Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for America’s Military
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth extended the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier’s deployment to the Middle East a second time. The U.S. kept two carrier strike groups in the region for an additional week as the U.S. fought back against attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen on shipping in the Red Sea. President Trump halted the strikes this week as the terror group agreed to stop attacking vessels in the region.
Pray for Secretary Hegseth and officials in the Defense Department as they assess the deployment of vessels and equipment around the world.
PRAY FOR AN END TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE
Following the signing of the United States-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund last week, President Trump approved the first military aid of his second term for Ukraine. The agreement does not allow Ukraine to seek entrance into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but the nation could apply for membership to the European Union. Russia has claimed to want peace even as it continues attacks against Ukraine. Russia had called for a three-day ceasefire to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Second World War starting May 8.
Pray for U.S. diplomats who are involved in discussions regarding peace in Ukraine.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., called on King Abdullah II of Jordan to make good on his pledge to President Trump in February to take 2,000 critically ill children from Gaza to his nation to receive care. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also reached out to Jordan’s ambassador to the U.S. on the subject. The Jordanians have only taken 44 children with grave illnesses, stating they will not admit more without assurance that they’ll be permitted to return to Gaza.
Pray for U.S. officials as they seek to ensure critically ill children in Gaza receive the care and treatment they need.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The Department of Health and Human Services announced that vaccines will again be tested against an inert placebo to measure the risk profile of the injections. The federal health agency stated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not adequately monitored vaccine complications. While the use of a placebo trial has still been used for new pathogen shots, they had shifted to comparing updated vaccines to existing ones.
Pray for discernment for Secretary Kennedy and HHS, CDC, and FDA officials as they implement changes to vaccine trials.
Pray for Needs Across the States
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed a state law that requires the reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect by clergy even if the information is gleaned by religious confession. The statute removes the protected “seal of the confessional” from Catholic priests. The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the law’s potential violation of the First Amendment’s Free Exercise of Religion.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled to allow the state to uphold its ban on transgender surgery and hormone therapy for minors. The law also blocks biological males from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. The ruling overturns the 10th District Court of Appeals reversal of a lower court’s decision that permitted enforcement of the law.
Pray for state governors and judicial officials as they make decisions that relate to the protection of minors.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“I love Bible verses that help me to hang on! … I find myself holding onto the Bible for dear life, gripping it in tears, with nails bleeding. It’s not that I’m getting tired of living with paralysis, it’s just, well, the Bible is such a powerful source of hope. My suffering will one day have an end. My hardships will one day be behind me. And something so grand, so glorious is going to happen on the day that I leave this wheelchair behind that it is going to suffice for every tear I have shed, every pain I have endured. When we see Jesus, just 30 seconds in his presence will more than compensate for every trouble and every trial. Oh, my goodness, that, my friend, is hope. … So, keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are! … will have you put together and on your feet for good.” – Joni Eareckson Tada, “Just Thirty Seconds in His Presence,” Sharing Hope
