Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for America’s Military
The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest, and final, Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, the USS Cleveland, at a recent ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio. The ship, the fourth U.S. naval vessel to carry the name “Cleveland,” will be based with the rest of its class at Naval Station Mayport in Florida. The littoral combat ships have not been meeting their expected 25-year lifespans due to propulsion and gear defects.
Pray for Acting Secretary Cao and U.S. Navy officials as they assess naval equipment and shipbuilding needs for the future.
Pray for America’s Foreign Relations
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) confirmed that the new military chief of Hamas, Mohammed Ouda, was assassinated this week. His predecessor, Iz al-Din al-Hadad, was assassinated eleven days earlier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli defense minister pledged that Israel “will continue pursuing everyone involved in the 7th October [2023] attack.”
The U.S. Department of Energy reported that it removed 30 pounds of enriched uranium from a Venezuelan research reactor. National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Brandon Williams said, “The safe removal of all enriched uranium from Venezuela sends another signal to the world of a restored and renewed Venezuela.” Officials stated this reduces risk to the U.S. and South America of the uranium being used to “threaten the world with nuclear terrorism.”
Pray for President Trump, U.S. diplomats, and military advisors as they assess situations in the Middle East and South America.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced higher-than-average reports of tick bites last month, ahead of Lyme Disease Awareness Month in May. The agency’s Tick Bite Tracker showed that emergency room visits for tick bites were at their highest for the season since 2017. The CDC recommends insect repellent, permethrin-treated clothing, checking for ticks, and removing them as soon as they are found. “Removing attached ticks within 24 hours can help prevent Lyme disease,” the agency stated. Dr. Alison Hinckley of the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases said, “If you develop a rash or fever in the days to weeks after a bite, or after being in an area with ticks, seek medical care promptly.”
Pray for CDC officials as they track the rise in tick bites and address concerns regarding the Hantavirus and Ebola.
Pray for Needs Across the States
The Vermont State Board of Education and Vermont Principals’ Association have settled a religious discrimination lawsuit with Mid Vermont Christian School, in which the state agreed to pay $566,000 to the school and its attorneys. The girls’ basketball team forfeited a 2023 postseason game due to a biological male playing on the opposing team. The principals’ association responded by banning the school entirely from athletic participation in the state.
The Indiana Supreme Court recently rejected Planned Parenthood’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that found the state’s abortion restrictions constitutional. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has signed legislation banning the distribution of abortion drugs via mail, and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill that made trafficking abortion drugs a felony in his state.
Pray for state officials and judges as they create and interpret laws regarding girls’ sports, religious liberty, and abortion regulation.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“God has asked Jonah to do something incredible. Now you have to understand why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. … The Ninevites were a very violent people who showed no mercy to their enemies. They would kill you and then put your dead body on display to show their might and their bloodthirstiness. So, Jonah is being real practical here. You want me to go to Nineveh? They kill people in Nineveh…
There are probably some people here today who are running from the presence of God. In other words, God has given you a word. Maybe it came through a sermon, maybe it came directly from the Bible, maybe it came from some spiritual influencer in your life, and He’s told you this is what I want you to do, but you don’t like it…
Running from God costs you. It costs you time, it can cost you money, it can cost you health, it can cost you peace, it can cost you joy, it can cost you a sense of well-being, it can cost you progress, it can cost you unity, it can cost you harmony, it can cost you mental stability. Running from God causes you a tab that you must yourself pay. … One of God’s great proofs is that when you rebel, He will not leave you alone. He will create a storm with your name on it.“ – Tony Evans, The Alternative, “Jonah: The Rebel God Used”
