January 14th – January 20th, 2021
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
The Small Business Administration will introduce new due-diligence checks during the third round of the pandemic aid program after fraudsters and ineligible companies claimed cash through the Paycheck Protection Program last year.
After years of delay, the Treasury Department has finished rules for carbon capture tax credits that could help drive down the cost for new energy technologies, a move hailed by the Department of Energy.
Pray for President Trump, his Cabinet members, staff, and agency directors as they prepare for a smooth transition to the incoming administration.
PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
While the House of Representatives is continuing to hold sessions and vote on legislation, the Senate is on recess and will not reconvene until January 19th. On January 13th, the House voted to pass articles of impeachment of President Trump, but the Senate will not hold hearings until it is back in session at the end of the month.
The new Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said offering Americans $2,000 stimulus checks is one of his first priorities in the Senate, adding “It feels like a brand new day.” He added, “Buckle up!”
Pray for Congress to adopt an agenda based on righteousness and “binding up the wounds” that have occurred in the nation.
PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY
A three-judge panel on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a preliminary injunction preventing two Arkansas laws restricting abortion from going into effect and declared the injunction of a third law moot.
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts was breached by Russia-backed actors through the use of SolarWinds software, with “highly sensitive” documents, including sealed filings, put at risk, they reported.
Pray for guidance from the Lord for America’s judges as the issue of abortion and reproductive rights will come before more courts this year.
CURRENT EVENTS
WARS AND TERRORISM
Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal is one of the flashpoints in Tehran’s long-running disputes with its Arab neighbors, Israel, and the U.S. In a newly released video, Iran unveiled an underground base for “strategic missiles” on its Gulf coastline.
The latest round of peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators that began late last week got off to a slow start as concerns grow over a recent spike in violence across Afghanistan.
Pray for wisdom for the incoming administration and members of the Pentagon as they deal with the drawdown of troops from the long-running war in Afghanistan and concerns about Iran’s militancy.
FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS
China blocked the World Health Organization’s attempts to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and also denied entry of U.S. experts sent to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak’s origins.
Russia and China are opposed to a candidate from Fiji seen as a staunch human rights defender to lead the top UN rights body, creating a deadlock just as the United States may seek to rejoin the forum it quit in 2018.
Pray for discernment for America’s diplomats and others in the State Department as Russia and China continue their expansive goals.
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding full control of Israel’s Iran policy as Joe Biden prepares to assume the U.S. Oval Office, setting off a fierce fight at the highest echelons of Israel’s government.
Israel announced plans to build 800 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, saying it would include 100 homes in a settlement where an Israeli woman was killed recently in an alleged terror attack.
Pray that the United States would maintain a good working relationship with Israel and that nation’s leaders.
THE ECONOMY
Factory activity across the U.S. accelerated to its highest level in nearly 2-1/2 years in December as the coronavirus pandemic continues to pull demand away from services toward goods.
Private payrolls decreased by 123,000 jobs in December as companies unexpectedly laid-off workers while COVID-19 infections were surging, keeping consumers from restaurants, bars, and other services industry establishments.
Pray for all who are dealing with the economic crisis perpetuated by the coronavirus.
ACROSS THE STATES
New Hampshire’s House of Representatives conducted a drive-in legislative session as 400 state lawmakers parked bumper-to-bumper to pick a new speaker and adopt rules for their next two years. Lawmakers watched a large screen and listened on their car radios as the new speaker stood on a heated platform to lead the session.
Members of the Arizona state legislature are hoping to start a national conversation with a resolution calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would officially set the number of Supreme Court Justices at nine.
Pray for those who are newly elected to state legislatures or other state offices to seek wisdom from the right sources and, for believers, especially from the Lord.
VERSE OF THE WEEK
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10
