Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
A new survey from the Department of Defense found an estimated 21.4 percent of women and 4.4 percent of men cadets at military academies revealed unprecedented levels of sexual harassment and assault. Officials described the survey results as “extremely disappointing and upsetting.”
The Navy has requested an additional $397 million for climate change resiliency programs, calling it a “warfighting imperative.“ The funding would include money for electric vehicles and solar microgrids. The Navy says their plan “increases climate change resiliency by 39%” and supports the department’s objective of “strengthening maritime dominance in order to defend the nation.”
Pray for the safety of and mutual respect for the men and women who are attending the nation’s military academies.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
A federal judge ruled that parts of Missouri’s Second Amendment Preservation Act are unconstitutional. The judge stated that limitations on gun transfers, firearm registrations, and other items violate the “supreme law of the land” set out in the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, where federal provisions trump state laws.
Pray for judges as they hear and rule on challenges to Second Amendment protections.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
China announced a 7.2 percent increase –to $225 billion—in its military spending for 2023 during its annual National People’s Congress last week. The U.S. total defense budget for 2023 is $868 billion, and the U.S. Defense Department believes China’s actual military-related budget, including research and development funds, could be 1 to 2 times higher than stated.
After secret mediation talks in Beijing led by members of the Chinese government, Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to resume diplomatic relations that had been cut off since 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
Pray for U.S. officials as they determine how to respond to the myriad situations involving China.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Public health officials across the country report the inability to counter a new and extremely lethal drug concoction that combines a horse tranquilizer with fentanyl. In most cases, it puts the drug users into a state of consciousness they call “zombie-like.”
Pharmacists across the country say they are struggling to fill prescriptions for Adderall and Ozempic. A database maintained by the FDA shows more than 100 medications in short supply.
Pray for FDA, CDC, and HHS officials as they provide information on public health and comply with federal legislation.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israel is negotiating with Mauritania, Indonesia, Somalia, and Niger in an effort to achieve normalization agreements through the Abraham Accords. Israeli officials say more negotiations are underway, in which they expect accord signatures in the coming months.
In a direct broadcast to the people of Iran, Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that a “horrible nuclear war” could be precipitated by the Tehran regime’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. “If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, this will be a problem all of us will face. It will change the world,” he said.
Pray for Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Minister as they keep a close watch on the nuclear activities of Iran.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
Used vehicle prices have gone up for a third consecutive month. Wholesale prices (not to mention dealer prices) increased 4.3 percent in February from January, the largest increase since 2009. Higher interest rates on auto loans are also making vehicle purchases less affordable, whether for new or used vehicles.
A number of pension funds that invested in the Silicon Valley Bank have suffered losses in the millions in the aftermath of the California-based bank’s collapse. The California Public Employees Retirement Fund, for example, had roughly $67 million invested in that bank, and another $11 million in Signature Bank, which also collapsed over the weekend.
Pray for FDIC and Federal Reserve officials as they oversee various aspects of the nation’s financial industry.
Pray for GOODNESS in AMERICA
In Humboldt County, California, a coastal area in the north, the winter storms have created local emergencies leaving “impassable roadways, downed trees… mudslides, damaged structures, and dead livestock,” among other things. The local sheriff said conditions were so bad that its impacts were “exhausting and exceeding available county resources.” Officials have implemented “Operation Hay Drop” to deal with issues involving starving and snowed-in livestock. As of the end of last week, crews had made eight trips, flown for at least seven hours, and dropped off about 3-1/2 tons of hay to stranded cows.
Give thanks for officials and others who are taking creative measures to look after the livestock and farmers’ herds.
Pray for America’s Education
Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has introduced legislation to protect women’s and girls’ student sports under Title IX. He wrote that the “level playing field is now under attack by activists who care more about politics than what’s best for female athletes. Their undoing of the success of Title IX, by forcing institutions to allow biological males to compete against women and girls, is an obscene distortion of the law and a slap in the face to hardworking female athletes across the country.”
A new program from the Department of Education will deploy “secret shoppers” to detect predatory practices at colleges and universities in what amounts to an escalation by the administration to determine when institutions of higher education are violating laws and regulations governing their participation in federal student aid programs.
Pray for members of Congress as they consider the impact of the transgender movement on the efforts and educational opportunities of biological women.
Pray for America’s Technology
The Treasury Department’s Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, Nellie Liang, said the administration is developing technology that would help create a central bank digital currency (CBDC). That bank would be used in the issuance of a digital version of U.S. currency. If Congress approves it, the Federal Reserve would issue a digital dollar, usable in the same way as regular dollars are employed.
Pray for Treasury Department and Federal Reserve officials as they prepare for a possible national digital currency.
Pray for Needs Across the States
The General Assembly of Delaware has a bill under consideration to require Roman Catholic priests to report child abuse and neglect. The Wilmington Diocese responded with opposition to the legislators’ intent to break the seal of confession.
A bill being considered in the South Carolina legislature would define “person” under state law to include a fertilized egg. This would provide equal protection under the law from the point of conception, including protection under homicide laws.
Pray for wisdom for state legislators across the nation as they deal with controversial issues.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“There’s been a clear, indefinite atmospheric shift on campus. That’s unquestionable. … the students are continuing to pray, they are still continuing to seek God, and they’re still continuing to press in and believe for this outpouring that’s been happening. … The life change is real.“ – Rob Fultz, campus pastor at Lee University, Cleveland, Tennessee, March 8, 2023
