Robert L. Sumwalt, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board
Automakers are being urged by the NTSB to improve electric vehicle emergency response guides that lack clear information and hamper efforts to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires.
We Pray For America!
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- Issue 474 – Verse of the Week
January 21st – January 27th, 2021
VERSE OF THE WEEK
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12
Let your light shine!
A recent Christmas catalog included a tactical flashlight with a beam that could be seen five nautical miles away (5.75 miles). Light from lighthouses is visible over 20 miles away. A study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said the human eye could see the light of a candle 10 miles away, appearing as bright as a star. When you are in spiritual darkness, Jesus is the only One who can illuminate your soul. And just as He is the Light of the World, he has called you to also be light to those around you. How far does your light shine? Draw nearer to Him as you pray for the things that concern you, and as you pray with us for the nation, the issues we face, and those who lead us. Then watch your own light gleam a little brighter as you reflect the light of Jesus.
100 DAYS OF PRAYER
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-2
Every 4 years, beginning on Inauguration Day, we commit to 100 days of prayer over the president’s administration. These first 100 days are often crucial as new Cabinet-level positions are appointed and confirmed, new policies are set into motion, and work alongside the new Congress begins.
TODAY’S PRAYER
- Day 6 – Our Confidence in God
Day 6 – Our Confidence in God
Dear Lord, we have confidence in You that You hold the heart of the nation’s leaders in Your hand. Therefore, we pray for the president as he faces the enormous challenge of maintaining the world’s largest economy. As part of the president’s effort to meet the needs of the nation in this area, he must carefully choose a Secretary of the Treasury Department to advise and guide him. We pray for the president as he makes this selection and for the appointee as they go before the Senate as part of the confirmation process. May You give the Senate discernment in their decision and may the nominee look to You for wisdom, balance, and a godly perspective on how to best work for the American people. Thank You, in Jesus Name, Amen.
- Issue 474 – Federal Branches
Praying for Our Leaders in Government
Executive Branch: Pray for the President and his Administration
President Joe Biden and his administration are beginning with a Cabinet made up mostly of acting officials. They will be working closely with the Senate in order to review and confirm any of his top choices for key positions. Hearings have begun for Treasury and Defense Secretaries.
Vice President Kamala Harris said the administration work to take a “humane” approach to immigration. The administration’s plan includes a path to citizenship for millions living in the U.S. illegally, the granting of automatic green cards to immigrants with Temporary Protected Status and DACA recipients, and the addition of more immigration judges to alleviate the backlog at the border.
Pray God to be at work in and through President Biden and Vice President Harris as they begin their term of office.
Legislative Branch: Pray for Senators and Representatives of Congress
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont will chair the Senate Budget Committee. In an interview, he said, “I believe that the crisis is of economic severity and we’ve got to move as rapidly as we can.” He is expected to work to take issues regarding taxes, health care, climate change, and other domestic issues.
Incoming vice president Kamala Harris submitted her resignation from her seat in the U.S. Senate Monday. California Governor Gavin Newsom has selected California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to serve the rest of Harris’ term, which ends in 2022.
Pray for the New Congress, and for the change in leadership in the Senate, to be wise and deliberative in their roles.
Judicial Branch: Pray for Supreme Court and Federal Judges
For more than three decades, the Federal Trade Commission has been able to use America’s courts to require companies that defraud consumers to refund their money. Currently, the agency’s restitution authority is being challenged in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments on a key case involving free speech and religious liberty rights on college campuses. The case involves a Georgia student who says he sought to share Christian pamphlets on campus in a peaceful manner when he was stopped by campus officials. Those officials directed him to use one of two “speech zones,” but these zones made up less than 1 percent of the entire campus.
Pray for the nine Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court as they hear and rule on cases that involve protections and freedoms of America’s citizens.
Featured Leaders For Prayer
Madison Cawthorn, U.S. Representative for North Carolina
Following his election to Congress, the newest representative for North Carolina said he will “work to bring an end to partisan politics.”
Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
A creditor does not violate the law by simply “retaining” the property of someone who owes a debt, wrote Justice Samuel Alito in a 8-0 opinion of the Supreme Court.
Lloyd Austin, Nominee for Secretary of Defense
Former general Lloyd Austin has been undergoing hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee to confirm his appointment by President Biden to head the Department of Defense.
Starting on January 3rd with the swearing-in of the 117th United States Congress, we will highlight one elected freshman senator or representative each day. Pray with us for each of them as they take on their new responsibilities and fulfill their oaths of office.
TODAY’S NEWLY ELECTED LEADER FOR PRAYER
- Kathy Manning, Representative for North Carolina
Kathy Manning, Representative for North Carolina
- Born – December 1956 in Detroit, Michigan
- Education – B.A., Harvard University; J.D., University of Michigan Law School
- Military Service – None
- Profession – Attorney, small business owner
- Political Experience – None
- Family – Married to Randall, 3 children
- Religious Affiliation – Jewish
Prayer Team Member Essentials
Tools to help you help your daily prayer life and reminders to lift up America and our leaders in prayer.
4-Volume Prayer Journal Set
Gain uninterrupted prayer in 2021 when you request all four quarterly prayer journals at once.
Winter Edition 2021 Prayer Journal
New look for 2021 as we celebrate twenty years of prayer. 90-days of prayer and more.
2021 Wall Calendar
Less than a dozen left.
Full-color 2021 Wall Calendar on premium stock paper. Be inspired toward prayer as you look upon the majesty of our land through 12 months of national parks.
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AMERICA’S HISTORY OF FAITH AND PRAYER
- Issue 474 – Faith and Prayer History
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. …. We have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace; too proud to pray to the God that made us.
All this being done in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the divine teachings; that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace.“
President Abraham Lincoln, April 30, 1863
- Issue 474 – National Prayer Needs
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
Huntsville, Alabama, has been named as the headquarters for the U.S. Space Command, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced. Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Texas and Florida had also been considered as possible headquarters sites. The Air Force said Huntsville checked off all the requirements for the Air Force: proximity to military bases involved with space, high security, and communications capabilities.
The Pentagon is moving forward with plans to rename several U.S. military bases. Half of the panel charged with leading the effort is filled, but the remaining members of the eight-person panel will be appointed by the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan has been reduced to 2,500, the lowest level of American forces since 2001, the Pentagon reported.
Pray for America’s troops and those who lead them.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said that she would like to “figure out how we rein in our media environment” so misinformation and disinformation are not so easily spread. She believes Congress should discuss a plan for “federal truth and reconciliation” or “media literacy initiatives to help with healing.”
Pray for members of Congress as they are work to guard the freedoms outlined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran has taken a new step toward possible atomic weapons production by starting work on an assembly line to manufacture key material at the core of nuclear warheads, intending to produce more advanced fuel, and saying it “would make uranium metal to make an advanced fuel for the Tehran reactor”
Kim Jong Un has vowed to improve North Korea’s ties to the outside world as economic problems persist. Additionally, North Korea is preparing to increase the production of nuclear weapons, citing hostility from the U.S.
Pray for U.S. and foreign officials as they address the increase of nuclear weapons in the hands of hostile nations.
Pray For AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Results of early trials of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine are promising, and if Phase 3 trials are successful, there could soon be another tool with which to fight against the virus.
Statistics show that the confirmed number of worldwide deaths from COVID-19 approached 1 million as of January 14. But experts say the actual number of casualties caused by the pandemic may be closer to 3 million. Experts also say that, while two-thirds of the excess deaths recorded were attributable to COVID-19, many of those had compounding health conditions that caused complications in their ability to fight off the virus.
Pray for health officials as they work to accurately address the COVID pandemic. Pray for the manufacturers of the various vaccines as they manufacture massive quantities of doses.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
Israel has been stepping up airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, launching an air attack near the main border crossing between Syria and Iraq, one of the biggest strikes yet in its escalating campaign against the regime in Tehran.
The Iranian parliament introduced a bill setting a twenty-year time frame for the destruction of Israel. The bill lists Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and groups in the Gaza Strip as potential allies in its goal to eliminate Israel by 2041.
Pray for peace in the region and for God to be at work through the Abraham Accords that were signed last year. Pray for Israel as it faces ongoing threats by Iran and its allies.
Pray for THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
Initial claims for unemployment benefits jumped to nearly one million in mid-January as the coronavirus surge resulted in more layoffs. Claims are now at their highest level since mid-August, as is a sign that the economic recovery may not yet be on solid footing.
Consumer prices increased solidly last month amid a surge in the cost of gasoline, although underlying inflation remained tame as the economy continues battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pray for administration leaders who will be setting economic policies for the future of America.
Pray for AMERICA’S JUSTICE System
New York State Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the New York City Police Department seeking to install a federal monitor to oversee the department. The suit stems from protests over the summer, where the Attorney General’s office found widespread civil rights abuses by police against protesters.
Pray for federal prosecutors arguing cases regarding equality and justice according to America’s laws.
Pray for America’s Media
The CEO of Twitter said the decision to ban 45th President Donald Trump was necessary, but he raises questions about the power of social media companies and Twitter’s failure to promote healthy conversation. “I feel a ban is a failure of ours ultimately to promote healthy conversation. And a time for us to reflect on our operations and the environment around us,” said Jack Dorsey in a tweet.
Pray for Congress as they consider the balance of responsibilities of social media platforms, the freedom of enterprise to deny services, and the freedom of speech and expression.
Pray for Goodness in America
Representatives Michael Waltz of Florida and Vicky Hartzler of Missouri showed their appreciation for the National Guard troops protecting the Capitol Building by sending in pizzas. Waltz is a former U.S. Army Green Beret and Hartzler is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Representative Hartzler said, “Our National Guardsmen and Capitol Police are the true heroes and patriots. Let’s keep them in our prayers.”
Pray for the protection of our National Guard and law enforcement officers in Washington, D.C. this week.
Pray for Needs ACROSS the STATES
Montana’s House of Representatives is considering a bill that would expand permission for the carrying of both permitted and permitless concealed firearms, including on college campuses and in government buildings, in some cases.
Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio signed a new bill into law mandating that a physician be present when a woman takes the first of two pills during a chemical abortion. This measure will prevent the practice of “telemedicine abortions” throughout the state.
Pray for the nation’s governors and state legislators and about the new proposed bills they are introducing.
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