Daily Prayer FOCUS

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Issue # 13

March 26 – April 1, 2015

PRAY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS ADMINISTRATION President Barack Obama has yet to meet with the new head of NATO, Secretary General James Stoltenberg, even though he has been in Washington three days and a meeting was requested well in advance but no reply was received. President Obama is naming Shailagh Murray, a former Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reporter and Deputy Chief of Staff to Vice President Biden, to serve as his new senior adviser, replacing Dan Pfeiffer. Pray for President Obama as he makes decisions regarding issues both foreign and domestic.

PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS Senate Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), are proposing a budget amendment that would let states opt out of the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial climate rule for power plants for a variety of reasons. GOP members of the Budget Committee voted to boost the Pentagon’s budget by $38 billion at the urging of “hawks” like Senators Lindsey Graham (North Carolina) and Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire). Pray for our legislators as they work to craft and pass a budget for the next fiscal year.

PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has set two hours on April 17 for oral arguments on the Obama Administration’s efforts to lift a two-month-long injunction against the President’s executive actions on immigration. The Supreme Court struggled Monday to balance worries about government censorship and concerns over messages that are offensive to some as it heard a dispute over a proposed Confederate battle flag license plate in Texas. Pray for extraordinary wisdom for America’s judges and justices as they debate and rule on significant issues.

PRAY FOR THESE NATIONAL LEADERS IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK: Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior. James Lankford, United States Senator from Oklahoma. Justice Richard D. Fybel, California Court of Appeals, Fourth District, Third Division. General Joseph Votel, Commander, United States Special Operations Command. For more information on these prayer requests and Daily Member Updates please visit presidentialprayerteam.org.

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OTHER PRAYER CONCERNS: WARS AND TERRORISM Iraqi President Fouad Massoun said that the U.S.-led coalition would soon carry out airstrikes against the Islamic State in the Sunni city of Tikrit, after starting aerial reconnaissance flights this week. President Barack Obama granted Afghan’s requests to slow the drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and said he would maintain a force of 9,800 through the end of 2015 while sticking to a 2017 total exit plan. Pray for the safety of American troops deployed in the Middle East, and for the families who await their return.

FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS A 1,000 strong ultra-nationalistic militia is preparing to defend the port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine against a widely-expected attack by pro-Russian separatists, as the negotiated ceasefire in Ukraine has failed. Islamic State has recruited at least 400 children in Syria in the past three months and given these so-called “Cubs of the Caliphate” military training and hardline indoctrination. The children are all under age 18, some only 11 and 12. Pray about the escalation of tensions in Ukraine, and about the loss of innocence for the Syrian child jihadists.

ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST In recent weeks a senior Qatari official has been meeting between Israel and the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip in a bid to negotiate a long-term ceasefire agreement and broker terms for rehabilitation of the Palestinian areas. The Israeli Defense force is taking a series of measures to prevent an escalation of violence in the West Bank, including holding large-scale surprise drills and easing entry restrictions on Palestinians. Pray about the efforts of many sides to secure peace within Israel and among her Palestinian neighbors.

THE ECONOMY Nearly half of all Americans live from paycheck to paycheck, a new study shows, and fewer than 47 percent have any savings or buffer plans to protect them should the economy turn, they lose their job, become ill or retire. U.S. consumer prices rebounded in February, as gasoline prices rose and other underlying factors signaled inflationary pressure on the economy, keeping the Federal Reserve on course to raise interest rates this year. Pray about the still-wavering American economy, and for the numbers who cannot seem to get ahead financially.

HEALTH CARE Half of the households that received subsidies to help pay health insurance premiums last year under the Affordable Care Act will probably have to repay some of the money to the federal government, according to a new analysis. Consumer advocacy groups are asking fast-food franchises like Burger King and Wendy’s for commitments not to sell genetically engineered apples and potatoes that the Department of Agriculture approved for consumption last week. Pray about the costs of American health care and the factors that impact the health of us all. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation – If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2-3

For more information on these prayer requests and Daily Member Updates please visit presidentialprayerteam.org.

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