Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for America’s Military
Chinese surveillance ships tailed U.S., Philippine, and French vessels in the South China Sea during the allies‘ annual joint military drills. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command confirmed, “The Armed Forces of the Philippines has been monitoring the unauthorized presence of a Chinese-flagged research vessel, ‘SHEN KUO,‘ in the vicinity northeast of Viga, Catanduanes.“ Days later, China’s coast guard damaged a Philippine coast guard vessel with water cannons in the South China Sea.
Pray for U.S.and Philippine military commanders and leaders as they oversee operations in the Indo-Pacific and South China Sea.
PRAY FOR AN END TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE
Ukraine recently received military aid from Germany. The Defense Department reportedly has no excess inventory after the repeated tranches of military aid that have been sent to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in early 2022.
Pray for U.S. officials as they continue to provide support to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The Pentagon announced the construction of a humanitarian sea corridor into Gaza. A temporary pier and floating dock are being built by U.S. military service members. Cargo will be offloaded to the dock and ferried to the pier. The Defense Department said Israel will provide security, and no U.S. personnel will be on the ground in Gaza.
Pray for discernment for Secretary Austin and the Joint Chiefs of Staff as they provide recommendations and advise the president and his administration.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Three federal legislators wrote to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the agency’s awareness of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) practices. The members of Congress raised concerns over how many embryos are created and destroyed each year in the IVF process. They also asked the CDC to respond about the genetic screening of embryos, how excess embryos are handled or destroyed, the indefinite storage of embryos, and the possible intentional creation of excess embryos and their destruction.
Pray for the CDC director and health officials to provide accurate and thorough information to members of Congress regarding IVF procedures.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has published updated guidance regarding harassment in the workplace. The guidance applies to harassment “based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions; sexual orientation; and gender identity), national origin, disability, age (40 or older) or genetic information.“
Pray for U.S. labor officials to receive God’s guidance as they make changes to federal regulations regarding protections from harassment on the job.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced an initiative to have half of state agencies powered by solar energy. The state has entered a 15-year fixed price contract with an energy company to implement the plan. The initiative is intended to not only increase the state’s energy independence but create jobs in the energy sector and reduce consumers’ energy bills.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is being sued by pro-life advocates for violations of their First Amendment rights to promote abortion pill reversals. The suit states the state attorney general “has no business” interfering with medical decisions of expectant mothers who seek to reverse the effects of abortion drug, mifepristone, and save their unborn babies.
Pray for state officials as they address the specific challenges and needs of their residents and communities.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“Why would the Holy Spirit be called ‘a dove‘? The dove is one of the most sensitive birds in God’s creation, it may be THE most sensitive bird. We find the dove when there was the flood, the worldwide flood with Noah in Genesis chapter 8. When Noah wanted to find out if the waters had subsided, he sent out a dove. The dove flew out and came back because there was no land, there was only water. Noah sent the dove out again… the dove flew back because there was no place to land. But now, this next time that he sends the dove out, the dove comes back with an olive branch in its mouth, letting Noah know that the water has subsided because now the dove could pick an olive plant, which meant olive trees had grown, and it was safe now to go to land. So the dove was used by Noah to show judgment was over and a day of renewal had come. One of the responsibilities of the dove is to let you know a new day lies ahead, even though you may be coming out of a bad time right now. It is God’s way, through the dove, to let you know that this time, in that case it was a judgment, but now it’s going to be a time of renewal. The 40 days and 40 nights of bad days are going to be, now, restored with a place on which you can now land your feet, on solid ground. So the dove brought good news that bad days are over and better days are to come!“ – Dr. Tony Evans, The Alternative, April 2024
