their advisory by Treasury, FBI and Homeland Security.
Pray about recent challenging actions made by Russian fliers against U.S. aircraft or toward U.S. airspace.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz signed an agreement to form an emergency coalition government that would end a year of political deadlock. They will take turns being prime minister with Netanyahu going first.
Reported Israeli airstrikes near the central Syrian city of Palmyra killed nine fighters loyal to the Iran-backed Damascus regime, six of whom were of “unknown nationalities,” a human rights organization said.
Pray that unity can be found in the shared government of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mr. Gantz.
THE ECONOMY
Construction of new homes fell by the most in 36 years in March, further evidence that the economy is buckling under the weight of drastic measures needed to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Retail sales fell nearly 9 percent last month, a larger drop than expected and another sign that the coronavirus outbreak is taking a huge toll on the U.S. economy, according to the Commerce Department.
Pray for the safe but speedy reopening of the U.S. economy and that no recurrences of the virus will come upon America.
ACROSS THE STATES
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said he has met with mayors across the state and that the state is essentially mirroring the president’s plan to reopen the economy in phases, but that it is not yet ready to take the first step.
Kansas faces a devastating hit to tax revenues with losses due to the coronavirus pandemic that are expected to trigger a new era of deep budget cuts. The state will collect $1.2 billion less over the current and next fiscal years, according to forecasts.
Pray for wisdom for state leaders both in reopening their state’s economies and in dealing with massive government funding shortfalls.
VERSE OF THE WEEK
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. – 1 John 5:15
