Pray the Vote
Some election workers are retiring or resigning from their positions ahead of Election Day due to harassment. This has increased pressure on polling places just months before the midterm elections. Election offices in at least nine states have reported a rising number of departures and early resignations of poll workers.
Some states where abortion restrictions or bans are being considered have had a surge in women registering to vote following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Women are out-registering men by significant numbers in Kansas, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Pray for the safety of poll workers and other election officials and for the American electorate to remain civilized and peaceful.
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
As it was conducting patrols as part of an international mission to prevent illegal fishing, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry was recently unable to get clearance for a scheduled port call in Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The incident comes amid growing concerns of Chinese influence on the Pacific nation. The islands’ government has not responded regarding its denial of re-fueling and re-provisioning.
The U.S. military launched airstrikes in Syria that targeted sites used by groups with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the Pentagon, the strikes targeted infrastructure and were carried out in the country’s eastern province of Deir al-Zour under President Biden’s direction after American forces reported one of their outposts was attacked the previous week by drone aircraft.
Pray for the safety of U.S. military personnel as Middle Eastern military bases are targeted and American vessels experience harassment in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
A federal judge has ruled that Texas cannot prohibit 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying a handgun in public, stating that the Second Amendment does not specify age limits on who may own guns. “Based on the Second Amendment’s text, as informed by Founding-Era history and tradition, the Court concludes that the Second Amendment protects against this prohibition,” Judge Mark Pittman ruled.
Pray for federal judges as challenges to the Constitution’s Bill of Rights are brought before them.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The U.S. and European Union envoys met with Serbia’s president pressing ahead with efforts to defuse Serbian tensions with Kosovo. This came a week after a meeting in Brussels ended with no agreement on a territorial dispute between the former Balkan war adversaries.
The U.S. State Department is creating a new ambassador-at-large position for the arctic region. “An arctic region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and cooperative is of critical strategic importance to the United States and a priority for Secretary of State Blinken,” a Bureau of Public Affairs spokesperson said.
Pray for U.S. diplomats and ambassadors as they endeavor to strengthen America’s relationships with its allies.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The American Academy of Pediatrics said last week that for the vast majority of children, it does not recommend medical treatment or surgery for gender transitioning. Dr. Paul Hirtz, a pediatric endocrinologist said that more rigorous research needs to be conducted and there needs to be a slower approach among practitioners.
The White House is promoting the rollout of a new COVID-19 booster shot campaign in early September, but faces some obstacles to its success. Both Moderna and Pfizer have asked the Food and Drug Administration for an emergency use authorization for booster shots that cover the Omicron BA-4 and BA-6 subvariants. Administration officials say the new vaccines will be key to controlling a potential autumn surge.
Pray for administration officials as they seek to mitigate the possible resurgence of the coronavirus or its variants this fall.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israel’s Interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid is urging the U.S. and other nations to stay away from what he sees as a “bad deal” in the revised 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. “It would give Iran $100 billion a year,” the prime minister said during a press conference. “This money will not build schools or hospitals. This is $100 billion a year that will be used to undermine stability in the Middle East and spread terror around the globe.”
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the possible nuclear deal with Iran is worse than the original accord seven years ago. “The terrible deal with Iran… casts a heavy shadow on our security and our future,” he stated. “The deal enables Iran to get everything and give nothing. … The current deal is worse than the previous deal.” David Barnea, the head of Mossad, said the deal is a lie, very bad for Israel, and “a strategic disaster.”
Pray for the U.S. and its relationship with Israel as it appears that the U.S. is about to conclude the revised nuclear deal with Iran.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
James Ballard, president of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, said he expects high inflation to be more persistent than many have been expecting. He indicated that current interest rates are not yet high enough to begin curtailing price increases.
Recent inflation data shows that rental prices across the U.S. are finally easing. However, according to a survey from Alignable, small business owners are increasingly unable to make full rent payments.
Pray for wisdom for members of the Federal Reserve and the SBA as the effects of inflation and a potential recession are taking a toll on American families and owners of small businesses.
Pray for Justice in America
A district attorney in Northern California revealed more than 70 percent of suspects who were released on zero dollars bail between 2020 and 2021 in his county went on to commit new crimes. These criminal activities include murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, domestic violence, robbery, and carjacking.
Pray for state and local prosecutors to be discerning regarding bail and prison reform concepts.
Pray for Goodness in America
Police officers in a Dallas, Texas, neighborhood care for members of the community in very tangible, life-changing ways. For six years, they have provided shoes to hundreds of children before the school year begins through their “Share the Shoes” program. Corporate partners help to fund the program.
Give thanks for the community involvement of many law enforcement officers across the country.
Pray for America’s Media
A new Rasmussen Reports poll reveals a growing disconnect between U.S. citizens of voting age and the various media outlets. Sixty-two percent of likely voters surveyed said the news media’s repetitive biases are getting progressively worse. The Rasmussen survey recorded the opinions of 1,000 likely midterm voters over a two-day period (Aug. 21-22) and has a margin-of-error range of 2 percentage points.
Pray for decision-makers who guide U.S. media outlets to focus on the impartial reporting of facts and events, particularly as the midterm elections approach.
Pray for America’s Education
Fairfax County Public Schools in northern Virginia are requiring all teachers to complete a training program that asserts parental permission is not required for students who seek to be addressed by different names or pronouns. The training specifically states that parental permission is not required if a student asks to be called by a different name, “requests to use the locker room that corresponds with her identified gender,” or asks to use “a private bathroom.”
A poll conducted by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools found that 79 percent of parents say they became more interested in how their child was being educated during the pandemic when the process went largely virtual. The National Alliance wrote in its report, “Things were moving along as usual, and then within a few weeks of being at home all day with their children, parents were able to see first-hand what their students were learning, or not learning.”
Pray for parents to use wisdom in determining where and how their children will be educated and for strength and peace as they make their voices heard.
Pray for America’s Technology
According to a report released by cybersecurity firm NCC Group, ransomware attacks rose 47 percent from June to July with the majority of attacks targeting the industrials sector. The report states that the rise in ransomware attacks comes as several new threat actors emerge, including Lockbit 3.0, Hiveleaks, and BlackBasta. Each has been associated with the Conti ransomware group — a Russia-based hacker group.
Pray for U.S. hardware and software developers as they seek ways to safeguard against hackers.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Governor Jay Inslee of Washington said his state will follow California and prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Specific regulations for Washington are yet to be created and the public will have the chance to weigh in.
Louisiana will receive a $25 million grant to plug, cap, and reclaim up to 900 “orphaned” oil and gas wells across the state. This is part of the first phase of a $4.7 billion federal program included in last year’s infrastructure law.
Pray for state governors and legislators as they deal with energy supplies and changes.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“Revival or we die. That’s where we have to get. You have to get to a place where you can’t live any longer without visitation. It could be personal, personal revival where you know there must be a breakthrough. America is being torn apart by the seams. And we’ve seen that there are no political solutions, there are no social solutions, and the church itself has become impotent. We’re at a crisis point in American history where without divine visitation America as we know it could come to an end or could be so marred that the world our kids grow up in will be very, very different. ” – Dr. Michael Brown, author, August 24, 2022
