Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for America’s Military
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed an order extending the deployment of the USS Eisenhower and its three warships for at least a month. The naval aircraft carrier strike group, which includes a total of 6,000 sailors, has been protecting military and commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Pray for the U.S. defense secretary to be led by the Lord as he heads the Pentagon and advises the president.
PRAY FOR AN END TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE
After Russian forces broke through Ukrainian defenses in its second-largest city of Kharkiv, the U.S. announced that it would allow American weapons to be used along the border, within Russian territory. Defense Secretary Austin said, ”If someone’s shooting at you, then certainly this gives them the opportunity to counter-fire.”
Pray for wisdom for American military leaders as they provide support for Ukraine.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The House of Representatives passed a resolution this week that would penalize the International Criminal Court (ICC) for considering charges of war crimes against the Israeli prime minister and defense minister. Despite efforts to make the legislation bipartisan, the White House announced opposition to sanctions for the ICC.
Pray for the president, his foreign advisors, and the House speaker to be discerning as they consider methods of support for Israel.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services released a report to support reforms for nursing home staffing and infection control. Last month, the federal agency mandated that all care facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding must meet new staffing requirements within a certain timeframe. A group of nursing homes has filed suit citing that the department does not have authority from Congress for such requirements.
Pray for officials in the HHS, CDC, FDA and other federal health agencies to be receptive to God’s wisdom.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent rule requiring transparency in private equity and hedge funds was overturned by the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Financial services companies and trade groups challenged the regulation due to the costs of compliance and fundamental changes it would make to how these private businesses operate.
Pray for U.S. financial and treasury officials to be prudent in their rule-making as they seek to protect consumer interests.
Pray for Needs Across the States
An initiative that sought to raise Michigan’s minimum wage to $15 an hour will not appear on the ballot this fall. The state supreme court ruled against the measure since the initial language, which garnered the requisite number of signatures, had been changed somewhere along the petition process from applying to employers with one or two employees to those with at least 21.
The Illinois Supreme Court is considering whether an individual who is charged with a felony but not convicted can have their Firearm Owner ID card revoked. Federal law states that those charged with a felony but not convicted may possess firearms.
Pray for state governors, legislators, and judges to receive the Lord’s direction in the decisions they make.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“It’s a well-meaning encouragement “God will never give you more than you can handle.“ Except it’s not true. … Like most snippets of internet theology… this statement may seem like it comes from the Bible. God does say that He will always provide us with a way of escape when we are tempted to do wrong. But His desire for our lives is much more comprehensive than this. He says in the Bible book of 2 Corinthians, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.‘
One writer explains, ‘God is committed that His sons and daughters learn to live a supernatural life, drawn from supernatural resources.‘ How will He teach us to do that? He will put us in circumstances that are far beyond our natural capabilities. Where our natural capability ends, His unlimited power begins. If you believed that God’s power was at work in your life, would you sleep better tonight? God waits for the man or woman who will say, ‘I can’t, God, but You can.‘
If you’re in a place where you have more than you can handle, you’re positioned perfectly. God is there with you, ready to lavish His grace, His unmerited favor, on you. He’s ready to put His power to work in your life, to show Himself and His glory through the circumstances of your life. Paul, a follower of Jesus, wrote, ‘When I am weak then I am strong.‘ Are you ready to ask God to work His way in His power in your circumstance? When we are weak, He is strong.“ – Bonnie Sala, The Myth of “No More Than You Can Handle,“ Reset, May 2024
