M. Camille Calimlim Touton, Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
According to Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Touton, immediate action is needed for the drought-ridden Colorado River water supplies.
We Pray For America!
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- Issue 548 – Verse of the Week
June 23rd – June 29th, 2022
VERSE OF THE WEEK
Therefore, I tell you whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. – Mark 11:24
Stretch
Would you say your prayer life is solid? How deeply do you believe what Jesus said about prayer? Today’s verse begins with the word, “Therefore.” A wise pastor once said when you see the word therefore, you need to find out what it is there for. In the verse that precedes the one for today, Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, whosoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.“ Do you pray mountain-moving prayers? Do you believe that type of faith exists? Perhaps you are facing foothills instead of mountains today. Regardless, have faith that God hears and answers your prayers. Are you praying for the removal of the “mountains” of evil in today’s world? Stretch your faith. Take on the big things and do not doubt God’s power.
- Issue 548 – Federal Branches
Praying for Our Leaders in Government
Executive Branch: Pray for the President and his Administration
President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to Germany on Saturday for a Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ summit, after which he will head to Spain to attend a NATO meeting there. He said it is not likely that he will make a stop in Ukraine during his time in Europe.
Vice President Kamala Harris convened the first meeting of a White House national task force dedicated to combating online harassment and abuse. A staff member said, “We commit to better understanding and addressing the nexus between online misogyny and radicalization to violence.”
Pray for President Biden and those who accompany him on his trip to the G7 and to Spain, for his safety, clarity, and representation of the United States.
Legislative Branch: Pray for Senators and Representatives in Congress
More than 124 minority members of the House of Representatives are calling for Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the wave of attacks and vandalism against pro-life groups as acts of domestic terrorism. The Justice Department unveiled a new domestic terrorism unit in January during a hearing on the events of January 6, 2021, and the FBI has said it considers that riot domestic terrorism.
Representative Mary Miller of Illinois is raising concerns about fentanyl coming across the southern border by calling the crisis a “terrorist chemical attack.” She stated that the president’s administration “has advertised and facilitated this invasion,” that some countries are sending convicts to the U.S., and that “cartels have totally taken control of our border.”
Pray for the members of Congress seeking to ensure adherence to U.S. laws regarding immigration and domestic terrorism.
PRAY FOR CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced a measure that would require the Food and Drug Administration to play a greater role in regulating dietary supplements.
The Senate Armed Services Committee added an extra $45 billion to its version of President Biden’s National Defense Authorization Act request, bringing the total to $857.64 billion. The additional funding sets policies to equip, supply, and train U.S. forces now and into the future and provides for military families while strengthening America’s industrial base.
Pray for members of the Congressional committees to be altruistic as they negotiate and advance measures ahead of the coming midterm elections.
Judicial Branch: Pray for Supreme Court Justices and Federal Judges
The Supreme Court released its decision in a case involving an immigration rule from the previous administration, declaring that they should not have taken the case in the first place. Thirteen states had intervened in a case to defend the “public charge rule,” which stated that the U.S. can refuse to accept immigrants or grant green cards to those who are likely at any time to become a public charge. The Court said the case brings with it a “mare’s nest” of legal issues. The writ of certiorari was denied.
The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a skirts requirement for girls attending a Brunswick County, North Carolina, charter school, partially reversing a lower court’s decision. They cited the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause in their ruling.
Pray for the safety of the Supreme Court Justices who have been threatened and whose families have experienced harassment in their neighborhoods.
Featured Leaders For Prayer
Adam Smith, U.S. Representative for Washington
Representative Adam Smith said that the U.S. should be giving even more military assistance to Ukraine.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Sonia Sotomayor told a legal group meeting in Washington, D.C., that mistakes the Supreme Court makes can be corrected over time.
Lieutenant General Steven R. Rudder, Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific
The head of Marine Corps Forces, Pacific is committed to strengthening defenses in southern Japan.
As we lift up the 117th United States Congress, we will highlight one elected senator or representative each day. Pray with us for each of them as they tackle their unique responsibilities and fulfill their oaths of office.
TODAY’S CONGRESSIONAL LEADER FOR PRAYER
- Ron Johnson, Senator from Wisconsin
Ron Johnson, Senator from Wisconsin
- Born – April 1955 in Mankato, Minnesota
- Education – B.S., University of Minnesota
- Military Service – None
- Profession – Business
- Political Experience – None
- In office since – 2011
- Family – Married to Jane, 3 children
- Religious Affiliation – Lutheran
Our gift to you this holiday as we remember the true reason for the season with sacred and traditional Christmas music. LISTEN NOW!
Show your support as together we prepare and pray over the coming primaries and general midterm elections this year.
Prayer Team Member Essentials
Tools to help in your daily prayer life with encouragement to lift up America and our leaders in prayer.
Official 2022 Pray the Vote Guide
Find your state voter registration and primary dates at www.PraytheVote.org
Improve your prayer life, be reminded why we are called to pray, and find hope through prayer in this 12-page Pray the Vote guide.
Includes a 2022 midterm election checklist inside.
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AMERICA’S HISTORY OF FAITH AND PRAYER
- Issue 548 – Faith and Prayer History
“You are further to declare that we hold sacred the rights of conscience, and may promise to the whole people, solemnly in our name, the free and undisturbed exercise of their religion. And… that all civil rights and the right to hold office were to be extended to persons of any Christian denomination.”
– Roger Sherman, revolutionary patriot, politician, and jurist, 1776
- Issue 548 – National Prayer Needs
Pray the Vote
A county in New Mexico has been ordered by the state Supreme Court to certify its June 7 primary election results. The state attorney general also threatened to take legal action after the county commissioners refused to certify over concerns about Dominion vote-counting machines.
The successful recall of the San Francisco district attorney has led to a recall campaign against the district attorney of Los Angeles. The effort has hit its signature requirement to appear on the November ballot.
Pray for the integrity of the coming elections and transparency in election administration.
Additional National Prayer Needs
Pray for our Military
New documents reveal that the U.S. Army is teaching West Point cadets critical race theory, including addressing “whiteness.” The documents were obtained as part of a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request for documents related to the instruction of cadets and include over 100 pages on training.
U.S. troops in Syria detained a senior Islamic State leader. Operation Inherent Resolve, the American mission to defeat ISIS, stated Hani Ahmed al Kurdi, known as Salim, has been identified and captured. He is described as an “experienced bomb maker and operational facilitator who became one of the leaders in the Syria branch of ISIS.”
Pray for the young men and women who are entering the nation’s military academies this year.
Pray for AMERICA’S FREEDOMS
President Biden signed an executive order to counter state laws that prohibit transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports. It also targets policies, like Florida’s Parental Rights Law, that prevent indoctrination of kindergarteners through third graders of sexual orientation or gender identity ideology. The order directs federal agencies to expand access to gender-altering medical care for young people.
Pray for American parents and guardians seeking to safeguard the development—physical, mental, emotional, and sexual—of their children without government interference.
Pray for AMERICA’S FOREIGN RELATIONS
The executive arm of the European Union recommended Ukraine for candidate status a day after key European leaders endorsed the plan on a visit to Kyiv. The recommendation is the first step in what could be a long process for Ukraine to join the bloc. The accession process requires a unanimous vote of the 27 member states.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Chinese and Emirati companies and a network of Iranian firms that help export Iran’s petrochemicals. The step that may be intended to increase pressure on Tehran to revive the 2015 nuclear accord.
Pray for U.S. officials about the role being played by America and as the military and humanitarian aid being provided to Ukraine continues.
Pray for AMERICA’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines for children age 5 and under, making the shots available for the youngest children. Both Pfizer and Moderna shots were approved.
A new Kaiser Family Foundation Health Care Debt Survey shows four out of 10 Americans say they have active debt from medical and dental bills. Twenty-four percent of those surveyed said their bills are past due or have not been paid.
Pray for families with high levels of debt due to costly medical procedures or healthcare.
Pray for AMERICA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL
The leaders of Israel’s fragile coalition government said they would move to dissolve parliament and call a new election, sending that nation back to the polls for the fifth time in four years. The collapse of the government comes less than a month before President Biden’s visit to Israel, which is planned for July 13.
The Israeli nonprofit organization the Palestinian Media Watch, which tracks incitement in Palestinian media, says the Palestinian Authority officials are threatening a “religious” war over Jews praying at the Temple Mount. Their report shows PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ “official spokesmen and advisors” claim that Israel seeks to enforce Jewish prayer at the site and eventually build a third temple.
Pray for the citizens of Israel as they prepare for another vote for their parliamentary leadership.
Pray for AMERICA’S ECONOMY
The American Petroleum Institute, the nation’s largest oil and natural gas trade association, sent the White House a suggested 10-step plan to lower oil prices, beginning with lifting restrictions on drilling on federal land, streamlining permitting processes, advancing new energy infrastructure projects, and eliminating supply-chain bottlenecks.
Homebuilding decreased last month to a 13-month low and permits also declined, indicating the housing market is slowing down as rising mortgage rates reduce affordability for many first-time homebuyers. Adding to the shortages, mortgage rates have increased to their highest level in 13 years as the Federal Reserve raised rates. New 30-year fixed mortgage interest rates start at 5.78 percent.
Pray U.S. economic officials as inflation and increased interest rates are causing concerns of a possible recession.
Pray for Justice in America
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that abortion rights are not protected by the state constitution. “All we hold today is that the Iowa Constitution is not the source of a fundamental right to an abortion necessitating a strict scrutiny standard of review for regulations affecting that right,” the court said. The matter now moves to legislators to determine how they will handle abortion in that state.
Pray the hearts of state legislators to soften toward the unborn and that they protect and uphold the sanctity of life.
Pray for Goodness in America
A North Carolina trooper pulled a driver over for speeding. On questioning the driver, the trooper found that she was taking her father, suffering from cancer, home from a chemo treatment and had not realized she was going so fast. Seeing the man was in pain, and remembering his own struggles with a similar condition in the past, the trooper did not write a citation but rather asked if he could pray for the man. “I absolutely believe in prayer,” he said. The incident was captured on a dashboard camera, and has gone viral.
Pray for members of America’s law enforcement agencies who put on the uniform each day to uphold their oath to serve and protect the public.
Pray for America’s Technology
Hundreds of car crashes have been linked to self-driving and other tech. Tesla reported the most crashes, which are suspected to involve advanced driver assistance technology, in the government’s first survey of such incidents. But the NHTSA cautioned about drawing conclusions about any company’s safety features given the data’s limitations.
Pray for U.S. transportation officials as they investigate the advancements in technology that may cause drivers to ignore their need to be aware and responsible behind the wheel.
Pray for Needs Across the States
The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees approved increased spending on salaries for existing faculty at Mississippi universities, giving pay raises this coming school year to bring them more in line with regional averages for professors.
Declines in the financial markets are hurting Alabama’s Employees Retirement System, but officials say the pension fund remains sound. Through April, the rate of return on investments was minus 5 percent for this fiscal year. But the agency’s chief says employees should not be concerned because they have a defined benefit plan, which means it is not dependent on investment earnings.
Pray for state agencies as they contend with rising inflation and monetary issues that impact their states.
Pray for America’s Faith Community
“The more you are grounded in prayer and the presence of God, the less the world will be able to move you.” – Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, author, interview on Daystar, 2020
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